clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Syracuse basketball guard Tyus Battle talks shoe game and Batman fandom

Tyus Battle is a big Batman and Kyrie shoes fan.

NCAA Basketball: St. Bonaventure at Syracuse Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Syracuse, N.Y. — For the second time this season, Tyus Battle donned a pair of custom Kyrie 4 shoes with a Batman theme as Syracuse took on St. Bonaventure from the Carrier Dome. With a pair of Batman socks at the ready in the locker room, Battle shed the first layer of Nike socks following the game. But before tip, he came out wearing his Batman shoes for the second time of the season against the Bonnies, a pair he initially wore against Georgetown where he went on to hit the game-winning jumper in the waning seconds of the game.

With that same pair of shoes on today, he led Syracuse to an 81-47 win against St. Bonaventure with 21 points and 6 steals all the while going 8-8 from the floor. Needless to say, Battle has played well when he’s worn the kicks.

As for the Batman theme? Battle says he’s a huge fan of the Dark Knight Trilogy. He wears them to give people an idea of his interests outside of basketball. He also revealed that his father has a Batman tattoo when he motioned to his right shoulder.

“I’m a huge Batman fan,” Battle said in the post-game locker room. “Batman trilogy is my favorite movie of all-time.”

Georgetown v Syracuse
Tyus Battle in his custom Batman Kyrie 4s against Georgetown.
Getty/USA Today

Battle has shown to have an affinity for Kyries during his three years at Syracuse. He’s mostly stayed with the Kyrie 4 Kix from the cereal pack this season. Last year he rocked the Kyrie 4 Confettis with frequency in the non-conference. He prefers to wear Kyries because he believes they’re best suited to prevent from injury.

“I actually had a foot injury back in high school, my junior year of high school. It kept me out for an entire year. Ever since then I’ve been wearing Kyries. I don’t like to switch it up too much,” Battle revealed.

Battle says he’s exclusively worn Kyries throughout his Syracuse career but doesn’t necessarily have a preference on which. For sneaker heads, he’s worn Kyrie ones all the way up to the most recent editions. He’s also aware that some Syracuse fans are not in love with his yellow shoes.

“I like being a little different. I mean we wear orange uniforms but I wear yellow shoes. I know I’ve got mixed on those but I like ‘em. I spent a lot of money on ‘em,” Battle finished.

Battle also wore a pair of yellow shoes last season as some might recall, the Kyrie 3 Mamba Mentality pair, a nod to a player that Battle has long admired in Kobe Bryant without deviating from his loyalty to Kyries.

For those paying meticulous attention to the shoe watch this season, Battle has also worn the Kyrie Day of the Dead shoes when Syracuse took on UConn from Madison Square Garden.

With non-conference play officially over and ACC play set to begin, Battle was asked if he could tease any other kicks coming in the pipeline. He politely declined however and decided to keep it a secret.

“We’ll see. We’ll see. Long season,” He finished.

Staying true to form and fandom, he’s keeping us in the dark.