17
Feb
Footwear Focus
This week in kicks: SGA takes over San Fran
OKC Superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander debuts his new shoe, the SHAI 001 at this week's All-Star Game.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gets the star treatment with own shoe
- SHAI 001 debuts at All-Star Weekend
- NFL and NBA cultures come together at Super Bowl
- Adidas brings their A-game for Anthony Edwards commercial
The sneaker industry never sleeps, and during the week between the Super Bowl and NBA All-Star weekend, it was more like a seven day, caffeine-infused bender.
This week saw new signature sneakers launched, awards claimed and milestones reached, both on the turf and the hardwood, as basketball shoes continue to transcend the sport. And as the Australian basketball calendar officially shifts from regular season to finals basketball, one fit from Down Under stood out above all else
SGA TAKES OVER SAN FRANCISCO FOR SHOE DEBUT
The NBA’s most fashionable man officially has a signature shoe of his own, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Converse releasing the MVP-contender’s first model, the SHAI 001.
SGA debuted the butter-coloured shoe during NBA All-Star, with Converse’s shoe an attempt to blur the lines off and on the court. The guard sported them on the cover of SLAM Magazine’s first-ever LEAGUE FITS edition, and they were all across the weekend, with OKC’s franchise player wearing them with his pre-game fit as well as his All-Star uniform.
To tie in to the release, Converse projected SGA's logo across numerous landmarks in San Francisco, promoting the shoe that the player designed himself for the historic basketball brand.
EAGLES DUO CHANNEL NBA GREATS IN SUPER BOWL DOMINATION
The 2024/25 NFL season came to a dramatic conclusion Monday, with the Philadelphia Eagles obliterating the Kansas City Chiefs.
While the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes had envisioned a three-peat in the style of the 90’s Bulls, it was Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts that channelled Michael Jordan in the game, putting on a title winning clinic while decked out in a pair of white and green Jordan 11 cleats - after warming up in a cleated version of the ‘Banned’ black and red Jordan 1.
Not to be outdone, Hurts’ teammate and record-breaking running back Saquon Barkley also took inspiration from NBA greatness, continuing his season-long trend of wearing LeBron-inspired cleats with a pair of silver LeBron 10s.
Influenced by arguably the two greatest basketball players in history, the Eagles’ Super Bowl win was all but guaranteed, with Jordan and LeBron contributing to yet another championship.
ADIDAS DRAFTS ICE CUBE FOR VIRAL ANTHONY EDWARDS VIDEO
The rollout and continued social presence of the Adidas AE1 has been unmatched since they released over a year ago, and the three stripes have done it again, dropping a new skit mere minutes after Edwards collected his latest poster, this time over Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren.
Following the Timberwolves’ All-Star massive dunk on Holmgren, the video was posted to Adidas’ social channels, which featured Ice Cube as a detective investigating a serial dunker who had claimed a new victim.
Not only did the video cleverly highlight all the best attributes of the AE1, including the cushioning and traction, but it showed the power of reactive marketing in taking the sneaker industry to the next level.
And as if that wasn’t enough, Edwards has also teased the release of his second signature shoe, with a lot to live up to following the blockbuster success of his debut sneaker.
THE BEST OF NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND
As well as the debut of the SHAI 001, NBA All-Star weekend featured a whole host of fire footwear, from the Rising Stars to All-Star Saturday Night, culminating in the All-Star game.
Stephon Castle debuted a new Air Jordan 39 colourway on the way to Rising Stars MVP honours, Tyler Herro won the Three-Point Contest in a PE pair of all-red Kobe 6s, and Mac McClung claimed a Dunk Contest three-peat in the Puma All-Pro Nitro, before Steph Curry took out All-Star MVP in the “What the Bay” Curry 12.
We got new signature debuts for Kyrie Irving, with the ANTA Kai 2, and Damian Lillard’s Adidas Dame X, while Cade Cunningham turned heads with a galaxy-inspired Nike GT Cut 3 PE featuring his new signature logo, and Jaylen Brown broke out a new colour of his 741 Rover, a shoe from his own brand.
FIT OF THE WEEK: Bryce Cotton
Every week, we’ll pick one Aussie or Aussie-adjacent hooper who has put together the fit of the week.
This week, it was a clean black tux for Bryce Cotton that caught our attention, alongside a gold watch and a pair of rose-coloured shades - make of that what you will, Perth fans.
But Cotton was fitted out with the ultimate accessory, a shiny gold MVP trophy, to go along with the four others he has at home, cementing him as the league’s best ever import player.
Related: Peter Brown reveals his greatest basketball sneakers of all-time
About the Author
Jed Wells is a basketball, fashion and culture writer based out of Sydney, Australia, with a keen interest on the sneaker industry both on and off the court. He is still waiting for his own signature shoe.
