There’s no denying that Travis Kelce has stepped up his fashion game since going public about his relationship with superstar singer, songwriter Taylor Swift in October 2023.
The 10-time Pro Bowler once known for his wide array of flannel shirts and bucket hats can now often be seen donning brands like Louis Vuitton and Marni as he enters stadiums on gamedays on the NFL’s version of the red carpet.
This past Sunday, however, it was the Kansas City Chief’s star tight end’s footwear that had people — at least those in and around Boston — talking.
That’s because Kelce, a healthy scratch during his team’s regular-season finale against the Denver Broncos, was sporting the signature shoe of Boston Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum. Travis spent the duration of the Chiefs’ 38-0 loss pacing the sideline in a specialty pair of Tatum 3 “Cincinnati” PEs produced by the Jordan shoe brand.
The yet-to-be-released “Cincinnati” colorway features the red and white school colors of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats — Kelce’s alma mater — whose basketball program just so happens to be sponsored by Jordan. And while it’s not clear how the Chiefs’s tight end got his hands on the Bearcats’ player-exclusive kicks, it’s safe to assume the 35-year-old still has his share of connections on the Ohio school’s campus.
Kelce’s shoe choice doesn’t come without controversy, though. Upon entering the league in 2013, Kelce signed a $57 million shoe and appeal deal with Nike that’s set to expire at the end of this season. Even so, Kelce notably played the entire regular
season wearing Jordan-brand cleats, not the Alpha Menace 4 Elite cleats that Nike had produced for him in a “Travis Kelce” colorway.
For his part, Tatum — who entered the NBA Draft in 2017 following a single season at Duke — wore his Cincinnati-themed Jordans during a game against the league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 2. The Cavs entered that matchup tied for the second-best start in NBA history at 15-0, but were dealt a three-point defeat led by a 33-point effort from, you guessed it, Tatum.
Kelce and his Kansas City teammates earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC by virtue of its 15-2 record, earning the Chiefs a bye in the first round of the NFL Playoffs. The team will kick off its postseason run and quest for an NFL record third-straight Super Bowl title in the divisional round the weekend of Jan. 18-19.
And while Kelce isn’t likely to wear a basketball shoe in that matchup, it’s reasonable to believe a fashion statement will be made one way or another.
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