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In the middle of the 2019-20 NBA season, Golden State Warriors All-Star forward Draymond Green is shifting his sneaker endorsement around. According to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Green is signing a deal with Converse.
Green becomes the highest-profile athlete in Converse’s fleet.
Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green is signing a shoe deal with Converse, sources tell ESPN. He will become the brand’s highest profile athlete since Dwyane Wade. Green had been with Nike.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 4, 2020
It’s likely a simple shift over, from a business standpoint, as Converse is part of the Nike family, which Green had previously been signed with.
Still, it gives the Warriors the most diverse array of sneaker deals on the market, at least with the less-popular brands. Steph Curry is the face of Under Armour, Klay Thompson leads the Anta line, and now Green will become the flagship NBA athlete at Converse.
If only the Warriors hadn’t traded D’Angelo Russell, who was the top athlete in the Way of Wade line.
According to Logan Murdock of NBC Sports Bay Area, this has been in the works for a while, as Green has been spotted with some Converse prototypes for the last few weeks.
Draymond has had some Converse prototypes near his locker over the last couple of weeks. Still in the Nike family but in a different house. https://t.co/6AzJv25GJz
— Logan Murdock (@loganmmurdock) March 4, 2020
Converse hasn’t had a marquee NBA player since Dwyane Wade more than a decade ago. The brand used to be the top brand in the league - so much so that it was a shocker when Michael Jordan opted for Nike rather than Converse.
So Green will be tasked with helping Converse - backed by Nike’s money - gain basketball credibility again. And here’s hoping he’ll also be tasked with recreating this commercial:
Make it happen, Dray.