After a long and eventful postseason, the Milwaukee Bucks are NBA Champions. Through the course of the playoffs, there were some extremely memorable moments on the court. Stars like Trae Young and Devin Booker had breakout moments and there were also a bunch of huge sneaker moments.
There were so many shoe moments that we had to leave a few that deserve an honorable mention.
Phoenix Suns guard Langston Galloway wore everything you could imagine like some cool Jordan retros as well as his own new shoe brand, Booker stayed true in classic Kobe retros and Wizards guard Russell Westbrook rocked a nice pair of Jordans.
From PJ Tucker’s vast collection of exclusive sneakers to shoes from players like Kevin Durant, here’s a look at the best kicks worn during the NBA playoffs.
Damian Lillard
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It’s not often that an all-black shoe makes it onto a list like this. For Portland’s Damian Lillard though, it’s only right.
The six-time All-Star played in the “Opponent Advisory” colorway of the Adidas Dame 7 EXTPLY in Game Five of the first round against the Denver Nuggets.
In the game, Lillard put the Nuggets on notice, going for 55 points and 10 assists. Unfortunately for Lillard, Portland lost despite his heroic effort. The Blazers would lose one more game to be eliminated in the first round.
Kyrie Irving
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Kyrie Irving went retro in the first round when he wore an unreleased colorway of the Nike Kyrie 3.
Inspired by his idol Kobe Bryant, Irving’s shoe originates from Bryant’s fifth signature model with Nike that had a Bruce Lee-themed colorway.
This shoe features a tongue that combines the logos of Irving and Bryant. Coming in a red colorway with black accents and yellow claw marks, the shoe certainly stands out. Too bad it’s never hit the market as a public release.
Trae Young
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Trae Young was special in his playoff debut. A one-time All-Star, Young got the chance to showcase his brand new signature shoe, the adidas Trae Young 1, which he introduced in his first playoff game. He shuffled between multiple colorways throughout, but the Ice Trae colorway is the best.
A blue, white and red colorway, the shoe represents Young’s nickname that comes from his persona as a clutch performer and a premier villain on the road.
The guard did a good job showcasing that by taking the Atlanta Hawks all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals while averaging 28.8 points and 9.5 assists in 16 games.
Kevin Durant
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Brooklyn Nets teammates Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving simultaneously debuted shoes in the playoffs that displayed their connection to one another as teammates. Durant wore a colorway of the KD 14 titled the “Ky-D.” The shoe is a take on the “Dream” colorway of Kyrie Irving’s inaugural signature shoe. Durant’s version borrows themes from Irving’s first shoe and comes in a black and red colorway with yellow and blue accents.
There might have not been a bigger shoe moment this season than Game Seven of the second round matchup between the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks.
Durant was phenomenal with 48 points. Down by two, he hit a clutch shot in the “Ky-D” colorway, but his foot was on the line, taking the game to overtime rather than giving the Nets a victory if the shot was a three.
The Nets ended up losing the game in the extra frame and we were left wondering what would’ve been if Durant’s size-18 foot was just a bit smaller.
PJ Tucker
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PJ Tucker could honestly take all five spots on this list.
The NBA’s resident sneaker king, Tucker has been able to put together a variety of shoes and exclusives this playoff run since the Bucks were able to make the NBA Finals. He’s worn multiple Kobe retros, an old Kevin Durant signature model, a rare “Rice High School” PE of the Nike Zoom Kobe III silhouette and he even debuted his teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo’s new signature release before the Greek Freak himself.
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In all, Tucker has worn about 30 different shoes throughout Milwaukee’s championship run. Off the court, Tucker is untouchable as well. He donned everything from an Air Jordan 1 with black snakeskin and 32.74 carat diamonds to the Nike Air Mag as he entered the NBA’s mini-fashion show pregame.
Rafael Canton is a writer based in New York City whose work has been featured in VICE, Pitchfork, SNY and Bleacher Report. If you want to talk sports, music, or the internet, you can reach him on Twitter.
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