Converse has signed Kelly Oubre Jr., forward for the Washington Wizards, to a multi-year footwear and apparel endorsement deal. Oubre is expected to wear Nike footwear on court and Converse footwear and apparel casually.
Converse said in a statement, “Oubre Jr. represents the spirit of creativity and progress inherent to the brand. His desire to seek out new stories and break style rules make him an ideal partner to collaborate with on campaigns to product development to engage the wider basketball community. Converse expects Oubre Jr. to add a dynamic sporting dimension to the brand and write a new chapter to its storied legacy in basketball.
Converse’s last major NBA endorser was Dwyane Wade, who signed with Converse when it entered the league in 2003 just before Nike Inc. acquired Converse out of bankruptcy proceedings. Wade switched to Nike’s Jordan brand in 2008.
“Basketball culture now permeates through all those dimensions that Converse has been playing in as a brand, whether it’s style or fashion,” said Sophie Bambuck, Converse CMO, told ESPN. “It just felt like the right time for us to re-energize the brand, dimensionalize the brand and bring a different point of view to our consumer around basketball. Kelly felt like the right person to do that with, not only as an athlete, but as a person.”
A short film previewing the relationship is below.
Image courtesy Converse
