words_Zac Dubasik
In the biggest sneaker company move since Kobe left adidas for Nike, Dwyane Wade is now a member of Team Jordan. Wade’s move comes following a season where he seemed to do everything possible to avoid wearing what will now be his last signature shoe with Converse, the Wade IV.
Now calling players like Ray Allen, Melo, CP, and Rip Hamilton his teammates, Wade will find himself wearing some of the most coveted kicks in sneaker history. In a statement, Wade proclaimed that, “For me, the move to Jordan Brand is a dream come true. As a kid, I grew up on the south side of Chicago idolizing Michael Jordan and have worked hard to achieve the same success that he’s had on the court. I have enormous respect for this brand and all that it stands for. I’m humbled to be a part of the Team Jordan family and I’m looking forward to a great future.”
MJ echoed Wade’s excitement for the move. “I’m thrilled to have Dwyane Wade join the Team Jordan family,” he said. “In his short time in the league, Dwyane has transformed himself into one of the game’s best and is the embodiment of leadership both on and off the court, a signature trait of our athletes. As the Jordan franchise approaches its silver anniversary, Dwyane will become a pinnacle member of the Jordan roster poised to help lead the Brand for years to come.”
Wade never kept his love for Air Jordans a secret. Back in Issue 13 of Sole Collector (available here), when asked about memories of sneaker collecting, Wade related this story. “Of course I have to talk about the Jordan XI, that’s it! I cried when I didn’t get those shoes when I was a kid – I was crying. My cousin had them and I didn’t have them. And that’s where you want to be in this game …”
Converse had this to say….
“Converse has enjoyed being a part of Dwyane’s meteoric rise to the top of the basketball world. We have had an amazing professional and personal relationship with him and we thank Dwyane for his commitment to our brand. As he joins Jordan Brand, we know his Chicago roots and his on-and off-court style will be a great fit.
Converse is focused on creating quality basketball footwear in the mid-level price point range. In past years, we celebrated Dwyane’s success by creating higher priced signature shoes and saw great success with our Wade business. With Dwyane joining the Jordan Brand, we are continuing to meet our long-standing objective of offering high performing, functional basketball shoes at a mid-level price point.”
This is undoubtedly a positive move for Jordan Brand, adding one of the game’s biggest stars to its already stacked roster, but what will be next for Converse? Will any new players fill the void left by Wade, or will Elton Brand be left as the sole signature athlete? And what about Wade’s signature shoe status? Will he be wearing a Jordan Brand shoe designed especially for him, or helping support the team line? Only time will tell. Share your thoughts on this breaking news.
July 17th, 2009 at 11:11 am
i figured this would happen sooner than later! but part of me wishes he wouldve stayed with Converse. they were the ones who gave him a deal when apparently no one else wouldnt. but i guess things got sour between the two. this is good for Nike! i think D.Wade will sell more sneakers than Melo,Kobe,and CP3!!!
July 17th, 2009 at 11:11 am
This could be a great possibility for Converse, but they got to get enough breathing room from Nike to create the quality they did before Nike took over, and also use the tech they did before Nike took over, if they don’t, they’ll slip into oblivion.
I’d like to see Coverse, retro the KJ7-line, and work things out with Magic, and retro all the Cons Magic.
On Wade to JB, great on a PE level, but if he gets a sig, they better step it up, because Converse Wade 5> Melo M6> CP3.III.
Now all Wade needs to do, is sign with the Bulls in 2010.
July 17th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Finally! Congrats to D Wade!
July 17th, 2009 at 11:44 am
hells yea congrats…thats big news for any ball player. i think that we will see him in a regular pe of some jordan brand shoe. but i would say that he is very deserving of his own signature shoe, he is the man and why would you sign a contract where you dont get a signature shoe being that you just left a brand that had created five previous shoes for you. if he was smart he would have signed on to a deal involving signature shoes. i just wanna see his teammate mario chalmers pick it up this season.
July 17th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Looking forward for WadeJordan I
July 17th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
congrats wade!
