Tim Duncan used to wear the same pair of shoes for about a third of the season until they started breaking apart. Conversely, Kawhi Leonard gets a new pair of sneakers every four games or so.

For Travis Wade, the Spurs’ equipment manager, it’s part of his job to know each player’s shoe preference. Every player has an endorsement deal, and Wade makes sure each one has the shoe he wants, when he wants it.

For example,Tony Parker wears shoes from Peak Sport, a Chinese-based company, while Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge hit the court in Jordan Brand Nikes.

“I’m the liaison between the player and the rep,” Wade said.

Wade said a shoe’s longevity depends on a variety of factors; personal preference, superstition and wear and tear. Leonard, one of the top two-way players in the NBA, frequently needs new shoes because of his style of play.

“He goes pretty hard in the shoes,” Wade said.

Bryn Forbes wears his shoes for a longer period of time because he is superstitious. He has been in his current sneakers for about a month and a half. And Forbes’ shoes haven’t gotten that much wear and tear — he averaged only 7.9 minutes during the regular season.

But even stars who see heavy minutes, such as five-time champion Duncan, may play in the same shoes for an extended period of time.

Wade said Duncan stayed in his shoes “until the shoe laces ripped.”

“Everyone is different,” Wade said. “It’s not like more minutes, it’s not less minutes, it’s not any of that. It just depends on the guy. Tim never went through shoes.”

While many players consider the appearance of the shoe they wear in front of 20,000 people and millions more on television, Wade said Manu Ginobili is unique because he does not care about the style of the shoe he wears.

“Some guys have a model that they like because of the image or what it looks like,” Wade said. “With (Ginobili), it’s just what he feels good (in). It can be anything, as long as it’s Nike.”

Ginobili also prefers to wear the same pair of sneakers for an extended period of time, sometimes for half of the season.

When a player switches into a new pair of shoes, the process is easy. Each athlete has a specialized pair of orthotics, making the changeover between shoes seamless even for players such as Leonard or Aldridge, who also prefers new shoes about every four games.

When players are done with a pair of shoes, they are typically donated to Wounded Warriors or other charities throughout the city.

Wade, 27, became involved with the Spurs while he was going to UTSA. He started out as a ball boy. After Wade graduated with a degree in marketing, Spurs general manager R.C. Buford told him there was an opening as an equipment manager during the 2011-12 season.

“R.C. is a big mentor of mine,” Wade said. “I took it, did the equipment, took on travel coordination as well, so I’ve been that for two years. Just seeing what happens.”

Wade said he rarely tells people what he does, even though he works among some of the biggest names in basketball on a daily basis.

“I don’t mention what my job is because people tend to gravitate toward that,” Wade said. “Like the organization, you keep it tight knit.”

Wade is chummy with the players, and he does a lot of the behind-the-scenes work for an organization that has been to the playoffs 20 straight seasons and is considered the model of excellence by other franchises.

“It’s unbelievable, but it’s also a job,” Wade said. “You’re star struck that first day when you’re a ball boy, but then it turns into just a job. It’s exciting, it’s a hobby that took on a different level, and you love coming to work every day.”