Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has come a long way, entering the 2018 draft as the 11th overall pick, starting his career for the LA Clippers, before being traded to OKC as part of a trade package. Playing for a rebuilding team, he got his chance to develop his game, shaping into the franchise player he is now. Off the court, his sneaker deals have been a similar story. Being signed under Nike as a rookie, his contract was shifted to Converse, the subsidiary of the Nike group. He was initially put behind other brand athletes such as Draymond Green and Kelly Oubre Jr. However, as time went on, Converse also recognised his talent and potential, signing him to a multi-year extension that saw him become creative director of the brand and get his first signature shoe in 2025.
Following the deal, Converse presented the first element of their partnership this month, unveiling Shai’s signature logo. Initially hand drawn by the athlete himself, the logo is formed of stylised, mirroring twos to represent Shai’s jersey number and his duties on and off the court. As described by the brand, the unveiling of the logo marks a significant milestone for the partnership, opening up a door for innovative products and storytelling.
Although both Shai and Converse haven’t shown anything apart from their logo, we thought we would use what we know so far to predict what the Shai 1 would look like ahead of its release in 2025. For the upper silhouette, we could expect a low-cut, lightweight build similar to the past All Star BB lines to complement Shai’s unique, shifty playstyle. In terms of materials, Converse hasn’t been too adventurous in recent years and doesn’t have a proprietary performance material as of yet. So, we expect the Shai 1 to follow suit, adopting a standard mesh upper (unless they unveil a new material just for the Shai 1).
For the midsole, we see many first signature shoes have their cushioning systems compromised due to costs and being in the lower end of the brand hierarchy. However, considering Shai’s role as a creative director for the brand and his superstar status on court, we could potentially see an upgrade from past Converse models. So far, the All Star BB line has mainly featured a forefoot Air Zoom unit in the forefoot with CX foam. While we see the Shai 1 maintain that set-up, the forefoot area may get an Air Zoom Turbo unit instead, positioning it as the most high-end performance shoe within Converse.
Overall, we see Converse making a big push in the basketball space with the Shai 1 being the brand’s most technical shoe. There are other considerations that may affect the final product, such as its development time. If the team at Converse started right after Shai’s contract extension, it puts them with just over a year to develop a performance shoe (performance shoes usually take 2 years to develop). With the time constraint, we are likely to see a basic signature shoe, with a lot of elements borrowed from past models. On the other hand, if the shoes were already being developed with his contract extension in mind, we will see a more polished product. Either way, Shai’s signature line will represent a pivotal moment in Converse basketball, which welcomes its first signature athlete since Dwyane Wade. Until its release in 2025, the Shai 1 will continue to be a subject of speculation and anticipation, setting high expectations for the two partners.
SNEAKER SPECULATION 