Why BJ Boston keeps a dollar in his shoe during games

Photo by Elliott Hess | UK Athletics

When you watch BJ Boston play basketball this season, just know that he’s got a dollar bill tucked inside his shoe. Today, the Kentucky freshman told KSR the tradition dates back to middle school, when he started stashing cash in his shoe to get Skittles before a game.

“I’ve been doing that since the sixth grade, just putting a dollar bill in my shoe every time I play. I always get some Skittles before I play. I need candy before I play any game. So, I would just have a dollar leftover and I would put it in my sock and play with it.”

In his official UK bio, Boston lists the dollar in his shoe as his most prized possession. If you’re curious, it’s not the same dollar bill from sixth grade; he swaps them out every year (which is slightly less gross).

“Yeah, I get the dollar bill at the beginning of the year and just keep it the whole year.”

In an interview with the Courier-Journal earlier this week, Boston gave a swaggier explanation for the tradition.

“If my shot is cash, I feel like I’ve got cash on me.”

While playing with money on your feet seems like a pretty unique quirk, Boston isn’t the only one on Kentucky’s roster that does it; fellow freshman Devin Askew plays with a $5 bill in his left sock. Hopefully we’ll hear the story behind that when he takes his turn in front of the media soon.