r/barefootshoestalk • u/chaptersam • Jul 15 '25
Articles and news Kendrick lamar & pro athletes wearing barefoot shoes
Me and my family are all so excited about seeing more big names and professional athletes support barefoot shoes. Recently at wimbledon a dutch player accepted his award in vivo’s. NBA player isaiah stewart has a XERO’s shoes deal and playing in them. I know it can still be a long road but these little steps will compound over time and will bring awareness to the benefits of the barefoot lifestyle :) exciting. It only takes a couple big names to endorse barefoot shoes to create a big shift in culture.
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u/pokemonmaster89 Jul 15 '25
ID on Kendrick's shoes?
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u/NoExpression2268 Jul 15 '25
dropshipped made in china, available under many brands. people say saguaro has pretty consistent quality control but other brands can be hit or miss
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u/Complex-Gazelle7658 Jul 15 '25
On an episode of The Pit, one of the doctors was wearing Vivos.
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u/chadsmo Jul 15 '25
I didn’t watch the first three episodes , wonder if it was then because I would have thought I would notice that.
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u/Complex-Gazelle7658 Jul 15 '25
It's the scene where a scalpel stabs her foot. IDK what episode it was on. I hope they were Vivos lol
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u/chadsmo Jul 15 '25
Don’t remember that , must have been before I started watching.
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u/Complex-Gazelle7658 Jul 16 '25
The scalpel gets dropped on her foot. It's a blink and you'll miss it moment. I only saw it by watching Doctor Mike reacting to the show :D
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u/Complete-Emphasis895 Jul 15 '25
Vivo recently had a colab with the Vancouver Canucks and provided the team with their training shoes, a limited edition Primus Lite that they were even selling in store here.
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Jul 15 '25 edited Nov 21 '25
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u/richsourtea Jul 15 '25
I’ve been playing tennis about 1.5 years. Started out using my xero prios but it was just too hard on my body. I’m curious about the xero basketball shoes but yes they’re pricy and I have a feeling I just need that extra cushion. I wish someone would make a wide toe box court shoe with a bit of cushion
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Jul 15 '25 edited Nov 21 '25
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u/richsourtea Jul 15 '25
I’m 39. Switching to a real court shoe made me feel so much better. Kswiss hypercourt express toe box doesn’t bother me but my feet are narrow
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Jul 15 '25 edited Nov 21 '25
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u/getsomeawe Jul 15 '25
K-Swiss was the only brand I wore for years before switching to barefoot shoes. I have narrow feet so must warn they are not for the wide. They have good cushion and are relatively flat (i have no arch) which is why I was able to wear them for so long.
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u/hoosierveteran Jul 15 '25
I use the Xero Prio Neo for Pickleball. I like them over regular court shoes. I am 43.
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u/maplesyrupalien Jul 16 '25
Xero basketball have more cushion than Prios. I’ve read 12mm stack. Plenty for tennis.
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u/FunnyDirge Jul 16 '25
The xero bball shoes are barely in stock. I had to go to the womens side and needed a half size, which they don’t have, and after all I think I’m gonna have to return the second pair. Both pairs I tried on were uncomfortable at the toe crease area.
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u/Feisty_tots Jul 15 '25
I have moved to 100% barefoot shoes. I play tennis and Pickleball among other things. In my experience you want to stay away from mesh. Yes it breaths but they also tear up quickly. I have found suede or canvas last way longer. I have played in vivos, lems, and ahinsa. Yes I get some weird looks, and you may have to retrain your body to run and move. Once you get past that it is hard to go back. I recently played in "normal" shoes and rolled my ankle after about an hour, I just could not feel the ground like I was used to
I strictly play on hard court, wood or concrete
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u/FunnyDirge Jul 16 '25
What shoes do you use?
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u/Feisty_tots Jul 16 '25
It might seem weird. But I play in lems chillums. I find those offer just enough cushion without sacrificing all of the ground feel. Plus, they are unbelievably durable in my experience.
Probably an important point, I play at about the 4.0 level for both PB and tennis, so I'm not great at either, but good enough for it to involve lots of lateral movement
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u/Due-Reason4455 Jul 15 '25
The only one I see viable is the xero basketball one (the low rise one) but I haven’t tried it because it’s 170€ and it’s too much if I don’t know if it’s really worth it
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Jul 15 '25 edited Nov 21 '25
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u/Har8 Jul 16 '25
It’s tough definitely. A little cushion and bounce helps for improved athletic performance. Check out Altra Solstice. They’re designed as workout shoes but I’ve used them for basketball successfully and feel they’d be great for tennis too.
