When you think about basketball shoes, rarely if ever do Skechers come to mind.
Which is why it’s shocking, if not straight-up unbelievable, that two of the NBA’s biggest stars — including Knicks All-Star Julius Randle — have entrusted the brand with their basketball futures.
Randle laughed in agreement with the premise. Skechers and basketball generally do not go hand in hand — but here he is, a three-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA athlete, human wrecking ball of a basketball player, the face of the Knicks, trusting the fledgling product with the very feet he uses to trample defenders night-in and night-out.
If it sounds serious, it is: Foot and leg injuries regularly derail NBA careers, and after spraining his left ankle in March, then aggravating that injury in the playoffs, Randle underwent offseason arthroscopic surgery during the summer.
He still has not yet fully recovered.
“I’m still (doing maintenance). This is still a process,” Randle said after Knicks practice in Tarrytown on Saturday. “I’m not gonna lie and say I’m all the way back to 100 percent or whatever it is, but I feel good enough, confident enough, and I’m continuing to get stronger day by day, week by week.”
Which made the decision to switch from sneaker giant Nike to market-newcomer Skechers over the summer even more peculiar.
It wasn’t just Randle — reigning NBA Most Valuable Player and star Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid is reportedly ditching Under Armour to become the face of Skechers basketball for this upcoming season.
Randle already knew Embiid would be joining the Skechers family after officially announcing his move last week.
“That’s my guy,” the Knicks star said on Saturday. “We’ve been friends for awhile. Same class coming out of high school, so they do a great job of picking not just great basketball players but great people.”
If Skechers were an NBA scouting division, the company would be off to a fantastic start. Signing Embiid and Randle as athletes and ambassadors, however, is only the beginning.
The brand must preserve two high-profile — and high-impact — basketball players with foot injury history, while also addressing the elephant in the room.
No one of note before Embiid and Randle has played a professional basketball game in Skechers — so why would they now?
Randle admitted Skechers didn’t appeal to people his age and background growing up, but noted they were always known as comfort shoes.
And if he can be comfortable in his new sneakers on the court, he should be able to continue dominating on it, as well.
Randle and Embiid were two of the only four NBA players to average 25 points, 10 rebounds and four assists last season, the others being Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Denver’s Nikola Jokic.
They now share a fate, entrusting a brand that has never been associated with their sport to protect their lower extremities this season.
Randle said he spent all summer working out in the shoe and he’s comfortable taking it to The Garden this season.
“When I first tried on the shoe this summer and was trying it out and working out in it, especially me coming off of an injury, I don’t really want to risk switching a shoe and re-hurting myself and stuff like that,” Randle said. “But as soon as I put on the shoe, I was like ‘this is the most comfortable basketball shoe I’ve ever worn.’
“And I’m not just saying that because I’m with he brand now. I was really, genuinely surprised by that.”
CLEAN-UP IN AISLE FIVE
After a disappointing preseason run ended with a 25-point loss to a Washington Wizards team expected to miss the playoffs, the Knicks got back to the basics in practice.
“First and foremost, we had to pickup our competition level and how we compete, starting in practice. And we’ve been getting after it, competing hard in practice, pushing each other,” Randle said after practice on Saturday. “And then there we can play through our mistakes or fix our mistakes, whatever it is, execution things, schemes, all that stuff we can clean up — but we had to pickup our competition level first. And I think we’e really done that these past two days.”
The Knicks begin their regular season hosting the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden. After acquiring Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday during the off-season, the Celtics, led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, were voted favorites to win the East’s No. 1 seed in a poll of all 30 NBA general managers.
“Honestly (we’ve) just focused on on what we have to do better, but at the same time focused on what Boston does well,” said Jalen Brunson after Saturday’s practice. “We’re just trying to be as mentally ready as possible with their stuff. Also just clean up and fix our stuff, as well.”