There’s no shortage of fire sneakers in this 2024 PBA Philippine Cup Finals between the San Miguel Beermen and Meralco Bolts.
In what has been an exciting Philippine Cup Finals so far, the PBA’s best have pulled out the hottest pairs from their sneaker rotations. On top of close games, we’ve also been privileged to see hyped pairs in this Dynasty versus Destiny matchup between the San Miguel Beermen and Meralco Bolts.
So, here’s what’s been worn in the quest for championship glory. Spot any favorites?
San Miguel Beermen
Chris Ross
Starting things off is Beerman vet Chris Ross, who rocked a pair of Jordan 11 Retro “Cherry” as one of his 2024 Philippine Cup Finals sneakers. Just another fine choice for the defensive guard, who’s just as known for his sneaker game within the PBA.
Oh, and the Cherry 11s also happens to complement the Beermen’s light-colored threads too!
June Mar Fajardo
June Mar Fajardo’s on-court dominance is accompanied by his overall humility. So instead of a highly-coveted pair, we saw JMF in Nike’s Air Zoom G.T. Jump in a red and white colorway against Meralco.
However, the Kraken’s choice could also be due to health reasons, given that this model is tailored for big men. With his age and injury history, it’s only right that June Mar will take the necessary precautions to preserve his career down the line.
Mo Tautuaa
Our first Kobe sighting is with Mo Tautuaa and his “Grinch” Kobe 6s, an iconic colorway the Black Mamba’s Nike signature line. One of Kobe Bryant’s several Christmas Day sneakers, the Grinches received the Protro (Performance Retro) treatment in December 2020, a decade since the original Grinch was debuted.
Marcio Lassiter and Terrence Romeo
Building off the original Grinch is the Kobe 6 Protro “Reverse Grinch”, which highlights the original’s red accents. In the Philippine Cup Finals, we’ve spotted these sneakers on sharpshooter Marcio Lassiter, and ball-handling specialist Terrence Romeo.
While Romeo continues to nurse a calf injury, Super Marcio would hit a game winner in these Kobe 6 Protros against Meralco. Quite fitting given Kobe Bryant’s reputation in the clutch right?
CJ Perez
En route to a 34-point outing against Meralco in Game 3, CJ Perez decided to rock some “Rattlesnake” Book 1s, an all-white pair accompanied by a snakeskin patterned Swoosh and Devin Booker’s logo in orange. Both Perez and Booker are known scorers in their respective leagues, so opting for the Book 1s could be just right for the Beermen star.
Don Trollano
In another Kobe sighting, here’s Don Trollano in a pair of “Venice Beach” Kobe 8s, which got the Protro treatment just last March. According to Nike, the colorway draws inspiration from California summers, as well as Venice Beach itself, which is “one of the most historic landmarks of Los Angeles streetball”.
Trollano dropped 12 points in this vibrant pair in the Philippine Cup Finals, helping the Beermen get even with Meralco early on.
Jeron Teng and Rodney Brondial
Kevin Durant’s Nike KD line will always be a staple among basketball players, the PBA’s best included. For instance, here’s Jeron Teng in the KD16 “Aunt Pearl”, and his teammate Rodney Brondial in a white and red colorway of the same model.
Jericho Cruz
Another Kobe 6 Protro we spotted is the “All-Star” colorway, which was worn by Simon Enciso. The fairly straightforward design was originally worn by Kobe Bryant in the 2011 All-Star Game in Los Angeles, and takes cues from the Western Conference’s trademark red colors.
Meralco Bolts
Chris Newsome
One of Chris Newsome’s sneakers for the Philippine Cup Finals is the KD 4 “Galaxy” – a classic in the Nike KD line. And it’s easy to see why, given the shoe’s futuristic tones that makes it look like a straight out of a science fiction world.
The colorway also features prominent orange accents, making it a good complement for the Bolts’ team uniforms.
Raymar Jose
For his part, big man Raymar Jose went for a pair of “Wave Runner” Jordan Tatum 1s, which comes in a vibrant variety of colors. Despite a resemblance to the Miami nightlife, the colorway is actually inspired by the Tatum family’s love for water-based activities such as jet skiing during the NBA offseason.
Cliff Hodge
Veteran Meralco forward Cliff Hodge decided to mix up the Luka 2 Midnight Racer and Bright Mango colorways for this year’s Philippine Cup Finals. Suprisingly, the unusual pairing seems to be complementary if anything else!
Jansen Rios
The LeBron 20 is a clean looking shoe with equally good performance based on reviews. It’s probably for this reason that former NLEX guard Jansen Rios decided to play in this pair against San Miguel.
Bong Quinto
Despite the Luka 2’s availability, Bong Quinto still opted to rock a pair of “Safari” Luka 1s, which looks good on Meralco threads given its orange accents. Regardless of Quinto’s reasons, it’s nice to see Luka Doncic’s first sneaker on court a good two years since it originally dropped.
Raymond Almazan and Allein Maliksi
Since releasing last year, the Nike Sabrina 1s have taken the basketball world by storm. It’s understandable, given the Nike Kobe vibes and other design cues employed by the Swoosh for Sabrina Ionescu’s first signature sneaker.
Raymond Almazan and Allein Maliksi might just agree to that. Against the Beermen, we spotted Almazan in the Sabrina 1’s “Magnetic” colorway, which is a black and white colorway of the shoe. Maliksi meanwhile, seemed to rock a custom purple pair made through the Nike By You program.
Chris Banchero
Only a month old, it’s still rare to see players rocking the Nike KD 17. But early on, we assume that Chris Banchero has taken a liking to Kevin Durant’s new sig, as he wore the shoe’s “Penny” colorway against San Miguel in the Finals.
Brandon Bates
Like his teammate Quinto with the Jordan Luka 1, Meralco rookie Brandon Bates chose to rock an older Giannis Antetokoumnpo model against the Beermen. In particular, we saw the Fil-Aussie wearing the Zoom Freak 4’s “Barely Volt” colorway, which is Giannis’ fourth signature sneaker in white and lime green colors.
Images taken by Excel Panlaque.
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