Houston Rocket Hypes His New $1,000 Sneaker, Draws Major Stars to Big River Oaks Reveal: PJ. Tucker Flexes His Italian Style

P.J. Tucker, an undisputed NBA sneaker king, arrived in style at the Giuseppe Zanotti boutique in River Oaks District Sunday night for a swank reveal of the first designer sneaker of his creation. Known for his sartorial magnificence, the Houston Rockets forward vamped in his signature peacock style wearing a multi-colored Saint Laurent jacket over a simple Hanro T-shirt, yellow Valentino slacks and red Louis Vuitton sneakers.

The boutique, already dazzling with sneakers and pumps, priced from the high $100s to the $1,000s was outfitted with an elegant watering hole serving Veuve Clicquot in Baccarat champagne flutes and a Rockets locker display, the new sneakers — Urchin Rocks, priced at $995 – snuggled within.

“Sneakers for me are more than just an obsession, they’re a form of self-expression, a reflection of how I feel,” Tucker says. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Giuseppe and creating this sneaker with him has been a dream come true.”

Asked about the number of sneakers he has, Tucker wasn’t sure.

“We counted them in 2011 and then I had 4,000,” he says. “So I don’t know what it is today.”

The self-proclaimed sneakerhead does admit, however, that in the 2017-18 season, he tucked 106 pairs of sneakers in his locker and he estimates that he has spent more than $200,000 on sneakers during his NBA Career.

As Slam online  described his penchant for fancy footwear, “Tucker’s the Beethoven of Sneakers. The Christopher Columbus of finding exclusive colorways. He’s the Michael Jordan of wearing Jordans.”

Tucker friends and media spilled out from the boutique onto the surrounding sidewalk and street, transformed into a swank al fresco salon with strings of overhead lights shining down on sofas and chairs upholstered in velvet, brass side tables topped in Dyptique candles, a Macallan 12 station and a Davidoff cigar display. Nothing like a stogie and a scotch on a chilly winter night. Thanks to California heaters, not so chilly.

Players stopping in to pick up their Urchin Rocks footwear included James Harden, Chris Paul,  Zhou Qi, Brandon Knight, James Ennis III, Michael Carter Williams and Marquese Chriss.

Joining the festivities were Giuseppe Zanotti’s 24-year-old son, Ricardo, who worked with Tucker on the design.

“We wanted to do something really different, something that celebrates basketball and the players,” he told PaperCity. “We did a pair for him and a pair for the team.”

“Oh, my god,” he explained when asked about the sizing. “They are really, really big. Huge.” For the record, Tucker wears a 14.

Emphasizing the importance of this night, the 24-year-old Zanotti had flown in from home base in Italy along with Zanotti president Alain Baume, for a visit of only 24 hours.

The sneaker: Channeling the shape and signature 3D scales of the original Urchin low-top, the Tucker look features the Rockets’ team colors blocked in red and black as well as ultra-luxe materials, including smooth leather for the upper and a black suede toe.