PJ Tucker discusses his personal shoes auction on eBay

Tucker: It was an idea my team came up with because when we left my house in Houston we had so many pairs of shoes right there and in stock and sitting around. I was thinking of ways to use them, man. These are things that I actually wore in games and once we started going through them we saw all kinds of stuff. There were so many that I had worn them once but never again. I had several pairs of things. So I thought it would be cool to have some of my real pairs of shoes available.

Tucker: That is to say definitively the hardest part of my life. [Laughs] I can change teams at any time if I have to and everything will be fine. But move my things ?! Oh my God. It is a real process. This year has been the most difficult as I had to go from Houston to Milwaukee to Miami. I just had so many things that went wrong with me on the trips from Houston to Milwaukee and then from Milwaukee to Houston. There were so many things! It’s not easy to carry the things I wear during games. My assistant had to fly to Houston and ship boxes to Miami that I knew I wanted to wear during games and also just off the field. It’s a process, man.

Courtesy of eBay

Tucker: The beauty is, it’s everywhere. Different people will say different things. These are super rare pairs. But that might not be the style of some people. They may not like these shoes. There are old, worn out stuff that people might remember. It will intrigue them for sure. But for me, I know there is a Diana Taurasi PE LeBron and most people have probably never seen them before. If they did, they probably haven’t seen them in size 14. So having the opportunity to get something like this is once in a lifetime because there aren’t many of these pairs out there. -low.

Everyone’s still talking about the sneakers PJ Tucker already has – but I wanted him to reveal the 5 pairs he’s still trying to hunt down.

“I don’t know anyone who buys more shoes on @eBay than me, ”he jokes. https://t.co/XtcqRPXAQY

– Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) July 15, 2020

Tucker: My eBay account username says PJ Tucker. I interact with people as “PJ Tucker” literally wrong. This is not always a good thing. [Laughs] They try to sell me high and get the most out of me. But it’s pretty cool anyway. People who don’t know may end up wondering, is this Actually PJ Tucker or is that a false name? I’m like, no, it’s me. They sometimes send cards to be signed with the package I bought from them. I have all kinds of crazy interactions. It’s always pretty fun.

For many children, shoes are at the bottom of their holiday wish lists. But for the children we serve, they make all the difference.

New shoes are synonymous with opportunity.

This means they have the freedom to just be a child – in the classroom and on the playground. https://t.co/tANf6RBPir pic.twitter.com/rbD1MLtU5W

– Soles4Souls (@ Soles4Souls) December 15, 2021

Tucker: We went with Souls4Soles. I probably donate twice as much as I actually wear throughout the year. I donate shoes to different AAU teams and different organizations. We literally send shoes all the time, everywhere. In order to be able to give back to Souls4Soles, if you are me, you have to be able to take care of people. It’s not about charities. I donate shoes to people who need them. It’s kinda pointless having thousands of pairs of shoes if you don’t give them to those who need them. That’s all.

(Photo by Michael Reaves / Getty Images)

Tucker: For sure! [Laughs] It’s funny. But it just shows how big and powerful the shoes are and how fast the shoes have taken off. The sneaker culture is incredibly exciting. People die for every drop and everything that comes out makes you anticipate. So much is in the media and it’s madness. I’m definitely a hundred times better known for my sneakers, but it shows more how great sneakers are compared to me as a basketball player.

(Photo by Michael Reaves / Getty Images)

Tucker: It’s really weird that you are asking that because I was literally having this conversation right before that. It’s so hard to predict! I saw somewhere that tried to predict the annual growth of the sneaker market and it was astronomical numbers. It’s so hard to put a limit because with social media and how crazy the internet is, sneakers are going viral so fast. When a new designer does something, it gets so much attention. More and more people are accessing and getting all of these things and being able to see what’s coming up, it’s so hard. I have no idea.