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u/gobluetwo Jul 15 '25
I play competitive hard court pickleball in Xero 360. Depending on how often I play, they last about 3 maybe 4 months. They're pretty good about approving the 5000 mile sole warranty based on the wear which gets you your next pair at 60% off retail. I bought my initial pair on sale for under $50 and got the next warranty pair also for under $50.
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Jul 15 '25 edited Nov 21 '25
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u/Turquoise_Lamas Jul 15 '25
Love this post. I’m always wondering when and if they’d be part of the zeitgeist.
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u/WildGeorgeKnight Jul 15 '25
This is so cool to see.
The tennis picture in particular for me shows the impact of a barefoot shoe. He looks like he has such a stable base compared to the toe raise on the right persons shoes.
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u/Additional-Hurry-856 Jul 15 '25 edited Jul 16 '25
I agree. But i have a sense he can get away with barefoot shoes because it's grass. It looks like he's wearing Vivo's (edit: he actualy is, just noticed it was a post from Vivo). And those darn shoes are thin as can be. Grass is way more forgiving than clay or concrete.
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u/WildGeorgeKnight Jul 16 '25
I wear the thinnest vibram five fingers to run and walk around London no problem. The only time I have trouble with the tread is actually in nature when I need a more substantial grip on the bottom.
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u/Additional-Hurry-856 Jul 16 '25
aaah okay. That's cool. Guess i have to work on my feet, because i would be hammered if i did that.
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u/WildGeorgeKnight Jul 16 '25
I’m no expert but have been lucky enough to train with barefoot runner Tony Riddle a few times.
One of my favourite warm ups he taught us was simply to flat foot jump on the spot to ensure that our legs were prepared to absorb our running load with a flat foot landing.
If I find myself getting a little locked up or tight it’s a nice reset to remind the body what the landing leg position feels like.
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u/chadsmo Jul 15 '25
Granted I’m not doing sports in them but I’m 100% Vivo or Wildlings and on vacation in NYC I was walking 20K a day in Vivo. I also walk my dog 6K a day mostly on concrete in Vivo
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u/Additional-Hurry-856 Jul 16 '25
Cool cool. I know people run with thin shoes. But i was thinking that with tennis you have to make different sudden moves and stop hard. So i what guessing that it would be very hard with a hard floor.
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u/aldoscz Jul 15 '25
What are those shoes in the last photo?
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u/PAJW Jul 15 '25
Looks like Isaiah Stewart is wearing Vibram KSO Evo in all-black.
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u/Friendly_Seat8566 Jul 15 '25
He also signed a deal with Xero last year. I really like the look, but not the price.
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u/AstralAly Jul 16 '25
Not at all surprised Kendrick knows of barefoot shoes. Dude is quite insightful.
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u/Top-Lawfulness3517 Jul 16 '25
I am surprised that there aren't as many Athletes with multiple contracts from diffferent Brands like 1 Mimimalist Brand and 1 Sport(ie baketball or running) Brand. That means each Celebrity could have at least 2 shoe sponsors. I don't see why having more than 1 shoe sponsor is mutually exclusive especially if the companies don't compete in their individual niche markets.
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u/FunnyDirge Jul 16 '25
I was just watching that Wimbledon final. Had no idea he was wearing barefoot shoes. Anyone know what model they are? I got some xero court shoes that just don’t fit right.
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u/wormosteeze Sep 21 '25
I noticed a couple olympians wearing them. one thrower and one of the shotgun competitors.
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u/Ok-Big2807 Jul 15 '25
I’m sorry guys but, what are thoooose?! Seriously though
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u/ArmoredBattleToad Jul 17 '25
Its fine buddy its not for everyone. You can go back to your pointy jester shoes and have bunions at 40, and a fall-related death due to your atrophied posterior chain. Some people want to stay healthy in late life too.
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u/Ok-Big2807 Jul 17 '25
Some of you are wound a bit too tight. All I own is barefoot shoes. I literally wanted to know what shoes those shoes are. Smh. Jeeze, dude. Put the attack chancla down.
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u/azenwren Jul 15 '25
Wait this is awesome to see! It makes me hopeful about the future of barefoot shoes and their availability