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The Aesthetic: The world of player exclusive sneakers
Jordan Brand gave Kobe Bryant a haul of player exclusive sneakers as a retirement present last year. Nike

The Aesthetic: The world of player exclusive sneakers

For fans and consumers, the world of sneakers is very much about exclusivity. In recent years, Jordan Brand retro releases and whenever Adidas decides to drop another iteration of the Yeezy Boosts have caused mad dashes for sneaker heads to pick up their most coveted pairs of shoes on release date before they hit the resell market at a significant markup. But there's another world of exclusivity when it comes to sneakers, and it comes in the form of player exclusives (PE). These are existing sneaker models designed specifically for players, often as a way to align with the color schemes of their teams.

The concept of PE sneakers has been around for decades. Julius Irving played in a pair of Converse Pro Leather that was higher than the retail version, James Worthy had his New Balance 593 and Clyde Drexler wore red PEs from ROOS at the 1987 Slam Dunk Contest.

For fans, PE sneakers have an element of cool because of their exclusivity. While signature sneakers worn by athletes (think Jordans, LeBrons, Kyries, Kobes) are marketed and made available to the mainstream, PE sneakers are truly one-of-one. They're provided by the shoe manufacturers for the players to wear on the court and aren't released to the general public. Like most consumer goods, the fact that they're not readily accessible makes them grail items.

PE sneakers exist for athletes outside of basketball as well. Paralympic sprinter April Holmes showed off a pair of hot pink Air Jordan PEs a few weeks ago. Earl Thomas of the Seattle Seahawks wore a pair of Air Jordan 6 PEs for Super Bowl XLIX. Derek Jeter had a pair of PE Air Jordan XIV baseball cleats while he was with the Yankees. 

Outside of sports, celebrities have their own PEs as well. R&B singer Anthony Hamilton has a pair of chocolate brown leather Air Jordan 9s, while Mark Wahlberg has his own pair of Wahlburgers Jordan Formula 23 PEs.

Of course, nowhere are player exclusive sneakers more prevalent than the NBA, where some of the best and most creative shoes have been developed.

Who wore them best

One of the kings of the player exclusives in the NBA was Ray Allen, who signed with Jordan Brand when he was a rookie with the Milwaukee Bucks. In his 18-year career with Milwaukee, Seattle, Boston and Miami, Allen became the all-time league leader in three-pointers made, finishing his career with 2,973 threes. He also had an impressive list of PE sneakers, which is no surprise if you've seen his shoe closet. The following are some of Allen's best PE sneakers:

This first photo features one of Allen's best PE, the custom Jordan 13s that he wore while he made two NBA Finals appearances and won a championship with the Celtics. He also wore them earlier in his career with the Seattle SuperSonics. The white, green and black colorway was one of a kind for a shoe that was originally released in white and black for Michael Jordan. 

What gives these sneakers an additional element of cool is that the 13s were worn by Denzel Washington's character in Spike Lee's "He Got Game," a movie that also featured Allen as Jesus Shuttlesworth. A current pair of the Ray Allen PE Jordan 13s can be found on the resell market for $425. 

The second photo is arguably Allen's best PE sneaker, taking the iconic Jordan 12 model but with a unique colorway again for Allen's tenures in Seattle and Boston. The 12s, along with the 11s, have long been considered the best sneakers released in the Air Jordan line, which makes this one of the most coveted PEs. A pair of the Allen PE 12s sold on eBay for $850 several years ago. Another pair was made available for $1,900 on eBay in 2014. 

If Allen owns the crown for best PE from back in the day, the current PE champ belongs to the Air Jordan 31s, which Jordan Brand released before the start of this season, and PE editions have been worn by players including Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, Mike Conley and Frank Kaminsky. 

While many people prefer the older Jordan models, the design of the 31s has made it conducive to creating some of the best PE shoes for NBA players. It is the current PE sneaker that is getting the most universal praise for its sleek design and how it fits perfectly with every team's colorway to create a unique sneaker for each player.

