P. J. Tucker

Every day, every game, I leave it all out there.

Nobody wants to be somewhere that doesn't want them.

The goal is to be in a place where you're wanted. You want to be with who wants you. I think that's what every player wants.

I just love shoes, man.

Every game, somebody is asking me where I got my shoes.

Figure out your niche and maximize it.

I like shoes that are definitive, and they know exactly what they are.

I really love shoes that can go with a lot of different things and mix up a little bit.

I love Tom Ford loafers.

I really like a lot of Tom Ford. His leather sneakers are my most worn shoes.

I hate when people talk about certain guys and say they can't work together.

I am the finesse king, especially when it comes to shoes.

People think I play hard. It's just me wanting to be in the NBA and trying to prove every game that I should be here.

I could wear Jordan 1's every day with anything. So many different flavors.

I've been the same size since I was 12. They thought I was going to be 7 feet tall. I never grew another inch.

During the season, I'm sore everywhere.

I really don't know how much I spend on clothes. In a year? That's just too tough to put a number on.

I used to literally spend every dime I had on clothes, shoes and getting fresh.

I don't buy or wear nothing I don't like.

There's nothing, nobody can pay me enough money and nobody can do enough for me to wear something I don't want.

Buy and wear what you love, man.

My body of work speaks for itself. I don't need anybody in the media to tell me I'm a good defensive player.

When I was in Phoenix, people started noticing and looking every day to see what I was wearing, but it never really affected me. When you do this every day, it's just something you do. Even in Europe I was getting dressed up for every single game. Nobody may be watching but it's just me. It's how I live and it's how I move.

That has always been my initiative, to do my own thing and take things that don't really go together and put them together. Wear a tuxedo jacket with some track pants, whatever I feel like, whatever I think is dope.

When I went to play in Europe in 2007, I really got into high fashion.

As someone who has carved out a career in this league by making winning plays, being tough on defense and just generally doing the dirty work for my team, I always hesitate to say any player is unguardable. I just hate that term.

I feel like I can adapt to any defense.

James Harden is one of the best offensive players in the game.

Playing on different teams, playing all the different places I've played, the consistent thing is I'm always vocal and working hard.

Me getting cut from Toronto that first year, definitely helped with the ego. It was deflating. Some people either quit or some people get hungry.

The Kaws IV is terrible. That's a bad hoop shoe. That suede rubs against your feet. I had to triple my socks. The leather on the inside is a no-go.

My shoes are an expression of me, how I'm feeling. Some nights I might wear some crazy stuff. Some nights I might be more regular.

It's never like I go sneaker shopping just to get shoes for a hoop game.

I don't want my own shoe. That is something I have never wanted. If anybody is pitching that, I would say no. I feel like that is the only thing that limits me, being a signature athlete, because you have to wear your signature shoe all of the time. I don't want no parts of that.

I like to hoop but I don't want to be remembered for one thing, like 'oh he just plays basketball.'

I am a dope dude.

I got tired all of the stories about, 'He is a tweener. He doesn't have a position.' I knew I could play. I played hard. I played both ends of the court. I know what I could do.

You come from the college, you're the man. I was second-team All-American. I got drafted by Toronto, but they just took me because I was the best man on the board. They didn't need me. I didn't get a whole lot of help or guidance. I wasn't playing. I couldn't get reps in practice. And it's big-boy basketball. Grown men.

I really dig Tom Ford. It fits big dudes, but it's the cleanest, most elegant-looking clothing ever.

There are a number of ways to define most valuable player. For me, it's the guy who means the most to his team.

Everybody makes a big deal about small ball. Well, I've guarded Anthony Davis every time I've played him, since he first came into the league.

It's basketball, man. It's being smart, using your size as an advantage. I can get into people. I can get into your stomach, so you can't back me down. I can stay in front of you, I can move my feet, I can be aggressive. People don't understand that it can be a disadvantage being tall, too.

That whole era of Chris Webber with Nike was, to me, the golden era. Everybody was getting their own signature shoe.

I don't know anybody that buys more shoes on eBay than me. I like eBay because I can always find rare gems in my size. I always have upwards of 40 sneakers in my cart at any given time.

I've bought more shoes during the coronavirus than I ever have. Probably in my entire life.

If you leave home and, at least some of the time, someone doesn't tell you that they don't like your outfit, you're not doing it right. You're not trying. You're not taking enough risks. You know, somebody should tell you they don't really like you're outfit. I enjoy when people say that, actually.

I don't like shopping for specific things; I shop pieces. I look at it like, 'I love this, so I'll buy it and I put it in my closet, and it disappears until I need it.'

I look at myself as someone who's really true to the sneaker culture.

It's hilarious; every time I get to a new city, I'll have a thousand DMs about where to get pancakes.

Cuttino Mobbley always had on suits every single game. I've never seen Cuttino without a suit. He used to always have on suits.