Rising NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is now backed by Converse.
“Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an @okcthunder sensation and the newest member of the Converse family. And he wants you to remember one thing: ‘Just follow who you are and don’t try to be nobody else,'” Converse captioned a social media video announcing the deal today. “A pathfinder at heart, Shai’s journey to the league began in Canada. Off the court, Shai is a fashion enthusiast who finds harmony in sketching clothing designs before hitting the hardwood. Welcome to the family @shai.”
Since re-entering the basketball market in April 2019, Converse has been active in signing some of the sport’s fastest rising stars and biggest names.
On June 8, the heritage athletic company announced it had added a WNBA star to its roster in Natasha Cloud of the Washington Mystics. Converse said it didn’t sign the 2019 WNBA champion solely for her abilities on the court and that it was equally as attracted to her role as an activist. (On June 22, Cloud announced on social media that she is putting her basketball career on hold to focus on social reform.)
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News broke in March that three-time NBA champion Draymond Green would become a Converse athlete, having previously laced up Nike on the court. The baller would also debut a new performance basketball sneaker that month, the Converse G4, which the brand described as a sneaker that “considers the needs of dynamic and imposing players” and features a pair of Nike cushioning technologies: React in the heel and Air Zoom in the forefoot.
The first big name Converse picked up was Kelly Oubre Jr., who signed with the brand in November 2018, well before it revealed any new on-court sneakers.
