The Other Guys: A Full Preview Of Mid-Major Basketball Shoes Worn By NBA Players

The world of signature basketball shoes was easy to navigate when only a handful of athletes had their own kicks. However, the NBA’s talent pool is deeper than ever even in the realm of footwear; over 30 current athletes now have their own signature sneakers.

Many of the league’s defining faces make up that crop: Anthony Edwards with adidas, Luka Doncic with Jordan, Ja Morant with Nike, or LaMelo Ball with PUMA. In contrast, still more fly under the radar, inking deals with international or otherwise lesser-known brands, making it that much harder to keep up with the breadth of the signature landscape.

A prime example is ANTA, which unexpectedly became a mainstay of sneaker blogs this year due to Kyrie Irving’s KAI 1, consistently commanding sell-outs throughout 2024 and spawning multiple spin-off models. On top of consumer hype, ballers who’ve suited up in Irving’s model report performance comparable to, if not better than, some US counterparts.

With that silhouette perfectly exemplifying what the “other brands” can bring to basketball shoes, we thought it’d be worthwhile to recount which additional NBAers have nabbed signatures, particularly focusing on those outside of the usual suspects in the American market. Find a complete alphabetical list of all the most significant ones below, along with brief explanations of each athlete’s kicks.

361 Degrees

Spencer Dinwiddie

Spencer Dinwiddie’s footwear journey is among the twistiest in the league. Rising to the pros out of the G-League, he was never afforded typical big-brand sponsorship opportunities. Once he carved out a featured role with the Brooklyn Nets, he parlayed his rising star to go independent. In 2020, he founded his K8IROS brand, which rolled out two signature shoes under its banner: the 8.1 & the Mark II. Coming out of the pandemic, he reversed course, going overseas to sign with 361 Degrees. Dinwiddie is now on his second edition with the 361 Degrees DvD 2.

Aaron Gordon

Now settling in as a do-it-all role player for the Denver Nuggets, Aaron Gordon standing as 361’s premier athlete may raise some eyebrows at first. However, he was signed to the brand during his tenure on the Magic, when the UofA product flashed franchise player potential and dazzled with appearances in a few of the best NBA dunk contests ever. His tentpole status has come with the product to back it up; he & 361 are currently on their fifth shoe together, the AG5.

Nikola Jokic

Nikola Jokic was famously never offered a signature shoe under Nike, perhaps understandable given his belated ascent to stardom and the logjam the Swoosh accrued in that span. 361 Degrees, his current partner, was able to snag the Big Honey partly by offering a tentpole Jokic model.  While we know the Joker 1 will become a reality in December, he has almost exclusively hooped in the 361 Big3 Future High in the meantime, specifically re-cut for the Joker. The silhouette was introduced to the public with the release of a “Spongebob” pack in May.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is also a sponsored 361° athlete.

741 Performance

Jaylen Brown

Once an adidas signee and famously regularly at odds with Nike, Jaylen Brown is on a short list of the biggest names not signed to a major US imprint. That status made news in our universe consistently, but none were more significant than his announcement in September that he’d officially gone independent. Deriving its name from Brown’s “angel number,” 741 Performance is set to release the bedazzled “Rover” model on October 22nd in the “Black Moon” colorway.

ANTA

Gordon Hayward

Though Gordon Hayward has officially hung ’em up, there’s still a bit left on the bone with his latest signature shoe, the ANTA GH-5. The gaming-centric designs that define the model set it apart in the brand’s catalog. Additional colorways of the GH-5 are expected to release throughout 2024 despite Hayward’s pro career coming to a close.

Klay Thompson

Klay Thompson, the longest-tenured on this list, signed with ANTA in 2015. The crop of athletes he joined is a true time capsule: Luis Scola, Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett, and Chandler Parsons stood as his then-labelmates. The brand utilized this year’s media day to publicly unveil the KT-X in a steely Mavericks colorway, with chrome accents and corded lockdown establishing a futuristic atmosphere. As of writing, release information for the silhouette is still unconfirmed, but ANTA’s two premier signees teaming up in Dallas presents a unique opportunity that they’ll surely capitalize on as the season plays out.

