Sga Debuts Converse SHAI 001 Premium Steel Before Game 1
sga took the floor for warmups in the Converse SHAI 001 Premium "Steel" colorway before Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers. The shoe’s first public look on NBA hardwood came days after Converse unveiled the design, giving Gilgeous-Alexander’s signature line a playoff-stage debut.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Steel
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wore the updated version of his debut hoop shoe as the Oklahoma City Thunder prepared for the Lakers. The Converse SHAI 001 Premium is built around a premium metallic molded leather upper and a leather-wrapped heel overlay, with metallic foil sockliner print and debossed tongue logos.
Converse also included a cotton dustbag with a metallic logo. The company described the colorway as "this colorway is a premium expression built on elevated materials and contrast: refined on the surface, hardened underneath. Polished with a high-visibility gleam and engineered to hold its line through contact, Steel reflects a game that is smooth until the moment demands more. Then it's all steel."
Converse SHAI 001 Premium Details
The basketball tech sits under the finish. The shoe uses a radial traction pattern for multidirectional control on any court, includes a forefoot Zoom Air unit, and has an over-last midsole designed to help ensure a low, connected feel for stability and consistency through every movement.
That mix of performance and presentation made the warmup look more than a style note. Fans saw the colorway on court for the first time, not in a photo shoot, and the timing tied the release to a postseason matchup that already carries attention.
June 11 Release
The Converse SHAI 001 Premium "Steel" colorway will launch in a limited global release on Thursday, June 11. It will cost $150 at converse.com and select retailers, giving buyers a fixed date and price for the model they first saw on Gilgeous-Alexander before tipoff.
For readers tracking the line, the warmup appearance did the real job: it put the Steel colorway in public view ahead of the release and showed how Converse plans to frame the shoe around its signature player and a playoff setting.
