By Cira Olivier

Sneakers squeaking and balls bouncing on polished Mercury Baypark Arena flooring is the first thing you hear.

Tune out the noise and look a bit closer, though, and you’ll see some of the shoes have as much personality as the young athletes wearing them at the Zespri AIMS Games.

Casual cruising in Crocs, slippers or slides morphs instantly into confident strides and struts once sneakers are tied and warmups begin.

“The shoes are their way of personalisation on the court - when you feel better, you play better,” Corban Laban-Palmer, one of the organisers, said.

And speaking to athletes with some of the brightest shoes, it’s no doubt he’s right.

Ash Williams, 11, Feilding Intermediate School

Ash Williams won’t go missing in a crowd anytime soon, especially if you’re looking down.

His bright orange basketball sneakers have a yellow outline of a cartoonish spark around the shoelaces, while the cherry on top is actually a cheetah, printed around the side.

He’s even signed his own initials on the base.

Ash was over the moon when he received the gift from Germany from his dad’s partner in January.

“I was excited, and they’re really comfy,” he said with a grin, admitting his game has improved since putting them on.

Kalais Dellow, 13, Heretaunga Intermediate School

Kalais Dellow remembers the exact day he was gifted his fluorescent green and pink Donovan sneakers - July 14 this year.

They scream fun.

It was a birthday gift that his younger brother helped choose, and he couldn’t be more stoked with it.

The Year 8 student said it was on his wishlist after he found out he made the school’s team for AIMS Games.

“It felt really good,” he said of sliding them on for the first team and running around.

Rocco McCabe, 12, Heretaunga Intermediate School

Rocco McCabe also has a July date - 30 - etched in his brain, when he got his white Lebron 20s, covered in pastel-coloured money notes. He said he liked them for no other reason than “they were cool”.

His parents agreed he only needed to pay $50 of his pocket money toward them, after a “good report card”.

It’s his second year playing, and he reckons the new kicks have upped his game.

Xavier Paterson, 13, Northcross Intermediate School

A stroke of luck landed Xavier Paterson a pair of limited-edition Kobe 8 Protros, when he won them at the Hoop33 Tournament earlier this year. 

“It was pretty good, and I won them over one of my teammates.”

You can’t miss them, and Xavier said they’re the best shoes he’s ever owned, both practically and visually.

Jackson Coates, Takapuna Normal Intermediate School

Another person to get his hands on the mismatched Kobe 8 Protro shoes was Jackson Coates, who spotted them when in Singapore with his family.

“I spent all of my pocket money on them,” he said, and felt like it helped him personalise himself on the court. “I don’t even notice them, they’re so light.”

He laughs at how this could have started a shoe obsession.

“I want to collect as many as I can.”

Article added: Thursday 04 September 2025