Meet the designers who transform shoes into works of art for NBA players
With sneaker restrictions lifted by the NBA last season, many players expressed themselves on the court by wearing custom shoes. They turned to a number of designers to transform their kicks into something unique using airbrushing, stenciling and hand-painting techniques.
The creative process varies, with some players providing a theme and letting the designer develop the concept, while others have specific sayings and characters in mind.
Here's a look at some of the top designers who customized NBA shoes last season.
Kickstradomis: Sal Amezcua, who goes by Kickstradomis, was into art growing up. His cousin asked if he could restore a pair of shoes, so Amezcua looked it up online and taught himself. From there, he put his art skills to use and started customizing sneakers as a hobby.
In 2017, he messaged Karl-Anthony Towns on Instagram to try to get into the NBA market. Towns responded within minutes, and the two began working together. Amezcua made Towns a pair featuring Jason from "Friday the 13th" for Halloween, and it went viral.
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"It was televised everywhere, it was a viral pair. And that was the pair that changed my life,” Amezcua said. "[Karl-Anthony Towns] opened the door so people could see what I'm about."
Last season, Amezcua made shoes for James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Luca Doncic, Jordan Bell and Damian Lillard, among others.
Andrew Lewis: Lewis developed an interest in sneakers growing up on military bases, where he became fascinated with the cool kicks soldiers wore. Unable to afford the shoes he wanted in high school, he restored sneakers. He had a talent for art, so after perfecting restoration, the next step was customizing.
"I wanted something that nobody else had,” Lewis said. "It kind of clicked once I found a passion for [restoring] shoes."
He went to college with former NBA player Coby Karl, which opened doors for him. Making more than 60 pairs last season, Lewis became particularly known for his work for Detroit Pistons guard Langston Galloway.
“The way he's able to use the brushes and really make sure that when you see the character, it looks just like the character on TV or digitally in a movie ... it's really cool what he has done,” Galloway said.
Lewis is known for detailed portrait work, which can take anywhere from 12 to 16 hours.
Marcus Rivero: Better known by his company name, Soles by Sir, has been in the sneaker customization game for quite some time. Seven years ago, he started making shoes for Miami Dolphins players to wear to training camp.
Rivero became best known for his work with Dwyane Wade. A few days before the season, Wade asked him to make a special pair to honor his career with the Heat as he began his “One Last Dance” tour.
"I really make it look like an art piece as opposed to a shoe,” Rivero said. “I do everything I can to make the shoe look like something you would hang on your wall."
Sierato: Real name Cory Bailey, is a former tattoo artist based out of Baltimore. He started making shoes for NFL players and rappers before working with NBA players.
Sierato has his own YouTube show, "Overtime," which has allowed him to grow his clientele. Since "Overtime" covers a lot of high school sports, Sierato has worked with several younger players. You might have seen his Duke customs for Zion Williamson during the NCAA tournament, then again in the NBA Summer League.
“We really wanted to be as show-stopperish with his as possible,” Bailey said of Zion’s shoes.
He’s also made shoes for Bronny James, the eldest son of LeBron James, and Shareef O’Neal, who is Shaq’s son. He’s planning many shoes for the upcoming season with Memphis Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant.