As the NBA postseason settles in and the stakes continue to rise, so will players' on-court soles.
With their season on the line, the Sacramento Kings faced the Golden State Warriors in the 9-seed versus 10-seed matchup of the Western Conference play-in tournament. The Kings led the Warriors the entire game, where De'Aaron Fox's 24 points, 6 assists and 2 steals contributed to Sacramento's 118-94 win.
Fox stuffed the stat books in a purple and gold colorway of the Curry 1 Lows. The Curry 1 was Warriors guard Stephen Curry's first signature shoe when he was signed to the Under Armour brand in 2013. Fox signed with the brand in October 2023.
Here are the best sneakers leading into the playoffs from Week 26.
Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
Durant has been part of the Nike brand since his rookie season in 2007-08, when he played for the Seattle Supersonics. In 2008, the Texas Longhorns standout forward received his first signature shoe -- the Nike KD 1. Years later, Durant is now on his 17th shoe edition, the Nike KD 17, which he debuted in the playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Adidas gave their signature athletes such as Anthony Edwards and James Harden a low-top version of their original sneaker. For Mitchell, the playoffs were the right moment to debut his new Adidas D.O.N. Issue 6 sneaker with a colorful colorway against the Orlando Magic.
Naji Marshall, New Orleans Pelicans
After the Kings moved past the Warriors in the first round of the play-in tournament, the Pelicans were their next challenge -- which they failed.
Aside from Brandon Ingram's 24 points, Marshall's shoes could also make a case for the Pelicans' "Mamba Mentality."
Marshall is a native of Atlantic City, N.J., but he sported the Nike Kobe 4 "Philly" colorway and dropped 11 points and snagged six rebounds against the Kings.
Larry Nance Jr., New Orleans Pelicans
Jordan retro sneakers will never go out of style. Nance donned the "White Wolf Gray" Jordan Retro 13 colorway against the Kings. The 6-foot-8 power forward finished with 13 points and four rebounds in New Orleans' 105-98 win.