words // Trey Kerby
Guest Column as published in Issue 46 of Sole Collector Magazine: THE PE ISSUE
Let me get this off my chest really quickly—I've never really been deep into the PE game. Yeah, I think they're awesome, love seeing the unique hookups these guys get, and am always jealous when I see something like Carmelo Anthony having a pair of orange Vs he'll never wear in a game, but I've still never totally dipped into PEs as a way of building a collection.
Maybe that's because I wear an 11.5—which is J.J. Barea-sized, even though I'm 6-foot-5—thus making it almost impossible for me to find a desirable pair that I could ever wear. Or maybe it's just because my favorite players either don't deserve PEs or have their own signature shoes that are basically super PEs. Whatever the reason, I've just never been that guy who has a million player editions.
That being said, there are two PEs I do have, and they both belonged to the same guy: former center / best big-man passer ever / one of my favorite players, Brad Miller.
And let me tell you, a Brad Miller PE is hilarious. I'm not even sure what the funniest part is. Is it the fact that his "logo" is just a simple "BM," which has nasty bathroom connotations amongst the grandma set?
Or is it that the special thing he decided to have added to his shoes is a little picture of a turkey, because he loves shooting them that much? Then again, it could just be that all of Brad Miller's shoes have Shox on them, which should easily disprove the idea that these could ever help you jump higher.
Nonetheless, for a guy who's never really been into owning someone else's used shoes, having these couple of pairs is pretty fun. When someone visits from out of town, I show them my Brad Miller shrine, complete with some Kings and Wolves shoes.
They just stand in amazement and ask, "So who was Brad Miller again?" And while that's certainly deflating, it's nice to be able to show them his shoes, tell them how his wife sent me one of the pairs (yes, really) and then go about my day knowing I've taught another person some very valuable life information. If that's what owning PEs is always like, then sign me up.