Alex Caruso, Kevon Looney & James Wiseman are also sponsored ANTA athletes.

Li-Ning

Jimmy Butler

How deep does “Heat Culture” run? After settling in with Miami, Jimmy Butler cut ties with Jordan Brand and switched to Li-Ning, a brand famously centered around their sprawling Way of Wade line. Now, Jimmy is on his second signature with the brand, the JB2, exemplifying the highly stylized, futuristic aesthetics that run across the Li-Ning catalog. His JB3 is expected to hit the market later this year.

CJ McCollum

Of course the president of the NBPA has a shoe. Though he originally signed with Li-Ning in 2017, CJ McCollum didn’t debut his signature shoe until 2021, his final year with the Portland Trail Blazers. Majoring in sharp curvilinear line-work throughout, his CJ line will undoubtedly craft its 4th edition as we work through the 2024-25 season.

D’Angelo Russell & Fred VanVleet are also sponsored Li-Ning athletes.

Peak

Andrew Wiggins

After arguably serving as the second most important piece on the Golden State Warriors 2021 championship squad, Chinese imprint PEAK swooped in and grabbed Andrew Wiggins, the duo developing a signature shoe shortly afterwards. The former Kansas Jayhawk now boasts two silhouettes under his belt, and as the foremost athlete on their roster, a third will likely join sometime soon.

Rigorer

Austin Reaves

A surprise breakout during the 2022-23 NBA season paid dividends for Austin Reaves on multiple fronts. He earned a significant pay bump from the Lakers in extension talks in the off-season and earned Rigorer’s first signature basketball shoe in the AR-1, debuting during the 2023-24 season. In addition to the model he wears during NBA action, Reaves also has the AR Battle 2 and AR Future silos that bear his name, intended for outside play and recovery, respectively.

Brandin Podziemski

Rigorer struck while the iron was hot, utilizing their new platform post-Reaves to double their roster by signing young Golden State Warrior Brandin Podziemski. The deal does include a signature shoe, set to debut during the upcoming NBA season. With Podz & Jonathan Kuminga keeping a “two timelines” vision alive in the Bay Area, Rigorer could strike gold if the Wisconsin product is able take a leap following a promising rookie year.

Skechers

Julius Randle

Though the parent company is a recognizable name, Skechers Basketball is about youngest imprint featured here, only launching in earnest in 2023 by signing Julius Randle and Terrance Mann to the burgeoning sub-brand. With no news of his own silo emerging, Mann is expected to sport inline pairs for the foreseeable future. For Randle’s part, on the topic of getting his own signature silhouette, All-NBA forward told Hypebeast: “Oh yeah, oh yeah. At some point.” Until it arrives, #30 will be the face of the Skechers Reign during his first season in Minnesota.

Joel Embiid

Just a few months after inking the Knicks All-NBAer, Skechers added an MVP, signing Joel Embiid after he split from Under Armour. His work with the Baltimore brand included his own model, the UA Embiid 1, and in courting the 7-time All-Star, the Manhattan Beach brand ensured he’d get the same down the road. For now, The Process has primarily worn the Skechers SKX Float.

Additional Independent Brands

Justin Holiday of the Denver Nuggets is a spokesman for the “barefoot” brand XERO, debuting an unreleased minimalist model during the 2023-24 NBA playoffs. The brand also sponsored the Indiana Fever’s Temi Fagbenle, who sported the model during a September 2024 game against the Atlanta Dream. The yet-untitled silhouette is slated to debut in March 2025.

Jonathan Isaac of the Orlando Magic founded his UNITUS brand in 2023 and has exclusively sported the JUDAH 1 on court since.

Qiaodan signed Keldon Johnson in 2022. The Spurs guard wore his signature KJ 1 throughout the 2022-2023 season before switching to in-line Qiaodan kicks in recent times.

HOLO Footwear signed Isaac Okoro in 2023. The Cavaliers wing sported his IO:01 model throughout 2023-24, also frequently laced up by the Dallas Wings’ Jacy Sheldon during this past WNBA season. As of now, the public release of the silhouette is still pending.