Players around the NBA broke out a slate of unique footwear during Week 23.
Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis wore a pair of Zoom Soldier 1 retros that were relaunched in 2018 to celebrate LeBron James’ 25 straight points against the Detroit Pistons in the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals. James wore the sneakers during that game.
Davis dominated in the Zoom Soldiers, tallying 34 points, 23 rebounds and 4 blocks in a double overtime road win against the Milwaukee Bucks. His game-saving block on Damian Lillard at the end of the first overtime, gave the Lakers a chance to win it.
Game. Saving. Swat. https://t.co/MwEWTWVAfR pic.twitter.com/vW2BxETQAs
— NBA (@NBA) March 27, 2024
Davis played a career high of 51 minutes and 52 seconds, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He played the most minutes as a Lakers player since Kobe Bryant in 2012.
Here are some of the other top kicks from around the league in Week 23.
The rookie center sported a pair of Air Zooms featuring a distinctive colorway mixing splashes and shades of pink, purple and white. The 7-foot-4 phenom stuffed the stat sheet against the Utah Jazz, tallying 19 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks as San Antonio took home its first road victory since March 9.
Monk might win the award for most interesting sneakers of the week, rocking a Neapolitan colorway on a pair of Kobe 6s. The distinctive shoes didn’t bring much luck to the Kings who suffered a 132-96 defeat at home against the Dallas Mavericks. Monk scored 10 points in the loss.
PJ Tucker donned a pair of Kobe 5s in the Clippers showdown with the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The custom sneakers feature a red and black base accented by a white strip including a number of illustrations, such as the Haitian flag.
Tucker’s shoes served a greater purpose — they were part of a ‘Help Haiti” pack that was released to raise money after an earthquake struck the nation in 2010.
Antetokounmpo rolled with a unique colorway in his always-flashy Zoom Freak 5. He delivered a 35-point, 14-rebound performance in his blue-and-silver sneakers against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Jokic unveiled a new edition of his 361 sneakers. DC Comics character, “the Joker,” was the inspiration behind the purple-and-green colorway. The shoes include Jokic’s personal logo on the tongue, which helped the star center put together a stellar 29-point, 11-rebound and 8-assist performance in a 128-103 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.