Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander officially launched his signature shoe on Thursday, kicking things off with a hands-on release in Toronto.
While the day started in Canada, it ended for Gilgeous-Alexander in New York City at a taping of The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, where Gilgeous-Alexander dropped some news regarding his shoes.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made an appearance at a KITH store in Toronto on Thursday morning to celebrate the launch of his signature shoe, the Converse SHAI 001 “Butter.”
“The story with the SHAI 001, if I had to title the book, would be versatility,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said of the launch during NBA All-Star Weekend. “Versatility is the way I would say to describe me and how I go about things. I am a basketball player. I like to say I’m a model. On the court, I play both ends. And then the shoe, it can be worn on and off the court.”
The launch saw Gilgeous-Alexander arrive and interact with some of the first buyers in line. It also featured an activation fridge where fans could win anything from tickets to the Oklahoma City Thunder game against the Toronto Raptors to signed SHAI 001's as well as a KITH treats ice cream section with a new flavor after Shai's, “Butter,” colorway.
The shoes saw a unique entrance to the sneaker marketplace, initially launching on websites like Converse and SNKRS as well as KITH and Undefeated LA stores on Thursday. Gilgeous-Alexander has worn the shoes both on and off the court, signaling its goal to be both a basketball shoe with lifestyle shoe potential.
“My favorite part of the shoe is probably the zip and the puff, the wing,” the Thunder star added. “It was two things – to add dimension to the shoe, and then to also give the shoe a little bit of a bulkier feel when worn off the court. I wanted to make sure that these parts of the shoe were identifiable no matter where you are in the arena. No matter how far away you are, you can see that wing means SHAI 001. That puff and zipper is special to Shai.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Converse SHAI 001's sellout on launch day, new colorways announced
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shoe sold out as expected on launch day, and the Oklahoma City Thunder star made an appearance on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon to discuss winning an NBA Championship, gracing the cover of NBA 2K26, and the release of his signature shoe.
Towards the end of the segment, Gilgeous-Alexander unveiled three new family-inspired colorways for the SHAI 001's.
“CHARM BLACK,” is the first colorway, named after mother, Charmaine.
“HAIL CLAY,” is the second colorway, named after his wife, Hailey.
“MASI BLUE,” is the third colorway announced, named after his brother, Thomasi.
The three new colorways are set to be released on October 2nd.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had quite the summer. After winning the 2025 NBA Championship and being named NBA Finals MVP, the Thunder star was also named the cover athlete for NBA 2K26, signed a four-year $285 million supermax contract extension, and launched his first signature shoe.
Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder are set to tip off the 2025-26 NBA regular season on Tuesday, October 21st when they host Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets.
