The most talked about storyline to come out of the 2004 All-Star game wasn’t Shaq’s 24-point MVP performance, Kenyon Martin’s off the backboard alley oops or Diddy sitting courtside as Kobe cooked in front of LA fans; it was Tracy McGrady choosing to rock mismatched sneakers.
The 2003-2004 season saw a 24 year old T-Mac remind the League of his unmatched creativity – averaging his second-highest points per game total of his career – dropping 28 points, 6.0 boards and 5.5 dimes a night in what would be his final year in Orlando.
Named to his fourth All-Star team that year, the soon to be back-to-back scoring title holder was torching the League in his third silhouette with the three stripes; the T-Mac III. But when it came time for the future Hall of Famer to make the selection for what sneaks he’d dawn in Staples Center, he came to a crossroads.
In keeping with the games tradition, the baggy, oversized jerseys featured the classic blue, red and white color palette, with the West rocking a white base uni with red trim and blue lettering while the East dawned a blue base jersey and shorts with red trim and white lettering.
For McGrady, matching his entire on-court aesthetic was key and especially apparent in the Magic-inspired colorways released for his line. Having released two especially eye popping renditions in the patent leather fire reds and royal blues, adidas sent over both pairs for #1 to choose from.
McGrady looked over each pair with meticulous detail trying to determine which would offer the more striking look. The all-blue with white rubber lining along the forefoot offered a sleek and colorfully complete look while the fire red’s drew even more attention to his feets as the trim of the jerseys popped. He settled on wearing a pair of each; solidifying the mismatched sneaker trend that’s since stretched from AAU courts to YMCA leagues and back to the League’s current stars.
“I couldn’t really decide which shoe I wanted to wear. So I was like, forget it, I’ll just wear one of each. And I think it went well with my uniform,” McGrady said back in an ESPN interview in 2014.
From LeBron in 2007 wearing opposing blue and orange LeBron 7’s, to Swaggy P wearing the patent leather III’s in mismatched Warriors blue and gold, to Jaylen Brown rocking a pair of patent leather black and golds in the 2017 USA vs. World All-Star game and OG red and blues in 2018, McGrady’s bold decision in ‘04 created yet another avenue for hoopers to express themselves through their kicks.
Tracy McGrady is more than deserving of his flowers in the sneaker game. He’s a 1-of-1. The walking embodiment of cool. There couldn’t have been a more creatively driven and naturally gifted human to not only synonymize, but commercialize one of the great sneaker trends.
@randomsneakerpage Ever wondered why T-Mac wore mismatched III’s at the 2004 All-Star game? #fyp #sneakers #tracymcgrady #tmac #basketball #foryoupage #sneakerhead #kickslookback ♬ original sound – randomsneakerpage