Of Course Matt Bonner Wore New Balances, and Of Course He Was Mercilessly Mocked By Other Players

Getty Images

Look at the photo above.

Does that look like the face of a man who is not passionate about New Balance shoes?

ESPN Magazine has a great interview with Spurs role player/Red Mamba Matt Bonner about his search for comfortable shoes that led him to becoming the only player in the NBA wearing New Balances for several years.

While shoe companies will try to woo many NBA players with gaudy endorsement deals, Bonner discovered his affinity for New Balances when he tried on an old pair in his parents garage -- the preferred destination for most New Balance shoes. He was such a fan of the brand that he started wearing New Balances during games, a marriage of shoe brand and playing style that really couldn't be any more perfect.

But as can be expected, Bonner's fellow players took notice of his dubious choice:

I think I was the only person at that point in the whole NBA wearing the brand. And, again, it's not like I was getting paid. So I was a bit befuddled as to why they couldn't keep me on. I mean, I took a lot of flak for wearing them. I got heckled quite a bit. Things like, "Hey, Bonner, nice New Balances."Nothing really all that clever; 99.99 percent of heckles are not clever.

You can check out the rest of Bonner's interview with ESPN here.