Image via Complex Original
Written by Peter Walsh (@Peter_M_Walsh)
NBA basketball games are no stranger to oddities, unnatural occurrences, and weird happenings. When it comes to sneakers, players seem to have more odd in-game things happen to them than other professional athletes. And this season, for whatever reason, the amount of NBA sneaker, well, let's say adventures, has been astounding. While they've happened in the past, the watchful eye of the Internet has made sneaker destruction a hot topic in 2014. Here is A Brief History of Sneaker Mishaps in the NBA.
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Matt Bonner's New Balance sneaker explodes.
Date: December 18, 2010
Game: Spurs vs. Grizzlies
Matt Bonner is an NBA oddity. He's a big man whose primary basketball skill is shooting threes. He favors bands like Deer Tick over hip-hop artists. His nickname is the Red Rocket (or Red Mamba depending on who you ask). He uses the term heezy-for-sheezy. He has a nearly pathological love for sandwiches. And the list goes on and on and on.
Prior to this season, Bonner was also the only player in the League to don New Balance basketball sneakers on-court. During a 2010 game against the Grizzlies, Bonner's NB kicks caught a blowout and the basketball world couldn't help but have a laugh at Bonner's expense. Despite the mishap, Bonner continued to proudly wear New Balances.
In 2013, Bonner revealed that he only had two pairs of New Balance sneakers left and the brand showed no interest in sponsoring the three-point assassin, marking the end of an era. New Balance's loss turned out to be adidas' gain as Bonner inked a deal with Three Stripes at the top of 2014.
Thaddeus Young dunks, loses sneaker, and then hustles back on defense.
Date: April 16, 2011
Game: Sixers vs. Heat
No one can ever fault Sixers forward Thaddeus Young for lack of effort. During a 2012 Playoff game against the Heat, Young lost his sneaker after a nice dunk. But instead of giving up on the play, he sprinted back, launched his shoe into the crowd and played tough defense on the other end. That's the type of play that gets the coach's attention.
Mike Bibby loses his sneaker. Dwyane Wade throws it into crowd.
Date: April 30, 2012
Game: Knicks vs. Heat
Dwyane Wade and Mike Bibby were teammates on the Miami Heat during the 2011-'12 season and for whatever reason, Wade made sure to make Bibby's life a living hell every time they crossed paths thereafter. Wade threw several verbal jabs at Bibby in the press following Bibby's departure from the Heat and when the Heat and Bibby's new team, the Knicks, met in the 2012 Playoffs, Wade wasted no time getting on Bibby's case.
In Game Two of the series, Wade grabbed Bibby's Jordan sneaker off the floor of the court and tossed it to the side. A visibly distraught Bibby ran back down the floor while Wade chuckled to himself about the work he had done.
Following the game, the media asked Wade why he did it, to which Wade responded, "A little messing with Mike. We're both with the same brand (both were once signed to Jordan Brand—Ed.), too, so I told him he should have my shoe on. That's why I threw it. But it's cool. All good, all fun."
Blake Griffin's shoe falls apart after being stepped on by Marc Gasol.
Date: May 9, 2012
Game: Clippers vs. Grizzlies
When two mammoth-sized NBA big men go at each other on the court, carnage is often the result. During a 2012 Playoff battle between the Clippers and Grizzlies, Marc Gasol stepped on Blake Griffin's foot and destroyed the high-flying big man's Nike Hyperdunk Elite. Though it looked like Griffin's sneaker was flimsy, consider this; Marc Gasol is 7-1, 265 pounds. Griffin was lucky that the only thing destroyed was his sneaker.
Marc Gasol uses his shoe to play defense.
Date: March 16, 2013
Game: Grizzlies vs. Jazz
Marc Gasol shows up for the second time on this list, and this time he could have easily caught an assault charge for his actions against Derrick Favors. After losing his sneaker on a routine play, Gasol had to get back on defense. But instead of tossing his shoe to the side like most, he decided to use his sneaker as a defensive aid. Gasol proceeded to wack Favors with his sneaker while going for the ball and earned himself a foul. Easy, big fella.
Mike Miller hits a shoeless three-pointer.
Date: June 19, 2013
Game: Spurs vs. Heat, Game 6 of 2013 NBA Finals
Mike Miller's career has probably lasted a few seasons too long. The former Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year has put together a solid 13-year run that has included two championships with the Miami Heat. Though he is a shell of his former self, Miller would have never made it onto this list had he decided to hang up his kicks following his first title with the Heat.
During last season's epic Finals between the Heat and the Spurs, Miller hit the biggest shot of his career in Game Six. After losing his sneaker and casually tossing it to the sideline, Miller and his 55 pairs of socks nailed a huge three-pointer that gave the Heat momentum. Stance shoulda hollered at him after that one.
LeBron James' sneakers leave a skid mark.
Date: January 2, 2014
Game: Warriors vs. Heat
LeBron James does things on the court that literally no one else on the face of the planet can do. He is so big, so fast, and so talented that even the spectacular plays look routine when he's doing them. During a January game against the Warriors, LeBron was moving so fast that he literally burned rubber onto the court. The marks left by 'Bron's size 16 signature kicks looked more like the marks left by a car after skidding out.
Manu Ginobili's Nike Air Max Closer IV explodes.
Date: February 26, 2014
Game: San Antonio Spurs vs. Detroit Pistons
Manu Ginobili has had a helluva career. The Argentine guard is a three-time NBA Champion, a two time NBA All-Star, a Sixth Man of the Year award winner, and a Gold Medal winner amongst many, many other accomplishments.
Along with championships and accolades, Ginobili also has a curious history of strange occurrences on court. Back in ‘09, Manu flashed his amazing hand-eye coordination by absolutely destroying a bat that had swooped down to court level of the AT&T Center in San Antonio. On the sneaker front, Ginobili’s ‘09 Nike Air Max Closer IV literally exploded during a February contest. Ginobili, who has one of the most aggressive Eurosteps the NBA has ever seen, is tough on his sneakers due to his game but man, it's tough to do that to a sneaker no matter how aggressive you are. Ginobili said he would switch to LeBron XIs for the rest of the season (no surprise considering he wore the LeBron Xs for much of last season).
Andrew Bogut rips his sneaker.
Date: March 7, 2014
Game: Warriors vs. Hawks
Andrew Bogut plays harder than most. The big man isn't afraid to mix it up down low, dive on the floor for loose balls or crash the boards with reckless abandon. When you're that tough on the court, you're even tougher on footwear. During a March game against the Hawks, Bogut ripped through his massive Nike sneaker. Instead of just tossing the shoe away, though, Bogut was nice enough to hand off the sneaker to a Warriors fan in attendance.
Tony Wroten loses the sole of his Air Jordan X
Date: March 14, 2014
Game: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Indiana Pacers
You know you’re having a tough season when even your footwear bottoms out. Sixers guard Tony Wroten, who actually has been one of the few bright spots for Philadelphia this season, has one of the meanest sneaker collections in the NBA. During a game against the Pacers, Wroten donned a pair of red and white Jordan Xs. While making a move to the hoop, the sole of Wroten’s right sneaker completely separated from the shoe and the young guard was out a pair of deadstock Jordans. Considering the fact that Wroten is an explosive player, it’s no surprise that a damn-near decade-old shoe would fall apart in the middle of a game.