@Nene33-cosign, that would be epic if he were to be on the bulls roster next season
July 17th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
YEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! ITS ABOUT TIME HE LEFT WEAK ASS CONVERSE AND MAKES SOME REAL SNEAKERS IM HAPPY ABOUT THIS WADE IS MORE OF A BEAST!
July 17th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
this is one of the best sneaker moves in years, d.wade is in a good place for business and style…..
congrats dwayne “flash” wade!!!!!
July 17th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Man, I want those nike/jordan carmines!!!
July 17th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
waitin to see what kicks he make w00t
July 17th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
VERY NICE MOVE WADE. . . . .
July 17th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
i hope they give him some good looking shoes unlike MELO
love the idea
good luck
July 17th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
they gotta give him his own shoes, hes top three in the league so its only right
July 17th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
finally. i think dwight howard would make a great fit for jb too, maybe even kg as well. vince carter wouldve been great on jb back in the day, maybe even amare, richard jefferson and darren williams (aka new bibby) are also some jb hopefuls. trevor ariza in a few season maybe ?
July 17th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
dwight howard on jb that just sounds awkward to me. he’s good where he’s at. derrick rose and mike beasley would work though
July 17th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
tight..
July 17th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Mann Hes A Good Player But The Shoes He Makes Are Ugly !! Look At What He Has On And look What He Has In His Hand!!!
July 17th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Fantastic…now his shoes will match his game. I would like to see him wear a variety of retro PEs for one season like Kobe did so they can find out what works for him and what he likes while working on and modifying his signature shoe so that it s not rushed.
July 17th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Its about time he signed with an above average shoe line, Dwyane is IMO the best player in the league and deserves the best brand to play in (JB).
July 17th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
i bet his game’s gonna be so much better now. watch out
July 17th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
IM mad he got NIKE AIR on the back of his kicks
July 17th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Wow… BIG news indeed. I think this is a good move for both parties-Wade and JB. This will help boost the JB brand even further with Wade on board and this solidifies Wade’s star power further. By this I mean, top sporting stars are always sponsored by the top sporting brands e.g. Kobe and LeBron with Nike. Unfortunately in this day and age, athletes are identified and recognized by their sponsorships as much as their performance. Admittedly, I do wish he stayed with Converse because I miss the glory days of Converse and I still fondly remember my cons I had (sorry, I can’t remember exactly which ones they were).
Nevertheless, this is exciting sneaker news indeed. Personally, I now hope JB step up their designs and try to be on the edge of sneaker innovation to solidify their position as an elite sneaker brand such as Nike and Adidas. Exciting times ahead in the sneaker world
July 17th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Here’s a link to other athletes that have switched for those that are interested: http://www.complex.com/blogs/2009/07/17/switching-sides-when-athletes-change-sneaker-endorsements/
July 18th, 2009 at 3:02 am
Yo I can’t wait to see the kicks that’s assign for D.Wade. Most likely around the design of Air Jordan XI(just a guess)…
July 18th, 2009 at 8:36 am
Ok, whoever said that he will sell more than Kobe is a dipsh*t
July 18th, 2009 at 9:15 am
JB seems to only pull out the XI’s, on really special occasions, so it’s not likely Wade’ll get XI PE’s for the season, it’s probably gonna be some team J’s, and 1 or 2 numbered J’s, like JJ2, and Ray-ray usually have.
July 18th, 2009 at 10:47 am
i dont know “air jordan Flash” or “air jordan WADE”
July 18th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Enough of the Signature Shoes with CONVERSE for D.Wade.. Hey, this Player is good in this sport of Basketball.. He deserves to be on the TOP Shoe Company!! For D.Wade, Good luck on the next season! We are excited to see you Dunkin’ on your new Pair of JORDAN Shoes!
July 18th, 2009 at 11:40 am
This is a big blow to the relevence of Converse as a serious basketball shoe. They need to figure out what they are, a fashion brand or a performance basketball shoe. The technology they’ve been adding to their shoes has been minimal of late. They look good, but haven’t stacked up against Nike or Adidas. I had a pair of the last Wade’s; solid but nothing special.
If Converse is going to bring back a blast from the past, I’d like to see the first Larry Johnson shoe. I think it was called the Aero Glide. Those were sweet looking. You can save the teal that came with them however.
