Just a heads up, there's a new No. 1 at the bottom of this list. First time all season a different player takes the top spot, so you know something impressive had to go down. We're not going to spoil it for anyone, so scroll on down to see what it took to be recognized as having the best kicks in all the NBA this week.
Before you get down there here's what we got this week: New colorways, never-before-seen player exclusives, crazy collaborations and rare Nike classics. Now, let's get to the kicks.
10. Kyle Kuzma
Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma is known around the NBA to have some flashy style. Like him or not, the dude has some swag and he shows that off pregame and on the court. One of the bigger names on the Puma roster, Kuzma has been lacing up the best kicks the brand has to offer for almost two seasons now. He makes the cut this week with the Puma Clyde All Pro, a classic low-cut sneaker that would thrive in any era throughout league history.
9. Donovan Mitchell
Life is good for Donovan Mitchell right now. The Jazz are the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and the certified heat colorways of his signature Adidas D.O.N Issue 2 kicks are starting to roll in with frequency. Mitchell would have made the cut this week just off the pull of a baseball-inspired colorway of his kicks that you can see below. A classic white base with red accents that mimic the laces on a baseball. Adidas has been hooking their young star up lately and we're sure there's more to come as playoff time nears.
8. Paul Millsap
If anyone reading this has Paul Millsap's contact information please pass it along because we NEED to know how this pair of Nike Kobe 6 player exclusives came to be. The shoe is one of the best PE you'll see from a silhouette that's been popping up all over the NBA this season. Also, if Nike's listening, this shoe needs to be released to the public immediately. Shoutout to Millsap because these are art.
7. Jamal Murray
Jamal Murray might be the most recent addition to the New Balance roster, but he hasn't wasted any time getting acclimated with the selection the brand has to offer. Murray is hitting a stride with a number of different colorways from New Balance's latest sneaker drop, the New Balance Two WXY. The sneaker is an evolution of the New Balance OMN1S, the sneaker that launched the brand back into the basketball world and served as Kawhi Leonard's primary footwear until his signature shoe, The KAWHI, released. You can expect to see many more colorways of the Two WXY from Murray and the rest if the New Balance Basketball roster this season.
6. Derrick Jones Jr.
Derrick Jones Jr. is back in the Sneaker King mix this season. The range of his sneaker collection is beyond impressive, he makes it a point to have some of the best kicks from Nike's top signature lines which means he has gems from Kobe, LeBron and Kevin Durant's run of sneakers. Over the past week he made frequent use of the Nike KD 4, which a lot of folks in the sneaker community still regard as the best model in Durant's extremely successful line. The highlights include the Nike KD 4 "Texas Longhorns" and the Nike KD 4 "Galaxy."
5. Gordon Hayward
We featured Gordon Hayward on our NBA Sneaker King Power Rankings earlier this season to let everyone know that his signature kicks with Anta are LEGIT, and now we're back with Hayward in the top 5 to put an exclamation point on that thought! Hayward has been on an absolute monster run with his Anta GH2 kicks over the past week. The colorways are amazing and work perfectly because of the clean and crispy design of the shoe. What put Hayward over the top this week was a collaboration project between Anta and HyperX, a top-of-the-line gaming gear company. Hayward is one of the NBA's most visible gamers so the collaboration is a perfect match. The kicks, which are featured below, have a classic black/red color combination with black speckles across the midsole. The lacing system over the top of the foot is decorated with the word "GAMER" and the HyperX logo can be found on the heel of the shoe. Two thumbs up on a seamless collaboration that had Hayward very happy.
4. Stephen Curry
You can tell whenever an athlete is really feeling their latest signature shoe. Obviously, you'll never hear them talk down about the brand they're with, but you'll notice little things like them switching back to an older model with more frequency or not really breaking out too many new colorways. You WON'T see any of that with Stephen Curry and the new Under Armour Curry 8. He clearly loves this sneaker and the way he's balling on the court he doesn't have any reason not to. And it pays off for us because he's breaking out new colorways on what seems to be a nightly basis. Keep scrolling and enjoy.
3. Malik Monk
Malik Monk made sure he was landing in the NBA Sneaker King Power Rankings this week because he didn't hold anything back with all the heat he laced up on the court over the past few games. Monk went DEEP into his Nike Kobe collection and decided it was time to show off the player exclusive kicks he had sitting on ice. The highlights include a Hornets-inspired Nike Kobe 6 PE that blends dark and light blues in such a flawless way that these kicks need to hit stores like yesterday. If this is what Monk is going to have on his feet moving forward, he'll become a regular on this list.
2. Montrezl Harrell
If you've been paying close attention to the NBA's sneaker scene this season, you know that Montrezl Harrell is putting on an absolute show day in and day out. He's a student of the sneaker game so it's no surprise that he can make you feel like you hopped in a time machine and went back to the mid-'90s with his classic Reebok shoe game. There isn't anyone in the league right now representing harder for Reebok than Harrell.
1. Carmelo Anthony
Surprise, surprise! There's a new No. 1 in the NBA Sneaker King Power Rankings for the first time this season. The spot usually reserved for P.J. Tucker was up for grabs because the reigning Sneaker King was sidelined as he waited for the Rockets to trade him out of town (he eventually landed in Milwaukee). And while this spot was up for grabs no one went harder for it than Carmelo Anthony. As someone who has been a Jordan Brand athlete for a decade-plus, his sneaker stash is undoubtedly something from another world. And on top of having a collection that would make anyone envious, Melo has the type of pull to get a player exclusive to his liking of whatever shoe he wants. This week, that shoe was the Jordan 35 and Melo flexed on all of us with some immaculate colorways. Check them out below and let's give props to an OG Sneaker King in Carmelo Anthony.
