THE Sacramento Kings may have lost to the Utah Jazz, 133-112, on Monday, but that didn't stop Willie Cauley-Stein from breaking out his custom Nike PG 2, which sported a couple of familiar anime characters.
Look:
Unfortunately, not even the combined chakras of Naruto and Sasuke could help the fourth-year center duplicate his first two performances against Utah this season. After averaging 23 points and seven rebounds per game, he had a mere six points and four rebounds in their second defeat to the Jazz.
Cauley-Stein, who is having a career year, should've worn a Sakura-themed headband for good measure.
The thing is, he isn't the first NBA player to channel his inner otaku through his shoes:
Rudy Gobert
Gobert (18 pts 15 reb 5 ast) must've made every matchup with Cauley-Stein personal. Last season, he laced the Nike Air Max Dominate, featuring Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece-done by legendary sneaker artist Kickstradomis.
It's no secret that the league is obsessed with Dragon Ball Z. Spencer Dinwiddie called it his favorite show growing up, while De'Aaron Fox onced yelled "Kameha" before making a three-point shot. Some ballers just take their fandom to the next level.
Jordan Bell
Luka Doncic
Karl-Anthony Towns
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