P. J. Tucker

“My first pair of shoes my mom bought me. I was born in 1985 and my mom is the biggest North Carolina/Michael Jordan fan there is, so when those first Jordan's came out those were my first shoes ever. I don't remember but I guess it started from there.”

“I'm a competitor. I want the ball when it matters. But I came to Houston because I wanted to play with Chris Paul (a guy I've been close with since we were kids) and James Harden.”

“Pancakes are always good.”

“That Stash Kobe 1, that is probably my number 1 shoe I have ever worn on the court. To wear it against Kobe in his last game against the Suns it was real fun, and for him to say something to me about them it is crazy. He is signed them up for me and personalized it. It was pretty dope.”

“It's about me doing me, about me being organic. I can't wear things and put on a front and say I like something when I don't. I won't wear something I wouldn't normally wear just for people to like it or for people to look at me like this or that in fashion.”

“I consider myself a pancake connoisseur, because of all the pancakes I've eaten around the world. I've been everywhere in Europe, I've eaten everywhere.”

“I don't know anybody that buys more shoes on eBay than me. I like eBay because I can always find rare gems in my size. I always have upwards of 40 sneakers in my cart at any given time.”

“I just love shoes, man.”

“There's nothing, nobody can pay me enough money and nobody can do enough for me to wear something I don't want.”

“Me getting cut from Toronto that first year, definitely helped with the ego. It was deflating. Some people either quit or some people get hungry.”

“When I was in Phoenix, people started noticing and looking every day to see what I was wearing, but it never really affected me. When you do this every day, it's just something you do. Even in Europe I was getting dressed up for every single game. Nobody may be watching but it's just me. It's how I live and it's how I move.”

“I used to literally spend every dime I had on clothes, shoes and getting fresh.”

“Guys in this league, it depends on the stage you're at in your career, where you've played, situations you've been in - that kind of molds your idea of how you want to play, and where you want to be in this league.”

“My shoes are an expression of me, how I'm feeling.”

“Playing on different teams, playing all the different places I've played, the consistent thing is I'm always vocal and working hard.”

“Everybody makes a big deal about small ball. Well, I've guarded Anthony Davis every time I've played him, since he first came into the league.”

“It's basketball, man. It's being smart, using your size as an advantage. I can get into people. I can get into your stomach, so you can't back me down. I can stay in front of you, I can move my feet, I can be aggressive. People don't understand that it can be a disadvantage being tall, too.”

“That whole era of Chris Webber with Nike was, to me, the golden era. Everybody was getting their own signature shoe.”

“It's never like I go sneaker shopping just to get shoes for a hoop game.”

“I wanted to have a chance to win a championship.”