Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Leaves Converse To Reunite With Nike - Page 8

It’s been a grand opening and grand closing moment for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Converse partnership, but don’t worry, because he’s not going far.

The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar has moved from Converse—which has been his home since 2020—back to its parent company, Nike, which is eager to keep the momentum going.

Nike teased the news online by showing Gilgeous-Alexander’s self-designed No. 2 logo spinning until it turns into two Swooshes.

“We are thrilled to welcome Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the Nike Basketball signature family,” Nike said in a statement to Complex. “Coming after back-to-back MVP seasons, we are excited to build on Shai’s incredible impact with Converse as one of the most creative leaders in the game.” 

Nike has a stellar blueprint to build off of with its first signature shoe, the SHAI 001, which made a flashy debut at NBA All-Star Weekend 2025.

The Zoom Air in the forefoot gave him the spring he needed, and a radial traction pattern to aid his habit of quick, explosive cuts, which Converse says came from Nike lending its innovative tech to the team.

But arguably more important is the shoe’s styling, since Gilgeous Alexander is known as one of the NBA’s most stylish players.

Converse gave him creative control, and the result was a low-cut sneaker that worked on the courts but had lifestyle sensibilities, thanks to a suede-like upper and an optional zipper to hide the lacing system. The only hint that it was a Converse sneaker was the logo on the back. It was clear that Gilgeous was trying to pull in the casual wearer, with the first colorway being wheat rather than something sportier or even a hint of OKC’s colors.

Hopefully, since Converse and Nike are part of the same family, the SHAI 002 will share the same design language and will just be refined a bit.

The announcement comes after SGA won his second consecutive MVP award but failed short to repeat as an NBA Champion because the San Antonio Spurs won Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, as the Thunder was injury-riddled, highlighted by Jalen Williams’ hamstring strain.

But now that the New York Knicks have been crowned 2026 NBA champions, we start anew and await the results of SGA’s move to Nike.

Not much else is known about the partnership, but see social media’s reaction to the announcement below.