What does Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bring to Converse-- The Converse SHAI 001

A full year following the showcase of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being the face of Converse at last year’s NBA All-Star Weekend and hints of SGA's first signature sneaker being released under Converse, we finally have a detailed look at the Converse SHAI 001.

The new sneaker from the Oklahoma City star point guard comes in his 5th year signed with Converse and is ultimately one of the most uniquely designed shoes to be worn on the court in quite a while. Gilgeous-Alexander took the work seriously when it came to the construction of his first signature sneaker, even hand drawing sketches shared with the Converse design team to make sure that the brand fit his vision perfectly when it came to the new sneaker. The vision did not come easy for SGA and the Converse team either, as multiple prototypes can be found, and the creation process can be seen in the different variations of the soon-to-release hooping shoe.

The simplistic look of the sneaker itself adds much more personality in a pool of competition where multicolored looks and fiery aesthetics are the norm for basketball shoes. The tongue, for one, is not traditional in the slightest as it is hidden under a zipper and perfectly sits atop. The zipper mechanic is fully functional to reveal a whole new portion of the shoe and can be played in both zipper and unzipped, essentially offering two aesthetics and designs. To complete it,  Gilgeous-Alexander's logo (one of the most unique I have seen) is placed on the tongue, showing off the replicated "2" logo, his jersey number. The upper is accompanied by layered parts that are puffed out in a sense and have an overall snug fit.

The butter-like colorway is set to drop this Fall, allowing fans to get excited and save up for the anticipated pair from SGA and Converse exclusively.