Rockets: What the new NBA shoe rule means for P.J. Tucker

The NBA finally decided to relax its restrictions on certain colors for player’s shoes. Next season, we should see a lot of fun shoe colors from one of the league’s most fanatic sneaker heads, P.J. Tucker.

What do the new rules associated with Nike’s billion dollar deal with NBA open up for hype beasts and sneaker heads alike? More importantly, what is P.J. Tucker going to wear with the imposition of these open guidelines? Any Houston Rockets fan with any slight interest in fashion or shoes whatsoever should be extremely excited for not only P.J’s new number (lets hope the #17 foreshadows many more Mario Elie “Kiss of Death” type moments) but also what the best sneaker head in the league might wear in response to these relaxed new rules.

Why does any of this matter on an aesthetic value let alone a gameplay value? P.J. Tucker is why this should matter to a Rockets fan (as well as Gerald Green, and Clint Capela’s Nike customs that have been spotted sporadically throughout the season.) P.J Tucker is by far the most credible and fashionable sneaker head signed to an NBA team.

Nick Young would be a contender, but Swaggy P is yet to sign to a team this offseason resulting from a mediocre season with the Warriors, a recent traffic-stop arrest, and potentially lingering Iggy Azalea heartbreak. In all seriousness, P.J Tucker is one of the few players in the NBA with a legitimate game, and a legitimate shoe closet to match.

The list of rare retro Jordan’s P.J. Tucker wore in last year’s playoffs alone are extremely impressive. Just a few honorable mentions include The Travis Scott Jordan 4’s, Player Exclusive all white Jordan 11’s, “CDP” Jordan 10’s, and Oregon Jordan 5’s.

Mind you that was only the playoffs; Tucker doesn’t shy away from a wide array of retro Kobe’s, KD’s, Kyrie’s, LeBron’s, or even custom dyed Off White x Nike collaborations. His growing shoe game is an endless list of rare kicks that would make any sneaker head freak out with anticipation of what he might wear next. Yes, he is one of the few players to ever actually wear Yeezy’s on court.

The aesthetic interest in P.J. Tucker’s shoe game very well may be a contributing factor to the new relaxed rules accepted by the NBA through Nike (as well as a billion dollar financial incentive). For the first time in NBA history, there is literally no color restrictions applied to shoes whatsoever.

Players can wear different shoes on each foot with no coordination if they please. The only restrictions applied is the discretion of each team’s individual standard and third-party logos must be pre-approved by the NBA. It is still not defined if that latter rule applies to brands such as Big Baller Brand, Anta, Way of Wade, or other smaller companies.

Although this new rule will most likely be appreciated by young fans around the league; it also means no more opportunities to see Penny Hardaway-like players using a sharpie frantically on their shoes to avoid a large fine.

This rule also means the Jordan 1 banned colorway might even grow in infamy and price, if you have them sitting in your closet you may very well be sitting on an investment that will only grow exponentially. Regardless, it is going to be extremely exciting to see what P.J Tucker is going to break out throughout this upcoming season!