Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may be well on his way to winning his first MVP award. He is also set to earn another one of the biggest honors that can be bestowed upon a basketball player: his own signature shoe.
Gilgeous-Alexander first signed with Converse back in 2020, following an impressive second NBA season—his first with the Thunder—in which he averaged 19 points. His upward trajectory hasn't slowed down, and five years after signing that deal—and one after inking a signature shoe deal with the brand—the SHAI 001 is set to be unveiled.
Gilgeous-Alexander was heavily involved in the sneaker's design, which originated with one of his own sketches.
“I started the creating process when I started sketching,” he said this week, via Andscape. “And I think at that moment it hit me that, not only do I have a shoe, but I am able to create a shoe, make a shoe, from my expression, my art and how I see a basketball shoe. Not many players get to do that.
“I’ve been sketching my whole life," he added. "Once I knew I was going to be able to have that imprint on a basketball shoe, I did some research on shape and form. And then I put it together in a sketch and kept working on it until I got to a product that I liked, and thought was presentable to show to the group.”
Gilgeous-Alexander is expected to debut the "butter" colorway of the sneaker at Sunday's All-Star Game, but gave a sneak peak on Instagram, with a unique ASMR-style video.
Chuck Taylor, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, Larry Johnson, Kevin Johnson, Dennis Rodman, Percy Miller and Dwyane Wade have also released signature shoes with the brand.
The SHAI 001 is expected to be available for retail in the fall, according to Hypebeast.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Shares First Look at His New Converse Signature Shoe.
