The NBA’s biggest stars are out in full force in what will be the most competitive NBA Sneaker King Power Rankings to date. We showed you how difficult it was to crown a new No. 1 in Vol. 3, and now you’re in store for an entirely new level of power moves when it comes to the NBA sneaker game. The elite of the elite are pushing to restore order in the battle to be named Sneaker King, making Vol. 4 the most difficult power rankings to break into at any point this season.
Sneaker King Rankings History
It’s getting real out here. In Vol. 4 guys are debuting new colorways, bringing out more retro kicks than ever and lacing up exclusive player edition shoes at an unprecedented rate. The race to the top is heating up, so let’s not waste any more time and bless you with the latest and greatest NBA Sneaker King Power Rankings yet.
15. LeBron James (Last week: NR)
It was only a matter of time before The King made his NBA Sneaker King debut. LeBron James’ return from a lingering groin injury kept him out of the Lakers’ lineup for over a month, while also depriving us of some insane sneakers on the court. Since his return from injury, James has laced up a number of impressive kicks out of the Nike LeBron 16 line. The highlights include the Nike LeBron 16 “Equality” and another LeBron 16 in an unreleased gold colorway.
14. Mikal Bridges (Last week: NR)
Suns rookie Mikal Bridges made a huge splash this week that lands him on the Sneaker King Power Rankings for the first time. Bridges frequents the Nike Kobe line, but his feature kicks this week took an already successful line and added an absolutely amazing twist. Celebrating Black History Month, Bridges brought out a custom pair of the Nike Kobe AD, which honored Martin Luther King Jr. and included words from his timeless “I have a dream” speech. These shoes simply could not be overlooked, keep scrolling to see for yourselves.
13. De’Aaron Fox (Last week: 15)
De’Aaron Fox brings the same energy every single game when it comes to his on-court footwear. The Kings point guard is back, making his fourth straight Sneaker King Power Rankings appearance. In his previous highlights we’ve shown you his elite arsenal of high-top Nike Kobe kicks, but this time he’s taking a slightly different route. Fox, like Bridges right before him, has made a note to pay homage during Black History Month with the sneakers he wears on the court. His highlights recently include the Nike Kobe 6 “BHM” and the Nike KD 4 “Black History Month.”
12. DeMar DeRozan (Last week: NR)
Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan is back in the mix. In Vol. 3, DeRozan slipped off after making two consecutive appearances but it didn’t take him long to rebound. DeRozan is the NBA’s Nike Kobe king and it isn’t really close — we showed you way back in Vol. 1 that he’s often pegged to debut new colorways of the Kobe line. His highlights this week include the debut of the Nike Kobe 4 Protro “Draft Day,” which features Charlotte Hornets colors in a reminder that the Hornets drafted Kobe Bryant way back in 1996 before trading him to the Lakers and, well, the rest is history.
11. Dwyane Wade (Last week: 10)
Heat guard Dwyane Wade is making the rounds during the last season of his Hall of Fame career and he’s doing it in style. Wade is making back-to-back appearances in the Sneaker King Power Rankings with just a slight bump from last week. The highlights this week include two amazing colorways of the Li Ning Way Of Wade 7 — keep scrolling to check them out below.
10. Trey Lyles (Last week: 12)
Nuggets forward Trey Lyles returns to the thick of things here in Vol. 4. Last week, we showed you Lyles enjoys casually rocking some of the rarest kicks from the Nike Kobe line. Lyles is still at it in this edition when he pulled out the Nike Kobe 6 “Supreme Chaos,” a classic colorway that will always hold a ton of weight in these rankings.
9. Lance Stephenson (Last week: 4)
Lakers guard Lance Stephenson keeps proving he’s a force to be reckoned with within the Sneaker King Power Rankings, making his fourth straight appearance. Stephenson takes a slight dip compared to his Vol. 3 positioning, but that has more to do with the intense competition than a lack of fire sneaker selections. Stephenson’s highlights this week include wearing the Jordan 9 “Olive,” a classic colorway he brought out at the iconic TD Garden in Boston. His run this week also included the Jordan 2 “Black History Month” and the Jordan 9 “Citrus.”
8. Luka Doncic (Last week: 5)
The Mavericks struck gold when they acquired Luka Doncic in a draft-night trade with the Hawks. The rookie is breaking years old records while making an enormous splash wave in the NBA sneaker community. Previously, we’ve showed you the big-time “Ghostbusters” kicks he debuted at Madison Square Garden, and now we’re tracking what could be an unprecedented trifecta. Doncic hit for the Triple Crown during a game against the Hornets, wearing the Nike Hyperdunk X “BHM,” the Nike Kyrie 5 “Just Do It” and the Nike Kobe AD “Exodus.”
