Houston Rockets star PJ Tucker is notorious for his sneaker obsession, even swapping out his shoes mid-game during the 2018 NBA playoffs. But how much does he spend on his kicks? A lot, even by rich athlete standards.
In a recent interview with Complex, Tucker, 33, estimates he shelled out “probably close to $200,000" for sneakers last season.
But Tucker sees sneakers as more than just footwear. “My shoes are an expression of me, how I’m feeling,” Tucker tells Complex. “Some nights I might wear some crazy stuff. Some nights I might be more regular. I’ll wear shoes that no one knows and is a sleeper, but it might be something that I really love.”
Tucker has so many pairs of sneakers, "I got shoes literally all over my house," he told ESPN. They're in his entryway, his closet and his garage, according to Tucker, many stored in boxes or clear plastic containers.
However his favorite pair that he's worn on the court this year are his Legend of Summer IIIs, he told Complex. But the 6-foot-6-inch-tall Houston Rockets forward said it was hard to find a pair his size.
“I looked for that shoe for so long.” Tucker said. He was told only two pairs were ever made in his size, 14. "I was trying to hunt them down."
Tucker's recent big sneaker splurge is like the average person spending four figures on sneakers in a year, as a viral tweet by ESPN reporter Darren Rovell pointed out. Doing the rough math: For the 2017-2018 season, the Rockets reportedly paid Tucker nearly $7.6 million, of which $200,000 is about 2.7 percent. Using recent earnings figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to approximate a $45,800-a-year median income, spending 2.7 percent on sneakers would be about $1,236.
But sneakers aren't the only fashion find Tucker is willing to pay for. In May, it was reported that Tucker bought a $25,000 beaded Balmain jacket while in Paris.
“Everybody in fashion knows of those must-have pieces where you’re just like: ‘I’ve got to have it,'” Tucker said, according to the Associated Press. “And I had to have this.”
Tucker's love for high-fashion began to blossom when he was playing basketball in Europe, according to the AP, and now, Tucker and Houston Rockets teammate James Harden are well-known for arriving at the arena dressed to the nines.
“I could never just throw on a sweatsuit and go to a game. No. It puts me in that mindset that I’m going to work. I’m taking care of business," Tucker said, according the AP.
Tucker is athlete to fess up to over-the-top spending. In 1992, within an hour of basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal signing his first NBA contract, he blew through $1 million, buying two Mercedes Benz cars and jewelry. Meanwhile, NFL player Ben Simmons admitted to buying two Savannah cats for $10,000, and NBA star Draymond Green revealed he spent a whopping $21,000 in one night at a club.
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