Having been with the brand since 2020, SGA will become the face of Converse after agreeing to an extension that will also make him Creative Director.
Oklahoma City Thunder star and MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has landed a massive, multi-year shoe deal extension with Converse, cementing him as the face of the company for the future.
The new deal will make SGA the Creative Director of Converse Basketball, allowing him to provide input and direction across all products from the category.
Gilgeous-Alexander has also begun designing his own signature shoe with the brand that is slated to release in 2025, alongside a full collection of apparel and additional footwear styles.
“It’s something you dream of. As a kid, you sit at home, and you think, ‘OK, I’m going to be here one day.’ You’re six years old, and every other kid thinks that,” Gilgeous-Alexander said in February during a Converse media session. “But if you don’t dream and try to achieve things, then you’ll just never know.
“It’s just crazy that it’s come full circle,” he continued. “[Converse] has given me a platform, and I’m forever thankful.”
After first signing with Nike upon entering the league via the 2018 Draft, SGA shifted to the Nike-owned subsidiary Converse on a new shoe deal during the summer of 2020. The deal provided him with his own player-exclusive colorways of performance models and retail releases of various lifestyle silhouettes.
“The exclusiveness of the brand, not having so many guys, and the ability to express myself on and off the court in so many different ways appeals to me so much,” Gilgeous-Alexander told me at the time over the phone.
After headlining several of the brand’s All-Star BB models since, Shai will soon create his own true signature shoe with Converse. The full signature collection is set to release in 2025.
The distinction will mark just the eighth NBA signature shoe in Converse history, as Gilgeous-Alexander joins a list that includes Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Larry Johnson, Dennis Rodman, Dwyane Wade, and Elton Brand.
He’s well aware of the 1908-founded brand’s legacy in the league and its history in the athletic industry, with the ubiquitous original canvas Converse All-Star serving as an entry point to the brand for consumers worldwide.
“Growing up, it was the Chuck Taylor,” he described. “That was like the swag shoe, but it was also a shoe that random kids at school had and beat them up and played soccer in them. And the 40-year-old lady at the mall would have them on in a pink colorway. It was something you’d see everywhere, no matter the demographic and no matter the city. It speaks volumes to the shoe.”
In addition to kicking off the NBA Playoffs for the No. 1-seeded Thunder this weekend, the Toronto native will also star for the Canadian Men’s National Team at this summer’s Paris Olympics, where his global profile is expected to explode even further.
Gilgeous-Alexander will lead a proud Canada team making its first Olympic appearance since 2000. The fact that the Summer Games will be taking place in the world’s fashion capital of Paris hasn’t been lost on brands, who’ve been planning out future products over the last two years. They look to craft designs that can speak to the blend of style and performance that the world’s greatest athletes are at the forefront of.
Last season, SGA became the only player to be named All-NBA first team and All-League Fits first team in the same year, speaking to his impact and imprint both on the court and in the fashion lane. The Thunder star has been a mainstay across SLAM’s tunnel fits dedicated Instagram page, and has been highlighted routinely across the ecosystem of both NBA style and legacy fashion media platforms.
“Style is a feeling,” Gilgeous-Alexander described. “How you feel, how you wake up in the morning, your attitude, your confidence, and your swag. It’s something that you feel. You can’t really teach it, you just have to feel it.”
As I wrote in early January, the “Shai Superstar Takeoff” was one of the key headlines to watch for in 2024. Had Gilgeous-Alexander truly played out the sneaker free agency process this fall, he would’ve been one of the most sought-after veteran endorsers in NBA shoe free agency history, right alongside the multi-brand chases to sign Kobe Bryant in 2003, Kevin Durant in 2014, and James Harden in 2015.
In reality, those speculative eventual conversations with competitor brands and a bidding war never even materialized, with Gilgeous-Alexander and Converse accelerating towards a new extension throughout the season, well ahead of the eventual October 1 expiration date. He most recently visited the brand’s Boston headquarters during the first week of April while the Thunder were in town to play the Celtics.
Looking ahead, the Thunder star will be pushing the brand forward well into its second century and adding to the legacy of Converse through his own signature collection and creative direction.
“It’s the foundation of footwear and streetwear,” Gilgeous-Alexander added. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from, what you look like or how old you are, how tall, how short, whether you work in an office or play basketball — everyone has a pair of Converse.”
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