Whole lotta sole for All-Star weekend

'Sneakerheads' celebrate unveiling of new designs by NBA's top guns

NBA players once again will be sharing personal stories this weekend during All-Star festivities - and using basketball shoes as a platform to get their message out.

When Kevin Durant takes to the floor in Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday he'll be wearing pink Nike KD 11 Aunt Pearls shoes bearing the names of 59 cancer survivors with inspiring stories.

Golden State Warriors teammate Stephen Curry decided to poke fun at his own mischievous nature with his shoe selection, unveiling the Under Armour Curry 6 "Coy Fish" colorway, which depicts the time he and a former college teammate found themselves in a little trouble for pulling a prank at a Japanese steakhouse.

All-Star shoe fashion may not be as big as it once was, but it's still a real thing.

For a loyal niche of fans in the basketball community known as "sneakerheads", the shoes players wear are still considered as big a deal as the All-Star Game itself - even though the overall market for basketball shoes may not be what it was a decade ago.

Regardless, the stories behind them add meaning to the shoes.

Curry's "Coy Fish" shoe ($130), for instance, resembles the vibrant koi fish - and the story of when Curry and former Davidson Wildcats teammate Steve Rossiter decided to jump into the koi fish pond at a local Japanese restaurant while out celebrating one night.

Curry was the decoy in the escapade, distracting the hostess while Rossiter jumped in the water and tried to grab one of the fish.