PJ Tucker, the NBA's Sneaker King, Talks Kicks and Fashion in the Bubble

"It's like 110 pairs."

That's how many pairs Houston Rockets swingman PJ Tucker says he packed for his stay in the NBA's Disney World bubble. Tucker doesn't expect his run near Orlando, Florida, to be a short one. "I'm gonna be here for a minute," Tucker tells B/R Kicks.

Recently, the nine-year NBA veteran partnered with eBay to unveil his sneaker loft, where he stores a sneaker collection that ranges from 700 to 1,000 pairs. His go-to platform for buying sneakers? "Everywhere. Anywhere." That means via email, direct messages, anything.

What makes eBay different?

"The chance to find grails is so much wider," Tucker says. "You just think, 'Oh, I forgot about those,' and you'll see a pair on there. I feel like you have a better chance of finding pairs like that on there than anywhere."

Tucker is in his 14th season as a professional player (five of which were spent overseas), and he feels like there are fewer and fewer players interested in sneakers. "There's not as many who, through and through, just love sneakers," Tucker says. "Everybody loves the hype. That's cool." But Tucker sees that the passion for sneakers and flexing on the court has shifted to how guys dress. "That's really where the game has kinda gone to. Guys don't really seek out shoes they love. It's just different."

That doesn't mean Tucker is out of style, though.

"Best dressed in the NBA?" Tucker says. "I'd say myself and probably Russ [Westbrook]. He gets it." Westbrook has his own clothing line called Honor The Gift, which recently partnered with the National Basketball Players Association to design shirts with social justice messages that were not approved for NBA jerseys.

Still, the fashion show that the NBA often is has not taken a break in the NBA bubble. Several stars—LeBron James, Donovan Mitchell, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid among them—have debuted new signature shoes. To Tucker, there's always more room for signature athletes:

"No. No, no, no. Never. That's like someone's dream. I don't think you can have enough guys with signature shoes...I think there should be more."

Tucker himself has long played in Kobe Bryant's sneakers, which possess an attention to detail other shoes lack. "Kobes are the best hoop shoes ever," Tucker says. "Kobe understood functionality in basketball sneakers. And kinda putting everything together from the bottom soles to the cut. Every little detail he put his heart in." His favorite? He couldn't decide, but "especially from the 1 to the 6. It's almost unbeatable."

No matter how deep Tucker and his Rockets go in the playoffs, it's clear the NBA's reigning Sneaker King came prepared for the bubble. Stay tuned for what he'll wear in the postseason.