Back in 1997, Mike Bibby debuted the Foamposites made famous by Penny Hardaway before Penny Hardaway did. Right off top, we should’ve known that Bibby was out to prove himself as a legendary on-court sneakerhead. There’s a big difference in having rare sneakers that collect dust in the box and actually getting buckets in kicks that no one has seen. Because if you’re going to lace up exclusive Jordans, you’ve gotta be able to hoop.
And in Bibby’s 14-year career, he earned the right to have a dumb nice collection of Js. Career averages of nearly 15 points and 5 assists per game were backed up by iconic clutch shots and a no-fear attitude that nearly led the Kings to the NBA Finals in the early 2000s.
Throughout his time with the (Vancouver) Grizzlies, Kings, Hawks, Wizards, Heat and Knicks, the Phoenix-native was blessed with standard colorways of the IIIs, IXs, XIVs and XVs. Then he made statements in his low-cut II, Vs, VIIIs, IXs, XIIs and XIIIs. His rotation was bonkers. Most of his kicks were PEs, decked out with either his name or number.
Bibby, one of the OG members of the Jordan Brand family, wore the Jumpman for his entire career. And according to Fat Joe, he was dead serious about protecting his sneakers. Joe said Bibby once put him in a headlock for trying to jack some of his PEs.
“Mike Bibby literally yoked me up,” Fat Joe said a few months back. “I think he had a drink or two that day, and he don’t really drink like that.” If only we could’ve seen that happen…
To celebrate Bibby’s 39th birthday, check out the gallery up top to see pictures of a real ‘head.
Related
An Oral History of the 1997 Arizona Wildcats
Photos courtesy of Getty Images
