Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns have a few things in common: They’re both New York Knicks starters who were raised in New Jersey, they’re both Nike athletes and they’re both repeat NBA All-Stars. When it comes to shoe size, however, their similarities end, as the pair demonstrated in the locker room when they jokingly swapped sneakers during All-Star Weekend.
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks and Team USA Stripes shoots against Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks and Team World the 75th NBA All-Star Game at Intuit Dome on Feb. 15 in Inglewood, Calif.
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In a video posted to social media by the Knicks, a close-up of Towns’ Nike sneaker zoomed out to reveal it was actually on Brunson’s foot, significantly mismatched in size with his own sneaker worn on his other foot. The video also showed the team captain marveling at the size of the box the shoe came in and him holding the shoe to his ear like a phone.
Towns, a center-forward standing 7 feet tall, reportedly wears a size 20 in shoes. Brunson, meanwhile, is a guard listed at 6 feet, 2 inches. The two competed against one another over the weekend in the round-robin All-Star tournament, which featured three teams, with Brunson on the USA Stripes team and Towns on the World team.
Naturally, Towns got in on the behind-the-scenes fun by trying on Brunson’s sneaker, which of course could not fully accommodate the foot of the seven-footer. “Finally got to wear some Kobes, shout out to you bro,” he told his teammate.
Indeed, Brunson is known for competing in Nike Kobe styles. Deviating from his usual Kobe 6 Protro, he wore a purple iridescent Kobe 3 Low Protro Warning Label sneaker for the All-Star Game, a style that was given to players at the Nike Future Game and differs from the version offered to the public. Towns, meanwhile, competed in a Nike G.T. Jump 2, a go-to style for him.
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks and Team USA Stripes shoots against Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks and Team World the 75th NBA All-Star Game at Intuit Dome on Feb. 15 in Inglewood, Calif.
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While Brunson is a Brooks Brothers ambassador and had his first Nike Kobe sneaker, the Kobe 6 Protro Statue of Liberty style, come out in December, Towns has spoken with WWD about his connections to the fashion world. He’s worked with multiple brands including Burberry, Kith and Rag & Bone.
