DeMar DeRozan and P.J. Tucker face off in a fierce battle . . . over sneakers

Photos by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images

There they stand, toe to toe. And toe to toe is where you stand when sneakers are the game. The reigning sneaker champion, weighing in at nearly 5,000 pairs (that’s a fresh pair each day for over thirteen years) and a special room inside his own house just for shoes — P.J. Tucker:

The challenger, boasting fifteen different pairs of sneakers in his fifteen games with the Toronto Raptors — DeMar DeRozan.

He also has his own special room dedicated to the art of the feet.

The two sized one another up and settled in for a long and strenuous bout.

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

At the end of each round, the two men took to their respective corners. Sizing one another up, they battle round after round.

To clarify, this all started as a friendly sparring on Instagram. DeRozan called out Tucker, but the Houston Rockets sharpshooter was having none of it.

In addition to his shoe-buying obsession (Tucker has been known to drop five digits on shopping sprees and racked up nearly a $200,000 tab over the course of a year), P.J. is planning on opening a shoe store in the near future.

Tucker even has hundreds of pairs of rare sneakers, an impressive feat for collectors.

DeRozan stayed physical, but in the end Tucker was just too much for the Spurs swingman.

At the close of fifteen rounds, the two joined in the center and celebrated Tucker’s win.

Photo by Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images

P.J. Tucker, the undisputed sneaker champion of the world.

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