Report: NBA to Remove Footwear Color Restrictions for Upcoming 2018-19 Season

Players can now wear whatever color shoes they want on any night they want during the 2018-19 season.

The NBA is lifting the color restrictions on players' sneakers for the first time in league history, Nick DePaula of ESPN reports. 

Players may wear sneakers of any color at any point in the upcoming season. The only restrictions will be regarding third-party logos, which still will have to be preapproved by the league office before players can wear them on the court, and against any "sharp protruding objects or reflective elements."

The KD 11 Tour: Through Sneakers, Kevin Durant Connects with the Next Generation of Hoopers

The rule change is part of the league's attempts to give players the additional freedom to express themselves on the court. An individual team can, however, still impose its own rules regarding footwear and color policy outside of the league's loosened stance. 

For most of the NBA's existence, footwear has been regulated to at least some extent. 2018-19 will be the first season ever in which players have full freedom to wear any colors they want at any given time.