There’s an unwritten NBA rule that cites that no player should wear another guy’s signature sneakers when playing against him.
That’s just a matter of player pride and a commandment that’s rarely broken.
For Memphis Grizzlies star Desmond Bane, though, it was his only shot at finishing the season.
Bane suffered a Grade 2 sprain on his right big toe earlier in the season, and while he could play through the pain before undergoing surgery in the offseason, he needed a sneaker that would offer him the support he needed to actually be on the floor.
A recent report by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon pointed out that he tried his luck with signature shoes by Paul George, Kyrie Irving, and the Nike Zoom GT series, but to no avail.
So, given the fact that his endorsement deal only allows him to wear Nikes, he had no choice but to try LeBron’s shoes.
Now, he’s being forced to wear them in their first-round playoff matchup, and while he admits it wasn’t ideal, he knows he had to do what he had to do:
“Nah. I mean, nah, I [wasn’t happy to wear the shoes],” Bane said. “But you know, I got to leave my pride to the side and do what’s best for my body and my career.”
Desmond Bane has a medical reason to violate an unwritten rule, wearing LeBron XXs against the Lakers.
Bane: “I got to leave my pride to the side and do what's best for my body and my career."
ESPN story with assists from @NickDePaula and @mcten: https://t.co/YLygCwImxN
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 19, 2023
Notably, Bane and LeBron weren’t exactly on the best terms.
A now-viral clip showed LeBron letting Bane know that he wasn’t going to tolerate any further disrespect shortly after Bane started talking trash against him.
Still, Bane admits that James reached out to him to offer a helping hand if he needed a hook-up with more of his sneakers, so The King may have buried the hatchet already.
NEXT: Skip Bayless Shares Bold Grizzlies Take For Game 2