Breaking down Brooks Koepka’s best shoe moments

It seems everyone has caught the sneaker bug in the world of professional sports and entertainment. From hip-hop mogul DJ Khaled's $8 million sneaker room to NBA champion P.J. Tucker’s insanely rare collection, everyone is making headlines for their exclusive pickups. Can someone from the PGA TOUR go “shoe for shoe” with the sneaker community elite? Brooks Koepka has accepted that challenge head on.

Over the past few years, he has been making waves in the sneaker community for all the right reasons. The four-time major winner has been spotted wearing some of the most limited and bespoke shoes both on and off the course.

As he plays in his hometown Honda Classic this week, let’s a take a look at five of Koepka’s top sneaker moments.

‘IT’S FASHION, BRO’

OFF-WHITE X NIKE AIR MAX 90

Current Price: Priceless/1 of 1

What couldn’t the late, great Virgil Abloh do? One of the most influential creatives and designers of the decade, Abloh transcended and merged culture across the board. Everything he touched turned to gold, from his fashion brand Off-White to his automotive collaboration with Mercedes. Nike debuted “The 10” in 2017, an Off-White collaboration in which he put his iconic spin on ten of Nike's most successful styles. It was a first of its kind collection in Nike history. “The 10” are some of the most sought-after shoes to this day and one of the most successful collections for Nike.

When Koepka was gifted the OFF-WHITE X NIKE AIR MAX 90, it instantly created a cultural crossover moment between fashion, golf and streetwear. Then to add fuel to the fire, the internet exploded with his response to a reporter who asked about the shoes at the TOUR Championship.

Koepka eloquently responded with, “It’s fashion, bro.”

BROOKS KNOWS

Brooks Knows x Nike Tour Premiere

Current Price: Priceless/1 of 1

“Bo Knows” was one of the first Nike marketing campaigns I remember. The campaign featured multi-sport athlete Bo Jackson doing everything from playing golf to driving race cars. The concept for the campaign came from a meeting between Tom Clarke, Nike’s VP of Marketing, and Jim Riswold of the famous ad agency, Wieden + Kennedy. Legend has it that as they were riffing on celebrities with the name “Bo,” Clarke left the meeting by saying, “Bo, you don’t know diddley” – referring to the famous blues singer, Bo Diddley -- and that is how the “Bo Knows” campaign was brought to life.

Fast forward to 2019, Koepka is paired Jackson at the BMW Championship’s pro-am. In paying homage to the multi-sport athlete, Koepka came prepared with his version of “Bo Knows” shoes. They were a one-of-one custom Nike Tour Premiere featuring Jackson’s numbers, 16 and 34, and the colors of one of Jackson’s former teams, the Raiders. This unique pair had “Brooks Knows” written in the traditional Nike font, however.

We told you Koepka wears nothing but exclusives.

MAMBA MENTALITY

Mamba Mentality x Nike Air Zoom Infinity Tour

Current Price: Priceless/1 of 1

Kobe Bryant’s intense “Mamba Mentality” transcended from a motto to an all-encompassing philosophy. It inspired a whole generation of athletes and creatives alike. That includes Koepka, who used a Bryant Instagram post as inspiration while recovering from a wrist injury in 2018. So, when the 2020 Genesis Invitational came around, Brooks wanted to pay tribute to the GOAT. He kept it simple, wearing a pair of white, yellow and purple Nike Infinity Tour shoes, emblazoned with “MAMBA” on the sides and the soles.

This is definitely one of Koepka’s best shoe moments.

BACK IN BLACK

Nike Golf Tour Premiere - Safari

Inspired by Bethpage Black Golf Course

Current Price: Unknown, Player Exclusive

Bethpage Black’s iconic sign warns golfers that they’re about to step foot onto an extremely difficult golf course. Nike used that sign as inspiration with a pair of player-exclusive Tour Premiere shoes for the 2019 PGA Championship. The iconic Safari print developed by the legendary Tinker Hatfield pays homage to the concrete jungle that is New York. This is one sneaker Koepka will never forget, especially because he ended up winning the PGA Championship that weekend.

‘IT’S FASHION, BRO’ PART 2

Louis Vuitton Nike Air Force 1 Friends & Family

Current Price: $352,000

Every sneaker connoisseur has a moment where they think to themselves, “How do I get on ‘The List?’” One of the most coveted seeding lists in sneakers is the friends and family list at Nike. Aside from knowing someone at Nike or, you know, being LeBron James, how to get on that list is a mystery to most except for the likes of Koepka. He was recently gifted a pair of the highly exclusive Louis Vuitton Nike Air Force 1 Friends & Family shoe, designed by the late Virgil Abloh. The collaboration combined three heavyweights in culture: Louis Vuitton, Virgil Abloh, and Nike. Some could argue that this is the pinnacle of fashion. The value of these shoes is currently unknown but at a recent Sotheby’s auction, a similar pair sold for a whopping $352,000. I guess you could say Koepka has the sauce.