The UAAP Season 87 finals are bringing us some fresh on-court sneakers.
One game in, and the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball finals series has already brought the hype and energy fans have been itching for as both teams are coming in with chips on their shoulders — the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, looking to end their streak of second-place finishes, and the De La Salle University Green Archers aiming to defend their throne.
With much to play for, every player is leaving everything on the court — and they’ve come to the showdown wearing the best shoes they’ve got.
Francis Lopez
We recently included the Jordan Tatum 3s, the latest iteration of Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum’s line of basketball shoes, in our list of the best NBA sneakers of the 2024-2025 season, so it definitely turned our heads when we spotted UP’s Francis Lopez in a pair of Tatum 3s in the ‘Zen’ colorway (and we spotted it all the way from the last row of Araneta Coliseum’s lower box).
EJ Gollena
On the opposing side, DLSU’s EJ Gollena was also sporting an NBA star’s collection of basketball shoes, as he came into Game 1 of the finals series in a pair of JA 1s in ‘Scratch’ from Ja Morant’s signature line. Notice the homage to Morant’s team?
Gerry Abadiano
The Nike Kobes are among the most popular basketball shoes in the market and they remain to be trusted by many professionals. Gerry Abadiano has placed his trust in these as well, sporting one of the collection’s more playful designs: the Kobe V in ‘X-Ray’ which is a special design that pays tribute to an iconic X-ray shirt that Kobe Bryant wore in 2010.
Joshua David
Another pair of Kobe’s were spotted on the floor of Game 1 of the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball finals, this time on the other side of the court. DLSU co-captain Joshua David pulled out his Nike Kobe 6 Protro pair in the colorway ‘EYBL’, which was originally released in 2021 as a special design for the sportswear brand’s Elite Youth Basketball League.
Quentin Millora-Brown
Arguably the brightest and most eye-catching pair of basketball shoes on the floor of Game 1 belonged to Quentin Millora-Brown. The one-and-done UP center came up big in the first game of the series — scoring a career-high 17 points — wearing his PUMA MB.04s in ‘Scooby-Doo’, a recently released design from LaMelo Ball’s new collection.
CJ Austria
An oldie but a goodie. If you’re a die-hard DLSU fan, you may have noticed that CJ Austria is wearing the same pair of shoes he was wearing in Season 86 — his trusty Nike Zoom KD 16s in the colorway ‘Wanda.’ As the same shoes he wore when the Green Archers won the championship, could these Wandas bring Austria and La Salle the same fate this season?
These are just some of the kicks we’ve spotted this season. Check out more of the UP Fighting Maroons’ sneakers here, and more of the DLSU Archers’ shoes here.
Banner images by Kieran Punay of KLIQ Inc.