Converse Star Player DL

So Converse remembered that they make basketball shoes and finally released their first performance basketball shoe of 2011.   There were some shoes in the spring catalog, but all of them got cut as did a few of the other shoes that were supposed to release during the summer.  I'm still holding out hope to see the Converse All American release in the coming days, but who knows.
 
But look on the bright side, you can sorta buy the shoes that JJ Barea won in NBA Championship in. You can get them at Converse.com for $55

I said on Twitter earlier that I was trying not to be negative, not sure I succeeded with that.  I mean Fila has had more performance basketball shoes release in 2011 then Converse.  I am not trying to make people mad, but how is this okay with anyone?  

Thanks for checking out the blog and remember to follow along on twitter @TheConverseBlog and on Facebook too.

The Converse Blog's Friday Flashback Dimple Hi LE Football Shoes

And now for something completely different, shoes! No really, I almost made it a whole week writing this blog without showing any shoes. And had I not promised yesterday I would've done it again today. With August in full swing and pre-season NFL action taking place, football is in the air. Football season used to mean a fresh batch of Converse football products, but it's been quite some time since we've seen any of those. In fact the pair today might be one of the last pairs of Converse football shoes ever made.

If you look closely you can catch a glimpse of the white colorway of these shoes in the background of an ESPN football show, I just can't remember which one. There are a few things to love about these shoes. First their football shoes, how amazing is that? Over the years I've seen a number of Nebraska football items made by Converse and I often wonder what it would be like to see the Circle and Star on the gridiron.

These shoes also have the classic, branding CONS on the heel. These served two purposes, it took advantage of a nickname the shoes always seemed to carry and tapped into the fad of four letter brand names like Nike and Fila. They also came with the awesome Converse box with the star in the "O" and chevrons on the box. However, the real prize of this box is the Converse logo itself. I've never heard an official name for this logo, but I also called in the Chevron in Star logo. It was used primarily during the REACT days. It hasn't been used since the release of the All Star 2000 in 1996.

I really love the design on the uppers of these shoes, you can clearly see the 90's influence. That's all I've got for today, I hope you've enjoyed the post this week. Thanks for stopping in and enjoy your weekends!

The Converse Blog: Even More Breaking News...maybe....Derrick Rose to Converse!

It seems like I've been doing this a lot lately. First with reports on Kevin Love and Michael Beasley, now with a report on Derrick Rose. Again I haven't heard anything official, and he was photographed wearing Fila's the day before the draft. But this is the day after the draft, in a very public appearance. How public, throwing out the first pitch in the White Sox Public. He is also wearing a navy colorway of the Pro Leather Ox which I don't believe has been released yet. So accept this as pure speculation.






This is very exciting. I do have an update on the Kevin Love signing, it also being reported through Sole Collector. If you would have told me that Converse signed just one of these three rookies I would very pleased. If they have actually signed all three, well I am not sure how I would respond. To put this perspective, Converse hasn't signed a number one draft pick since Larry Johnson in 1991. They also haven't signed the rookie of the year since Larry Johnson either. And while neither Rose, Beasley, or Love are locks for the award I like their chances, even with Oden being a rookie too. With the other brands reportedly shy about passing out endorsement dollars, Converse has the chance to make a big splash with this class.

The Converse Blog: Breaking News....maybe....Kevin Love with Converse?

I love the NBA Draft. In fact it might be my favorite sporting event of the whole year. I can't explain my love for it, I just know that inside I look forward to this day all year long. I love even more now that Converse is back to being a major player in NBA. Last year news broke a few days before the draft that Converse had signed Alando Tucker. Then a few weeks later news surfaced that linked Acie Law to Converse.

Like last year the players invited to the Green Room during the draft participated in an NBA Cares event. Also like last year many of the players wore sneakers of the brand they signed with. So I was looking forward to the pics to come out and I love what I found. In the bottom right hand corner of this picture you can see someone wearing the Converse Pro Team Black/White colorway, (for sale at Converse.com).



You can't really see as well as I'd wish, but if you look at the large photo here, you will see that Kevin Love is wearing Converse.





However, I don't know for sure that this means he is signed to Converse, nothing official has been released, to my knowledge. Also Derrick Rose has on some Fila casual shoes, and I am not sure Fila even makes basketball shoes anymore. So take this info at your own risk, however I feel pretty good about assuming Kevin Love is with Converse.