Take Westbrook's, for example:


Russell Westbrook rocked Jordan 31s in Thunder colors against the Warriors. Layne Murdoch/Getty Images

Then there are Leonard's unsurprisingly understated PEs:


Kawhi Leonard's black and white Jordan 31s pair well with any variation of the Spurs' uniforms. Issac Baldizon/Getty Images

Conley has worn many different variation this season, including silver, black and yellow. Recently, he donned some truly Memphis Grizzlies-inspired PEs:


The shades of blue mixed with yellow on Mike Conley's PEs are Grizzlies through and through. Joe Murphy/Getty Images

Kaminsky stepped it up a notch, embracing the history of the Charlotte Hornets with sneakers that could make Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson and Muggsy Bogues proud:


The purple Jumpman logo on Frank Kaminsky's Hornets PEs is a nice touch. Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Who wore it worst

PE sneakers don't always hit the right notes with the audience. When Steph Curry's signature Curry 2 Low "Chef" sneakers were released, they were and continue to be the source of endless ridicule for the bland look.


The dad jokes were out in full force when Steph Curry's Curry 2 Low "Chef" sneakers were released. Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images

If the reception to Curry's signature sneakers have been lukewarm, the PEs have fallen within the same spectrum. As you can see by some of the designs of the Curry 1 PEs, they don't quite capture the classic feel of the Jordan PEs. Part of that is the fact that Under Armour is still establishing itself as a brand. Whereas Allen's PEs were borrowing from iconic Jordan designs, Under Armour is starting from scratch there. But the colorways and overall design feel messier and less focused, and thus haven't really connect with the sneaker crowd:


Sneaker heads have not been quick to embrace Stephen Curry's Under Armour PEs. Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

A runner-up in the PE sneaker disappointment category was when Adidas gave Andrew Wiggins his own "Crazy Explosive" shoe. Once again, the Internet was quick to jump on the shoe design:


Critics labeled Andrew Wiggins' Adidas PEs as looking like snowboard boots. David Sherman/Getty Images

Lastly legacy

Whether it's Jordan, Under Armour or Adidas, the PE game remains strong today. PE sneakers have not as much evolved but more expanded, in that a signature sneaker (say, the Jordan 31s) can now be customized so it can be a player exclusive for all 30 NBA teams. Back in the day, you might only find PE sneakers on a select number of players. Now, they're everywhere. In that way, we might see the PE sneaker market become a bit diluted, with the sneakers feeling less exclusive and simply an extension brand for sneaker companies to market the original signature shoes that inspire the PEs. In the future, we can expect PEs to continue and become an even bigger part of a player's aesthetic.

PEs also provide a neat retirement gift for the greatest players. Kobe Bryant's retirement gift from Jordan Brand last year, a set of all 30 pairs of PE Air Jordans, illustrated one point: As long as athletes are around and shoe companies continue to retro their shoes, PE sneakers will be around.

All 30 pairs of the shoes were made to fit Kobe's size 14 feet, with a set that was auctioned off on eBay. The winning bid for the this set of player exclusive sneakers was $240,100. A pack of Kobe PE Jordan shoes are now available at sneaker reseller Stadium Goods in New York for $30,000.

Player exclusives serve to provide a shoe aesthetic that aligns with the team's color schemes, a way to create a uniformity in the athlete's look on the court. It is truly the athlete version of figuring out how to match your outfits with your shoes for work, except work in this case is playing professional sports. For those reasons alone, PE sneakers will continue to be part of any player's aesthetic for a very long time.

For those of all (all of us) who covet these sneakers but don't want to spend an outrageous amount of money on shoes, there are other ways, like following Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker on Instagram and wait for him to hit a million followers:

Of course, that's a one-time deal, meaning player exclusive sneakers will continue to be a hard get, even if more and more of them continue to be developed.

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