Patrick Johnson 
The poor Spurs. We’re not too sure that they mind having their championship celebration immediately overshadowed by talk of where LeBron will end up by next season’s start, but for the past 2 decades, San Antonio has handled business as usual regardless of whether they win a championship or not. Kawhi Leonard’s Air Jordan XX8 SE PEs had a similar thought process throughout the NBA Finals, but previous Finals PEs took a different approach (just as long as they were produced by the Swoosh, that is). Today’s NINE@NINE takes a look back at the past decade of NBA Finals MVPs to get a close look at what exactly they were wearing, and the silhouettes featured are as diverse as the past champions themselves. From Dwyane Wade hoisting his first championship trophy in a Converse shoe, to a Paul Pierce signature sneaker that never even saw a retail release, the list serves as a reminder of the transformation of the Finals as a time for brands to showcase their design skills through special edition colorways. Stick with us to check out what the last nine NBA Finals MVPs wore en route to the Bill Russell trophy in our latest Sneaker News NINE@NINE feature, and let us know which pair is your favorite in the comments.
2006: Dwyane Wade – Converse Wade 1
What wasn’t controversial about the 2006 NBA Finals? The fact that the Mavs were up 2 games and then Dwyane Wade started going to the charity stripe more times than the entire Dallas squad, then news later came that there was a subsequent almost-FBI investigation paid for by Mark Cuban looking into cheating. The list goes on, but with a ring under his belt, D Wade would go on to ditch Converse for Jordan Brand, a move that many at the time were looking forward to, but we all know how that worked out. The Converse Wade 1 serves as a reminder of Wade’s early marketability as Converse had a signature player in the Finals for the first time since Dennis Rodman. They kept the colorway simple with a black upper and contrasting asymmetrical toe in white as the sneaker blended into Wade’s black tights (which were later banned by the NBA). Wade has now won three NBA Finals in three different brands. Maybe the Heat need him to switch one more time.
2007: Tony Parker – Nike Zoom BB
LeBron’s first defeat at the hands of the Spurs could largely be attributed to Tony Parker’s performance. The Frenchman maneuvered up and down the court wearing the subtle Nike Zoom BB, a reminder of where Swoosh basketball was in the mid-2000s before the wave of Hyperfuse took over to dominate their team based models. Like the Spurs off the court, the sneaker wasn’t much to write home about especially considering the fact that it was in a generic black and white colorway. Then again, you might’ve missed these thanks to how quickly Parker moved on the court while clinching the Bill Russell trophy in an easy 4 games.
2008: Paul Pierce – Nike Air Max P2
Kevin Garnett might’ve been the MVP of the Celtics championship season in 2008, but it was Paul Pierce who led them to beat the resurgent Lakers in 6 games in 2008. Pierce has had his own Nike signature for quite some time, but his line has only released in GS sizes throughout the entirety of that span. Before the Air Legacy there was this Nike Air Max P2, a shoe as rightfully simple as the C’s uniforms. Featuring a seamless leather upper, the high top got an upper strap while green accents hit the heel and an Air Max unit added support. The silhouette wasn’t anything flashy but it did the trick just like Pierce’s veteran game throughout the season.
2009: Kobe Bryant – Nike Zoom Kobe IV
Whereas LeBron will always be in Michael Jordan’s shadow, Kobe will rightfully be compared to MJ just based on the similarity of their playing styles. It would make sense then that Kobe would be the first NBA Finals MVP since Michael Jordan with a strong enough signature shoe to get a special edition in the Finals. Kobe had his eye on gold, so the Nike Zoom Kobe IV ’61’ did quite nicely as he laced up both a white and black edition in a rather boring NBA Finals (most people were vying for the LeBron vs Kobe – especially Nike with the classic puppet campaign that they ran pre-Finals). And even though the sneakers themselves referenced Kobe’s 61 points at Madison Square Garden earlier in the season, the gold statistical print matched nicely with both the Larry O’Brien and Bill Russell trophies that Kobe added to his collection.
