When the Converse Shai 001, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s first signature sneaker, was released earlier this month, the first customer was family. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, a guard for the Atlanta Hawks and Mr. Gilgeous-Alexander’s cousin, was at the front of the line at KITH Toronto on Sept. 4, having waited 12 hours to be the first person in the world to buy a pair of the shoes.
It was a fitting tribute to a sneaker that Mr. Gilgeous-Alexander has dedicated to his family.
The shoes were unveiled at the N.B.A.’s All-Star weekend in San Francisco in February, and were seen throughout his championship-winning run with the Oklahoma City Thunder this summer. As the games played out, Mr. Gilgeous-Alexander unveiled a series of colorways inspired by family members, including a slate gray for his son, Ares; a blue for his brother, Thomasi; and one in all black for his mother, Charmaine. “Hail Clay,” the hazel-colored shoes he wore during the conference finals, were based on the eye color of his wife, Hailey.
The public release of the Shai 001 caps an incredible stretch for Mr. Gilgeous-Alexander, which has included winning the N.B.A.’s Most Valuable Player Award, the Finals M.V.P. and the N.B.A. championship. The official shoe launch, held in his hometown, Hamilton, Ontario, as well as nearby Toronto, was approached like a victory lap.
In an interview that has been edited and condensed for clarity, Mr. Gilgeous-Alexander spoke about the shoe’s release, and his whirlwind year.
After months of buildup and anticipation, the shoes are finally out. Did the release match your expectations?
They sold out, so that is a perfect world. It was special. The moment felt surreal. And then to do it with family and friends and the closest people to me was amazing as well — to share that moment with them. Top of my list for lifetime moments.
This year has been one achievement after another for you. Have you had time to fully savor the championship, the M.V.P. award and the shoe?
It all still feels surreal. And I don’t think it ever won’t, just because the level it takes to accomplish those things, and how far I’ve come. But at the same time, I’m not, like, surprised or comfortable with those achievements. I have higher goals and strive for more things. So it feels amazing; I can’t believe I accomplished it. But at the same time, the way I accomplished those things, I have to do it a few more times to meet the rest of my goals.
You had the shoe launch in Toronto and Hamilton, your hometown. Do you still feel a deep connection to the city?
There’s definitely still a connection. I go home every summer. I spend my time there. I work out there. I’m there literally every day in the summer, I don’t really move. I’m in the community back home, and the kids that I’ve seen last summer at the gym are a few inches taller, a little bit better — like, I see their growth. The city and the places that helped shape the man, the basketball player that I am today, will never leave.
Speaking of Toronto, Drake has been wearing, and posting about, your shoes a lot. Did you ask him to do that?
Honestly, it was just organic — like, if you had a friend, you show them your shoe, and if they like it, they say, “Yo, I need that.” And then you give it to him, and they do what they want with it. So literally, just like that, just like the rest of my friends. I showed them the shoe. They loved the shoe and they wanted part of it.
And your cousin, too, who waited in line for 12 hours to get one. Did you know he was going to do that?
Yeah, he had let me know the night before that he was going to go.
The night before the launch?
Yeah, I was like, “Wait — wait in line for the shoe you already have?” He was like, “Yeah.” Like, OK. Do your thing.
You have said that the vision for these was to have them be a lifestyle shoe as much as a basketball shoe. Do you think you’ve succeeded?
Yeah, absolutely. I’ve seen a bunch of, like, people’s Instagram stories of them wearing them. I’m just glad the rest of the world sees them like I see them — sees the duality of them. At the end of the day, there’s a lot of people that play basketball, but there’s more people that don’t play basketball.
Part of the shoe launch involved your hoops camp in Hamilton. Why is that initiative important to you?
Growing up, for me, it just felt like the best players in the N.B.A. and the best athletes in the world weren’t something that we saw in our city ever. It almost felt like, because they weren’t coming from our city, that it was impossible. So I’m trying to give them the chance to dream, and a chance to believe, and see that it is attainable and it is something that they can accomplish.
You’ve been called one of the N.B.A.’s most fashionable players. What are your predictions for fashion in 2026?
I know what I’m going to do next season, creativity-wise, but you can’t try to predict what the next fashion trend in the world is, just because, like, it’s such a space where you can be so creative and there’s no rules to it. So it’s almost impossible to predict. But I know what I’m going to do to evolve my swag and switch things out and be a little more creative here and there and whatnot.
And a lot of it involves my shoe, obviously.
The post A Championship, an M.V.P. and a Signature Shoe? He’s Just Getting Started. appeared first on New York Times.
