A nod of respect for Adam Sandler's red carpet kicks
At the 2024 People's Choice Awards, Adam Sandler raised eyebrows in a pair of Steph Curry's signature kicks.
By Amy Campbell
ADAM SANDLER IS THE PATRON SAINT of scuzzy dad style, so no one is particularly shocked when he leaves the house looking like a scuzzy dad. But at the 2024 People’s Choice Awards, the Murder Mystery star may have outdone himself, rolling onto the red carpet in a baggy navy blue suit and a pair of fire engine red sneakers.
Fair game, sneakers on red carpets are par for the course these days. But this combo? Nothing about it felt like the pre-meditated work of a celebrity stylist. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Sandler grabbed these shoes as he ran out the door in a flurry, lacing them up en route. Some call it laziness; others call it authenticity.
On the red carpet with his wife Jackie, who was immaculately styled in a black mini dress and semi-sheer stockings, Sandler looked like he’d misread the dress code. But this was no fashion faux pas. When he got on stage to make his acceptance speech—the actor was handed the Icon of the Year award by his Murder Mystery co-star Jennifer Aniston—his comedy leant the outfit some context. “My name is Adam Sandler and I am the sexiest man alive, can I get a hell yeah?” He said, to a refrain of ‘hell yeahs!’
Though he wasn’t in fact the recipient of People’s Sexiest Man Alive Award (that went to Patrick Dempsey in 2023), his trademark brand of self deprecation resulted in some half-poignant life advice, but not without throwing shade at two of his famous colleagues.
“Embrace your chubbiness, lean into your goofiness, and just start hanging out with David Spade and Rob Schneider, so you can look handsomer and three feet taller than you actually are.”
Naturally, these shiny red sneakers aren’t just any old dunks. They are Curry 11 Bruce Lee ‘Fire’ Basketball Shoes, which checks out, given Sandler is a total NBA junkie. But unlike the limited edition kicks Sandler is known for touring New York City’s public basketball courts in, these are considerably more accessible to the everyman. Part of Steph Curry’s collection with Under Armour, they are inspired by the inimitable Bruce Lee. On the Under Armour website, a quote from the Golden State Warriors point guard reads: “Bruce Lee was a master when it came to finding purpose in life and aligning everything you do with that purpose. Fire is about being ferocious and bringing my competitive nature out there, but also how fires can spread influence on the game.”
This also isn’t the first time Sandler has worn his ‘Fires’ in public. On February 8, Sandler was photographed wearing them at a game between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena in LA.
Rinse and repeat. From courtside to the red carpet. Where will he wear these fiery kicks next?
Under Armour Curry 11 Bruce Lee Fire Basketball Shoes
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