New year, new kicks - that's the theme in Vol. 9 of our NBA Sneaker King Power Rankings. There's a lot of turnover in the rankings as five new names make the cut. You'll see some familiar names in the sneaker game, but you'll also be surprised by who's brought out some of this week's best sneaker heat.
Vol. 9 features the players who absolutely made it their New Year's resolution to keep their shoe game at an elite level. Keep scrolling for some crazy customs, retro Jordan's and crispy player exclusive kicks.
10. Langston Galloway (Last Week: NR)
The NBA's custom sneaker king is back at it again in 2020. Langston Galloway continues to show off his creativity and versatility on any given night. Galloway essentially breaks out a new pair of custom kicks for every game and they almost always have a theme based on the city he's in or a tie to his likes and personality. This week's highlights include a 'Home Alone' designed pair during the holidays and another pair inspired by 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' for a game in Los Angeles.
9. Kawhi Leonard (Last Week: 9)
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is really hitting his stride when it comes to his signature New Balance OMN1S line. Leonard continues to make use of the New Balance OMN1S 'City of Angels' colorway whenever the Clippers break out their city edition uniforms. New Balance also continues to do a fantastic job of lacing Leonard up with eye-popping player exclusive colorways of his signature shoe.
8. Kyle Korver (Last Week: NR)
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is likely overjoyed and reaping all the rewards after finally getting his own Nike signature shoe. But it seems like his teammate Kyle Korver is making good use of his connection to The Greek Freak because he's always in an amazing player exclusive pair of the Nike Zoom Freak 1. You're in complete shock that Kyle Korver made the Sneaker King power rankings, we get it. Do yourself a favor and check out the heat he brought this week below.
7. LaMarcus Aldridge (Last Week: NR)
Spurs big man LaMarcus Aldridge shouldn't be as lowkey a Sneaker King contender as he is. The longtime Jordan Brand athlete is as plugged in with retro Jordan's as anyone in the NBA and he proved that over the last week. Aldridge broke out the Jordan 11 'Bred,' Jordan Brand's signature holiday release in 2019, in a game against the Warriors. He followed that up with the Jordan 13 'He Got Game,' the classic kicks Ray Allen made famous during his acting debut.
6. Buddy Hield (Last Week: NR)
Buddy Hield is doing his best to join a very exclusive club of players that knowingly or not play the role of ambassadors for the Nike Kobe line. Hield, like DeMar DeRozan, Isaiah Thomas and Tobias Harris, rocks the best from the Nike Kobe line every night and he's keeping that going into 2020. Hield's highlights this week include the recently released Nike Kobe 5 Protro 'Chaos' and the Nike Kobe 5 'Fade to Black.'
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Last Week: 8)
Giannis Antetokounmpo just does things that you really didn't know were possible until he did it. The reigning MVP is somehow outperforming the season he had last year and the Bucks are becoming allergic to losing. Oh, and he's enjoying the success of his Nike Zoom Freak 1 signature shoe by breaking out player exclusives on the regular. What a time to be alive if you're The Greek Freak.
4. Paul George (Last Week: 5)
Paul George is getting ready to debut the Nike PG 4, so he's doing his best to send off the Nike PG 3 with a bang. George's signature line with Nike has been wildly successful and the Nike PG 3 is one of the more popular sneakers around the NBA. This week, George got to show off a number of player exclusive kicks, including a pair limited to University of Oregon athletes.
3. Bam Adebayo (Last Week: NR)
Bam Adebayo flexed on all of us with his sneaker rotation this week. The third-year player out of Kentucky is really starting to get some national praise for his play on the court, but he's BEEN an established figure among the league's best sneakerheads for a long time. This week, Adebayo reached deep into his bag and pulled out the Nike React Off-White Hyperdunk, joining a small group of players bold enough to hoop in some Off-White kicks (click the link and look at the price tag to understand why). Adebayo also broke out the classic Jordan 11 'Bred,' which you can argue is the perfect shoe to match with the Heat's jersey scheme.
2. LeBron James (Last Week: 2)
LeBron James continues to defy the odds by remaining one of the top players in the league while playing into his mid-30s. His Nike signature line also continues to pump out consistent heat despite being on its 17th silhouette. James looks to be quite fond of the Nike LeBron 17 and he keeps so many player exclusive pairs in his rotation it seems like he breaks out a new pair every game. One of this week's highlights includes an alternate PE to his Nike LeBron 17 'More Than An Athlete' kicks. Check out LeBron's sneaker rotation below.
1. P.J. Tucker (Last Week: 1)
P.J. Tucker is the best detective in the NBA hands down. All he does is track down the RAREST shoes ever made and then wears them to hoop like it's nothing. This week, Tucker broke out the Nike Huarache 09 CB4 All-Star PE. What makes these shoes special? They were specifically made for then-Raptors forward Chris Bosh to hoop in the 2009 All-Star Game. Unreal, but it gets better. Tucker then laced up the Jordan 5 F&F 'Fresh Prince.' What does 'F&F' mean? Friends and family, so those shoes were never made for retail release just a very limited production. How limited? Only 23 pairs. Understand how ridiculous that is. When it comes to the NBA sneaker scene, it's P.J. Tucker's world and we're just living in it.
Just Missed The Cut
Lakers big Anthony Davis, Suns forward Kelly Oubre Jr., Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr., Spurs forward DeMar DeRozan, Wizards guard Troy Brown Jr., Rockets guard James Harden, Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony, Magic guard Markelle Fultz and Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton.
