Houston Rockets stars James Harden and Russell Westbrook are of the opinion that there are only four or five NBA players in the league right now who deserve to have signature shoes.
Sneaker endorsements have been coveted by players for as long as basketball has been trendy and there are several NBA athletes who have locked deals down – Miami Heat pair Kendrick Nunn and Derrick Jones Jr. the most recent – but the Rockets guards reckon the honor should be reserved for a very small group.
The players, who have been selected as the GQ magazine cover stars for March, engaged the publication in a wide-ranging interview that touched on sneaker culture in the NBA. A few months ago, Harden told GQ only a handful of players should have their own shoes and, asked for his thoughts, Russ agreed with his teammate.
“I would say about the same. Four or five,” he said.
Harden was quizzed on what a player needs to have to deserve his own shoe.
“The whole package,” he stated bluntly.
“You can’t just be one-dimensional,” Russ went on to explain. “I didn’t deserve a signature shoe for a while, because I didn’t earn it. But I’ve earned my way, and now I have my own. I’m realistic when it pertains to that. Some players just get a shoe. Like James said: You gotta have the package. The fan base. Your play gotta speak, obviously. Outside of basketball, whatever else you got going on. You gotta be “that guy” to be able to have a shoe. Because nowadays everybody got a shoe.”