7. Russell Westbrook (Last week: 9)
Triple-doubles and dope sneakers, that’s what Russell Westbrook does. The Thunder guard is one of the few players making his fourth consecutive appearance in the Sneaker King Power Rankings. He keeps debuting new colorways of his latest signature shoe, the Jordan Why Not Zer0.2 and they’ve all been pretty amazing. His best moment recently came when he sported a colorway that resonated with every ’90s baby — the Super Soaker-inspired Jordan Why Not Zer0.2.
6. Tobias Harris (Last week: 11)
Tobias Harris is going to have to move his extensive sneaker closet cross-country from Los Angeles to Philadelphia after being traded from the Clippers to the 76ers. Harris climbs up the rankings after keeping his Nike Kobe line trend going at a crazy level. His highlights include the Nike Kobe 6 “Grinch” and the Nike Kobe 8 “Year of the Horse.” We’ll keep an eye on Harris now that he’s changed zip codes, hoping he digs deep into the Nike Kobe vault and brings out some Lower Merion High School-inspired kicks like these.
5. Paul George (Last week: 7)
Paul George makes his Sneaker King Power Rankings return for the fourth straight time and at his highest position yet. The Thunder MVP candidate keeps riding the wave that is the Nike PG 3 line and it doesn’t look like it’s going to calm down any time soon. George’s recent run is highlighted by a new Nike PG 3 colorway he debuted on Feb. 5 against the Magic that had the sneaker world buzzing. You could easily make the argument that George has the best Nike signature line in the NBA right now and that will only help him in his quest to be the league’s Sneaker King.
4. Langston Galloway (Last week: 6)
Pistons guard Langston Galloway completes the three-peat, making his third straight Sneaker King Power Rankings. Galloway cracks the top five here in Vol. 4 after keeping the momentum going on some of the league’s best custom sneakers. Galloway’s highlights this week include an incredible customization honoring Black History Month, keep scrolling to check them out below. Also, Galloway gets a boost because of his undeterred love for the Pistons’ mascot, Hooper, whom he keeps decorating his custom kicks after. So mascots, get you a player that treats you like how Galloway treats Hooper.
3. Taurean Prince (Last week: 3)
Hawks forward Taurean Prince hasn’t skipped a beat this season when it comes to rocking fire kicks on the court. Prince is among the exclusive group to make the cut on all four NBA Sneaker King Power Rankings. His recent highlights include rocking the Jordan 18 “Royal,” the last shoe Michael Jordan wore on an NBA court before retiring with the Wizards. The run of insane kicks include the Jordan 12 “PSNY,” one of the better colorways the Jordan 12 has seen in recent memory. Keep scrolling and you’ll also see a Hawks-inspired Jordan custom 13 that Prince rocked in a game against the Jazz.
2: Montrezl Harrell (Last week: 1)
Montrezl Harrell pulled off the seemingly impossible in Vol. 3 when he took over the No. 1 spot of the Sneaker King Power Rankings. Harrell is as legit as they come in this sneaker world, but even he couldn’t stay at No. 1 for another week. Despite falling back to the No. 2 spot, Harrell’s recent run has been noteworthy in every single way. Some of his highlights this week include the Jordan 23 “Florida Marlins,” the Nike LeBron 11 “South Beach” and the Nike LeBron EXT “Blue Suede.” Those highlights don’t tell the full story, though. Keep scrolling to check out more of his fire sneaker selection. As far as the No. 1 spot is concerned, you better believe Harrell will remain in contention moving forward.
1: P.J. Tucker (Last week: 2)
When the Warriors lost in a massive upset to the Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals, what did they do? They signed Kevin Durant in the offseason and have’t lost a title since. Rockets guard P.J. Tucker lost his top spot in last week’s Sneaker King Power Rankings and took the Warriors’ blueprint by just re-tooling his sneaker selection with more amazing sneakers. Tucker’s highlights this week include the Nike Kobe 1 “USA,” the Nike Kobe 3 “All-Star” and the Nike LeBron 15 PE “Ohio State.” These kicks all have something in common: they’re not available anywhere. Knocking Tucker off the top spot again will take another monumental upset and it’s hard to imagine it’ll happen, but remember, no one believed the Warriors would blow that 3-1 either.
Just missed the cut
These are the players that are on the brink of making the jump in the Sneaker King Power Rankings: Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday, Suns guard Kelly Oubre Jr., Nets guard D’Angelo Russell, new Pelicans guard Stanley Johnson and Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma.
