Interview by Jacques Slade (@kustoo)
Gerald Wallace plays hard. It is the only way he knows how to play. His game, matured during his time with the Charlotte Bobcats, is often called reckless, but if you let him tell it, it is called hustle. Now in the 12th year of his career, Gerald is playing for a team steeped in history and known for winning championships, the Boston Celtics.
We had a chance to catch up with Wallace recently on his way to practice to get some insight into his new world in Boston, his massive shoe collection, and some of the things he likes to do in his off-time—mainly play Call of Duty: Ghosts. While we weren't necessarily surprised by how many pairs of shoes he has, we were surprised at which Jordan was his favorite to play in.
Let’s get right into the kicks, are you still a Jordan Brand athlete?
Yes
How many pairs of kicks would you say you have at this point?
Probably about 600-700.
What is the mix between PEs and regular versions?
Most of them are my playing shoes, but a lot of them are retros, and I have some exclusive stuff. We also get a lot of the regular shoes that everyone else has.
Is there a top 5 in your collection?
Not really. I pretty much like all of them. I like the Jordan I, the Jordan X, the Jordan XIII is very comfortable, and the Jordan XX8 that came out last year are one of my favorites as well. They are very comfortable.
Will you be playing in the Jordan XX8 again this year?
I don’t think so. They have us switch shoes every year for advertising reasons, so I’ll play in what they end up sending.
Have you received any special Boston Celtic colorways of Jordans yet?
They are coming. They haven’t gotten here yet. Hopefully they will be at the practice facility when I get there today or later this week. It usually takes them a couple of weeks for them to get here. They usually try to get them to me before the start of the season or that first week.
Of all the shoes that you have played in, which would you say is your favorite?
It would either be the Jordan XII or the Jordan XIII.
While you were on the Bobcats, did you ever get a chance to play against Mike?
No. He practiced with us twice, but both times, he was on my team. He was good in the half-court, but just didn’t have the wind for full court. I didn’t have the chance to go up against him one-on-one.
So we hear you are a big Call of Duty fan, have you kept up with the latest version of the game?
To be honest, I haven’t. I haven’t had time to get caught up on everything, but I have been looking forward to getting to play for a while now.
Do you remember some of your favorite video games as a kid?
Well I grew up in the Nintendo era, so my favorite are Super Mario Bros., Madden, NBA Jam, those types of games.
Are there any other Call of Duty fans in the league?
I know on Charlotte there were a couple of guys that played. D J Augustine, Jared Dudley, Adam Morrison. A lot of the other guys played on Playstation, but we played on Xbox [360].
Speaking about the league, what are your thoughts on everything happening in Sacramento?
I am happy they are under new ownership. I love Sacramento. I spent my first three years in the league there and I love the city and I love the team. Those are my roots, that’s where I started. They have great fans and that city loves that team. I would have been a little hurt if they would have left.
Any new features you looking forward to in Call of Duty: Ghosts?
Yeah. I mostly play online. I play a lot with my family back at home and there are about 8 to 9 of us. We usually play till like 5 or 6 o’clock in the morning. It gets pretty crazy.
Do you have a favorite weapon?
I am working on the Sniper Rifle. I just can’t seem to get it locked, loaded and aimed in time. I got the game early so hopefully I’ll be able to get some games in before everyone else.
If you happen to be a Boston fan, you can catch Gerald playing for the Celtics. If you happen to be a fan of Call of Duty, the game is available now at your local retailer.
