What will Paul George do with his shoes?

Paul George faces a tricky dilemma.

The Oklahoma City Thunder small forward ​wears a new pair of shoes in every game he plays.

And that means by the end of a regular National Basketball Association season, he has 82 spare pairs of footwear.

Just what does he do with all those shoes?

Superstition

"It's very rare for me to wear a shoe twice," the 28-year-old told the Olympic Channel.

George's need to take to the basketball court in new trainers every game is now at a point where it's a superstition for him.

"I would say so. I just like the snugness, I like it to be tight, that's what's most comfortable for me.

"It comes down to comfort. When my sneakers are tight and snug, I don't feel like they're loose, my ankle feels secure. So it works for me."

NBA trade changed plans

George spent seven years in Indiana playing for the Pacers, and had no issues dealing with all the shoes he'd accumulated throughout the year.

"Back in Indiana, after every season, the last home game, I'd save all my shoes, sign them and throw them out to the crowd. That was kind of the tradition in Indiana."

But his off-season trade to the Thunder in 2017 threw a spanner in the works.

"They don't have that last game where everybody stays out on court and throws stuff to the fans," he said.

"So I'm trying to figure it out. I'll save them and maybe at some point donate them to charities. Or just giving them out.

"I've got a lot of shoes now!"

Famous shoes

George isn't the first athlete to make the headlines over shoes.

Fellow basketball player and Dream Team superstar Michael Jordan is well-known for his own Jordan shoes, made by Team USA's suppliers Nike.

And, back at Atlanta 1996, track phenomenon Michael Johnson — who had yet to triumph in an individual event at the Olympics before then — won the men's 400m wearing gold-coloured spikes, before repeating the feat in the 200m.