2010: Kobe Bryant – Nike Zoom Kobe V
Like LeBron this year, Kobe just didn’t have enough help in order to 3-peat, but in 2010, the Lakers were at the height of their power before injuries and overall lack of self-awareness (thanks Andrew Bynum) dismantled the Hollywood squad. Nike was even more prepared than previous years for their signature star as they prepared a colorway exclusively for the Finals in the Nike Zoom Kobe V “Big Stage”. Sure, with the officiating in Game 7, Paul Pierce could’ve ended up with a second spot on this list, but the Nike Kobe V emerged as the victor in a simple white and almost bronze-like gold on the heel and Swoosh. The upper even had a subtle all-over print graphic atom the flywire based model to honor Bryant’s career achievements. Will this be the last championship Kobe celebrates?
2011: Dirk Nowitzki – Nike Hyperdunk 2010
Revenge is a dish best served Dirk. After a disappointing 2006 series, few expected the Mavericks to ever bounce back. In fact they were the surprise squad out of the Western Conference in 2011, but key additions like Jason Terry (who could’ve easily been crowned MVP as well) proved worthy of besting the new dynamic trio in Miami. While Nike was rightfully focussing on LeBron for the Finals, Dirk laced up a simple Nike Hyperdunk 2010 PE in a white base while accents of royal blue and navy matched the Dallas uniforms, proving that a noteworthy player in the Finals rarely will get a special edition mock up unless they’re one of the Swoosh’s big three.
2012: LeBron James – Nike LeBron 9 Elite
When LeBron James finally cradled the NBA Finals trophy after besting the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder, his face smiled in relief. The Swoosh did everything they could with supporting LeBron’s NBA Finals needs as they updated his LeBron 9 silhouette with an Elite model that added ventilation to the upper collar and extra carbon fiber. The all red edition probably turned the most heads when worn with the Miami alternates in OKC with its metallic gold Swoosh and black air max unit contrasting. The red sneaker set the tone for the following year’s Finals as well and is a testament to both Nike and LeBron getting over the hump to deliver on their promises (Nike with a memorable Finals PE for LeBron and LeBron with well, winning that championship).
2013: LeBron James – Nike LeBron 10 Elite
If it wasn’t for Ray Allen’s heroics in Game 6, the Spurs could’ve had three players on this list (or some combination of Gary Neal and Danny Greene for 2013). They shot lights out much like this series, but Miami could compete and LeBron was in top form thanks to the vibrant red, black and gold styling of his Nike LeBron 10 Elite. The shoe followed in the footsteps of last year by slimming down the upper and adding extra carbon fiber for the wear and tear of the playoffs. LeBron made sure to fulfill the Heat’s promise of multiple championships as the gold Swoosh glistened and a speckled midsole contrasted the 360 air max unit. Will this be the last championship pair LeBron wears in a Heat uniform? We may know after the Summer is over with.
2014: Kawhi Leonard – Air Jordan XX8 SE
Jordan Brand officially snatched up Kawhi Leonard right before this season started, but the Spurs up-and-comer was wearing the likes of the Air Jordan 5 “Wolf Grey” since his rookie season. Faced with the criticism of poor play in the first two games, the quiet Kawhi was anything but on court as the Spurs demolished the Heat with his help in the final 3 games, outscoring the Heat by 20 points in each game. He did so wearing the Air Jordan XX8 SE in a white and black PE. While he also showed off a pair with hints of gold in the Finals, he must’ve thought them bad luck because that pair disappeared after a Game 2 loss. At only 22 years old, Jordan Brand will likely take advantage of Leonard’s trophy carrying ways as he looks to be the future in San Antonio. The only question is what will he be lacing up for the brand next season? The most probable scenario is to look for Kawhi to champion the Air Jordan XX9 alongside Russell Westbrook in 2015.
