PJ Tucker is known to find and collect special shoes – this one was so special, even Michael Jordan was stumped to see them on his feet.
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To say that PJ Tucker is a sneaker enthusiast is an understatement. Any sneaker that comes out that has a collector value, he has them already. If not multiple pairs, at least one. Such is the level of dedication Tucker puts into his collection. But sometimes, his dedication turns into borderline lunacy.
In his vast collection is a pair of sneakers that were only meant for one person – Shawn Marion. The Matrix had a Player Exclusive made for him when he was with the Phoenix Suns. For the uninitiated, a Player Exclusive means that nobody else apart from the player ever gets their hands on them.
Despite the rarity of the shoe, PJ Tucker was spotted with a pair in the locker room, and then on the court. If there was some overlap in their career, one can understand the trading of the shoes, but there was a 4-year gap. So when he showed the cameras he had it, Michael Jordan went ballistic.
PJ Tucker must have a plug up in the Nike hierarchy – if it were Michael Jordan himself, nobody would be surprised
With the rate at which PJ Tucker buys rare shoes, there is a chance that his plug is someone from within the company. Nobody can find 5000 pairs of shoes in a size 14, and when they are as rare as the Marion’s, sure as sweet potato pie someone from Nike is helping him out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnX173XZKAs&
Some of the shoes he has to make sense – like his diamond-encrusted AJ 1s. He had them custom-made, so it makes more sense to have them in his collection. Some of the Player Exclusives, not. But since it is PJ, there is no way any of these could even come close to being fake – he even stumped MJ with the real deal.
His Air Mags, now they are a crown jewel, and with the kind of crazy market we live in, the money he paid was pittance in terms of what they are valued at now.