I read that a new Converse Wade was due in stores shortly. I wonder if they got to production and what will happen to them. Pictures anyone??
July 18th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Big Move Wade! I bet the original Wades are gonna be worth alot someday and even now. I still love the Wade Playoff 1 and all the Wade 3′s. I do have an ORIGINAL WADE for sale so peep that.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=120447677521
July 18th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
about time dwyane, about time.
July 19th, 2009 at 5:07 am
@WJV: You’re right, Nike really squeezed Converse in the tech, and quality they where allowed to use in their shoes.
And I’m completely with you, that they should release the classics(Aero Jams, KJ7′s, and they should make up with Magic, to release the Cons Magic too).
And if you wanna see pics, there’s a thread on the Wade 5′s in the Forums, with pics and all. :up:
July 19th, 2009 at 9:53 am
def about time
July 19th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
this is tight… those are some sick ass og 6 carmines
July 19th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
I kind of saw this coming. I mean d.wade did say he wasnt satisfied with converse and in reality who would. no one balls with converses. its all about their chucks and thats it
July 20th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
his shoes will be flash, flash 2, flash 3, flash 4…etc
July 21st, 2009 at 3:11 pm
It’s just time for him to move up…. But I guess not a lot of people know that converse in also owned by Nike….
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:11 am
I know that Mark
Just like Adidas own Reebok. I swear I got love for most of the popular (or once was) sneaker brands so it’s sad to see Reebok and to a much greater extent, Converse drop so far down the proverbial sneaker chain.
But yeah you’re somewhat right in saying “it’s time for him to move up”
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:34 am
He needs a larger division of Nike to support his brand… Good move!
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Just so everyone knows…Nike bought out converse years ago. Nike owns converse…this isnt as big as people think. Its now the same company. Nike rules…good media hype though. Nike owns brand Jordan, yada yada, do the math.
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:12 pm
im so pumped for this
July 23rd, 2009 at 5:25 am
Nike owns Cons… Wade going from Cons to JB is just jumping to another company owned by Nike. No big deal…. just a lot of empty hype. But Cons have been making some really ugly shoes for Wade. So the dude is probably hoping for better designs with JB….
July 23rd, 2009 at 7:10 am
Nike is so disparate they need new faces good for u wade converse keep making the good shoes ….
July 23rd, 2009 at 5:23 pm
its about time
July 24th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
ok
July 24th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
CARMINES FTW :up:
July 26th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
BOUT TIME!!!!! CAUSE CONVERSE WAS JUST NOT DOING IT FOR HIM??? HIS SHOES CAME OUT UGLY EACH TIME…NOW FINALLY HE CAN GET A GOOD LOOKING SHOE…THAT’LL BE MORE POPULAR..AND I HOPE THEY” BE COMFORTABLE
xxGRiNDiN GeT-N $$$$xx
July 27th, 2009 at 8:25 am
i would flip if he started playin in og carmines lol
July 27th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
well no offense 2 converse bt they werent gud enuf 4 ma man d-wade dnt gt me wrong converses are comfortable n ther a legend bt botom line… d-wade 2gud 4 converse PERFECT for jordan born chicago 3rd best player 2most 2nd best player 2me (#1 kobe get right) bt cnt wait till the air jordan flash, wade, wade watev ther gona b beautiful omg…dwayne PLEASE STAY IN MIAMI! PLEASE!
July 28th, 2009 at 6:00 am
July 28th, 2009 at 6:11 am
the only converse wade shoes that looked good were the 1′s but they were really uncomfortable. im glad he moved to jordan and if they make his signature shoes im gonna get every model he has
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:05 am
Wade’s bout to make baaaaank son lol
August 4th, 2009 at 3:47 am
how you can you the name jordan fiend and call MJ the 2nd best player of all time is beyond me, especially behind Kobe of all people
anyways to the topic at hand, this is awesome, the way wade played last year he elevated his game to dominating levels, worthy of Jordan brand status, call them the Flash Jordans, too sick
MJ G.O.A.T. for the record
August 14th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
men this is a good thing for the jordan brand n for d-wade, i tnk that soon jordan will make wade a signaure shoe no doubt!!!!!