Around the time basketball legend Julius “Dr. J” Erving was born, almost every player in the newly minted NBA wore the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star.
“I know in my first look at basketball on TV, I saw my favorite players wearing Chuck Taylors. That was the shoe to get,” Erving said. “When you see people who you admire, people who you idolize, you look at them from head to toe … what they have on their feet is big.”
That legacy drives the Converse NBA collection. Launching September 29, the collection represents all 30 NBA teams through three articulations of the NBA Chuck Taylor All Star: Gameday, Legend and Franchise.
The Chuck ’70 NBA Gameday includes 250 individually numbered limited-edition pairs for each NBA team. Every shoe is made of authentic NBA jerseys and backed with a leather lining. Its leather interior features embossed NBA logos and collaborative Converse x NBA woven labels under the shoe’s tongue.
The Legend is a luxe model that celebrates basketball culture for the sophisticated fan. The shoes highlight the winning legacies of five franchises: the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, LA Lakers and NY Knicks.
The Franchise represents 13 NBA teams, with their representative logos embroidered on the tongue and team name and details screen-printed on the mesh upper. Each outsole is molded to display the given team’s city influence. A Nike Lunarlon sockliner and micro-suede internal lining is included for comfort.
A collection of Converse NBA Apparel is also available, and includes a winterwool bomber jacket with primaloft fill and a hooded coaches jacket, along with Converse Essentials hoodie, crewneck, long sleeve tee and jogger.
Photos courtesy Converse