WANT to see how much a message means to a basketball star? Look at their shoes.
Whether it is a message of hope, of grief or of a political stand they want to rally behind, the NBA’s biggest names have no qualms about turning their kicks into a message board of sorts.
The Boston Celtics’ grief-stricken star, Isaiah Thomas, was the latest hoop hero to deliver a heartwarming shoutout to his sister Chyna, who died recently in a one-vehicle accident in Washington. Reports said Chyna crashed after her car drifted into the shoulder and crashed into a barrier.
Boston Celtics’ Isaiah Thomas wears a message on his shoes in memory of his sister Chyna during the fourth quarter of a first-round NBA playoff basketball game against the Chicago Bulls,Sunday, April 16, 2017, in Boston. The Bulls won 106-102. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Thomas still saw action in Game 1, scoring 33 points while adding six assists and five rebounds in a 106-102 loss to Chicago. NBA.com reported that Thomas will play in Game 2 before flying to Washington to attend to his sister’s funeral arrangements.
Brad Stevens was reported as saying the Celtics might attend any service for Thomas’ sister.
But even before that, Thomas already honored his sister by scribbling her name on his kicks for Game 1, along with the words “R.I.P li’l sis” on the left shoe and the date of the accident on the right.
Thomas isn’t the first shoe scribbler in the NBA, though.
LeBron James brought the Trayvon Martin shooting incident to the public eye with a few words on his shoe.
Miami Heat forward LeBron James wears a message honoring Trayvon Martin on his shoe before their NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons on March 23. (Duane Burleson/AP)
Kevin Durant also made a political stance by writing the words “Black lives matter” on one shoe and the polarizing “All lives matter” on the other.
Kevin Durant’s shoes. AP File Photo
And of course, Steph Curry has been known to use Golden State games to preach bible verses by wearing them on his shoe.
In the PBA, Meralco big man and veteran Reynel Hugnatan, the mafia don of all local basketball sneakerheads, paid tribute to the late Gilbert Bulawan after the latter died during a practice session.
Reynel Hugnatan’s tribute to friend Gilbert Bulawan. Photo by Bong Lozada
The shoe, after all, is starting to become a far-reaching message platform, with fans also taking time out to admire (slash-criticize) their idols’ kicks during game lulls. Thus, messages scribbled on stars’ shoes always catch media attention.