free shoes...woo-hoo!

This would be a sweet gig except for the playing basketball part! Just kidding! From the Journal-News of suburban New York City.

NBA players are well-heeled
By MIKE DOUGHERTY, THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: November 3, 2004)

GREENBURGH, NY — There's a quiet corner of the Madison Square Garden training facility where hundreds of basketball shoes are tucked away waiting for tipoff, a virtual nirvana for anyone who appreciates the smell of leather and rubber fresh out of the box.

And every pair in the place is free.

Of course there is one catch: The bulk of these handmade treasures is reserved for the millionaires who make up the Knicks' roster. Life in the NBA is good. Even the guy on the end of the bench who probably won't play a minute all season gets complimentary footwear.

Imelda Marcos would love this gig.

The supply is practically endless, too. Patrick Ewing used to get new kicks prior to every game and would go through 100 pairs in a good season. He wasn't considered a shoe diva, either. At the other end of the spectrum is Othella Harrington, who kept the same pair for most of the season and wound up developing plantar fasciitis.

"Every three games I usually get a new pair because they start to get slippery and start to give," said Allan Houston, who's considered average in that regard. "You need a comfortable fit."

Jamal Crawford has never actually counted, but the rising star figures he needs 40 or 50 pairs to get through a season. Stephon Marbury runs through 30 or 40 pairs before the playoffs get under way. Every manufacturer has reps patrolling the locker rooms. They push the product and deliver the goods to equipment managers around the league.

A couple of generations ago, teams supplied the shoes.

"I always had to have a couple of pairs because my feet would sweat a lot and it would take at least a day or two for them to dry," said Knicks coach Lenny Wilkens, who played in canvas sneakers. "I went through maybe 10 pairs a season because the heel would crumble."

Even in this age of high-tech footwear, breakdowns and blowouts are not uncommon.

"It could happen in the middle of a game, in practice," Knicks equipment manager Mike Martinez said. "It's very, very easy. All it takes is for a guy to run hard in one direction, make a cut, and — boom — he comes right out of the shoe. Over the years the shoe companies have made huge strides, but like anything in life, you just never know."

That's why these oversized shoe closets exist.

Shaquille O'Neal and Dikembe Mutombo cannot walk into the mall at halftime and leave with a pair of size 22 high tops that coordinate with their uniforms.

It's fairly unique gear.

Except for LeBron James, the days of huge endorsements are way over. Even so, nearly every player in the league has some kind of deal. There might be money involved for stars, but for the role players the payoff usually comes in shoes and brand-name apparel.

More free stuff.

"If there's a player at the end of your bench who's always worn a certain shoe, that manufacturer will usually hook the guy up," Martinez said. "They're all pretty good about that."

Most players insert custom orthotics and lace up their new shoes for shoot-around or practice to break them in. Coordinating that process will require some effort this season because the Knicks are wearing black shoes on the road and white shoes at home.

"They're stiff — really, really stiff — when you first put them on," Crawford said. "And at first, they're so new you don't want to mess them up, but they're only shoes."

Until the player no longer wants them.

Then they can become memorabilia.

There is a surprising demand for anything game-worn, including sweaty old shoes, and the value increases when a big name autographs them. At the conclusion of recent All-Star Games, the NBA's elite have tossed size 14s and 16s into the crowd before heading into the locker room.

"I give a lot of shoes away," Crawford said. "I give 'em to kids or the ball boys, whoever. They're not all that special. It doesn't matter who, but usually kids or charities, not too many grownups."

Many of them end up on a bedroom shelf. But like most professional athletes, these guys hate seeing their old stuff on eBay.

Yesterday bidders could get a pair of game-worn Kevin Garnett shoes on the site for $669.95.

"I never imagined it would be the way it is for shoes," Houston said. "But you know what? If you look at the world, the way it is now, it shouldn't really be a surprise. It's a hustle now. There are people who are genuine fans and want our autographs and we don't know the difference."