Why are basketball players wearing pink shoes

Answer

The basketball players are wearing pink shoes in support of team member Grant Kajiwara Bantilan's mother, Lisa Bantilan, who is recovering from cancer[10]. Baird had his trusty pink shoes on again because the Wolverines were about to hit the court for practice[6]. He prefers the pink shoes because that's just him and Simpson said only three players don’t have the shoes and that’s because they couldn’t find the color in their sizes[10].

The entire team wore the pink shoes for the team’s February 16 home game against Maryland to support breast cancer awareness[9]. He prefers to wear them for practice too because they are comfortable[6]. Another reason why the basketball players are wearing pink shoes is that an accident involving the team charter before the big ten tournament last year sent players scrambling to find new game shoes[6].

Grant made the basketball team and every year since, they have hosted a party for every sports team at the school[10]. He started wearing the pink shoes last season because he needed a replacement[6]. No wonder the basketball players didn’t think twice about wearing pink shoes in her honor[10].

The pink basketball shoes are at the end of the day still basketball shoes so the players all have their own reasons for wearing the pink shoes but they certainly stand out on the court[9]. Some players even believe that there is a correlation in wearing the pink shoes and the long winning streak of their team[7]. Overall, the basketball players are wearing pink shoes to support team member Grant Kajiwara Bantilan's mother, Lisa Bantilan, who is recovering from cancer, and to bring awareness to breast cancer[10].

The shoes also serve as a fashion statement and, for the select few, a good luck charm[1].

Websites

1. https://www.mlive.com/wolverines/2019/03/why-do-some-michigan-basketball-players-wear-pink-shoes.html
2. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1936509-jumpman-releases-pink-shoes-for-unc-georgetown-marquette-and-california
3. https://footwearnews.com/2019/focus/athletic-outdoor/michigan-players-pink-shoes-basketball-1202766101/
4. https://www.sltrib.com/news/nation-world/2019/02/11/nba-all-stars-break-out/
5. https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2017/3/21/14988988/ncaa-tournament-sneakers-colorways-shoes-nike-adidas
6. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/22993824/ncaa-tournament-shoes-color-michigan-win-streak-pink
7. https://www.yahoo.com/now/why-michigan-basketball-players-wore-060528396.html
8. https://www.latimes.com/fashion/la-ig-sneakers-rule-change-20190214-htmlstory.html
9. https://www.thebiglead.com/posts/why-does-michigan-wear-pink-shoes-01dmnv1j3q3w
10. https://www.mercurynews.com/2012/01/27/high-school-basketball-players-wear-pink-sneakers-to-honor-teammates-mother-promote-breast-cancer-awareness/

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