#SoleWatch: PJ Tucker warming up tonight in “Red October” Yeezy 2s. pic.twitter.com/40E4KzbnSU

– SoleCollector.com (@SoleCollector) May 1, 2017

Tucker: It’s a good question. It might sound silly, but I never get the full branding. I rely on my team. I ask my boys to tell me what’s going on. After posting stuff, I never really see what happens next. I never see it unless my best friend, Marq, sends it to me. If he doesn’t send it to me, I’ll hardly ever know. Other than that, I hardly ever see the end of the game for my actions.

[Tucker asked his media lead Josh Abba, who was also on the call, what he thought. Abba suggested the Red October Yeezy’s or the Nike Fear of God sneakers.]

Tucker (continued): Yeah, the Red October moment went crazy because people were begging for it and no one had worn them. There are a lot of things that people consider a Grail that they would never wear. So wearing these in games usually leads to the greatest moments.

(Photo by Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)

Tucker: It’s just knowledge. It’s been sixteen years playing at all levels of this league. I have been part of bad and good teams. But now I know what it takes to win a championship and that’s the most important thing I’ll take away from it. Going to a team like the Heat, we actually have a few guys who have done it before. We have experience and knowledge that we can all share with the young guys we need to help us stay alive while guys like Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are down. I want to pass this experience on to them so they can hold us back until these guys come back.

FULL LIST OF AVAILABLE SNEAKERS

Kyrie 6 SR Sneaker Room MOM PE – Game Worn
Hyperdunk 2012 Low PE Zone 72
Zoom Kobe 2 ID Black Yellow King of NJ – Game Worn
Air Jordan 1 Low Navy / Gray test sample – Game Wear
Kobe 4 Protro PE – Ported game
Air Force 1 Low PRM TZ Bearbrick
Kobe 6 Protro x PJ Tucker Texas2Toronto
Super Bowl Premium Air Trainer 3
Jordan Zoom Tenacity 88 White / Value Blue / Navy PE
Kyrie 5 Duke Black PE
Kyrie 5 UCONN PE
Kyrie 5 Duke Blue PE
Kyrie 4 Academy PE
Kyrie 4 All Star PE
Dunk Low Pro SB Heineken
Zoom Lebron 4 Playoff PE – Game Wear
Zoom LeBron 3 SuperBron – Ported Game
Lebron 7 University of Kentucky PE – Game Worn
Kobe 4 Protro White / Black / Purple PE
LeBron 8 V / 2 Diana Taurasi All-Star PE
Zoom Kobe 6 Think Pink
Kobe 4 Protro White / University Red PE
Zoom Kobe 5 Ink
Zoom Kobe 3 All Star
Air Jordan 10 Double Nicke
Zoom Kobe 7 System TB White Metallic Silver
Air Jordan 11 Retro Low Tuxedo
Air Jordan 5 Blackout test sample
Air Jordan Super Fly SE Russell Westbrook OKC Exterior PE
Zoom KD 3 Skills Academy PE – Ported game
Air Jordan 12 Low Bred Derek Anderson Loyal 1 PE – Game Worn
Air Jordan 23 OG Chicago Bulls – Ported Game
Air Max LeBron 7 Retro QS red carpet
Air Max LeBron 7 NFW White Varsity Red – Game Wear
Jordan CP3.X Chris Paul PE
Hyperdunk x Low MSCO PE
KD 6 Supreme DC Preheating
Air Jordan 6 Retro Bulls – Game Wear
Zoom Huarache TR Low Premium x EA Sports – Ported Game
LeBron 9 Shooting Stars PE
Air Max LeBron 7 CavFanatic PE
Louis Vuitton Trainer sneaker boots
Air Jordan 10 Retro x PSNY Public School Promo – Game Worn
Dunk High Black Old Royal
Air Jordan 2 Retro Eminem – Game Wear
LeBron Zoom 3 PE SVSM Sample – Carried by the game
Air Trainer 1.3 Max Breathe LeBron James PE – Game Worn
Air Jordan 5 Retro Low Derek Anderson PE – Game Worn
Air Foamposite One x Comme des Gar̤ons Homme Plus White РGame Worn
Jordan 32 JBC Pure Platinum PE – Ported Game