Dwyane Wade Leaves Converse For Jordan
You had to know this was coming. While Dwyane Wade has been the centerpiece of Converse basketball since he entered the League, it was time for D-Wade to branch out and truly become a global brand. And who better to do that with than Jordan Brand.
“I didn’t want to be in the Converse brand anymore because it seemed like they didn’t know what to do with me,” Wade told the AP. “I want to go global. It’s something I feel like I have to do. I want to continue to build my brand.”
And build he will. Joining an All-Star cast alongside Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony, among others, Wade will flourish under Jordan Brand. Already a very marketable guy with endorsements from T-Mobile and Gatorade, Wade should be selling sneakers like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. And by making this switch he finally will.
Source: ESPN
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July 17th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
p-dizzle says:
Finally, took him long enough
July 17th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Butcher says:
First! Finally, D-Wade.
July 17th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
Doesn’t Nike own Converse? Does Nike still own Jordan Brand is some fashion?
July 17th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
sh!tfaced says:
its not like he went anywhere. converse is owned by nike.
July 17th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Daily Boy says:
Man!!!!!!!!
I can’t wait for those…
July 17th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
Wade really needed to switch shoe brands anyway. I agree with him that Converse wasn’t doing enough to brand him like T-Mobile for instance. Converse needs to just stick with what they’re good at. Chucks.
July 17th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Rare Air says:
Bout time! – this is a no brainer. Can’t wait to see the new kicks.
July 17th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
karizmatic says:
I’ve been hoping he would join Jordan Brand…glad he’s finally with them.
July 17th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
BiG ShoT BoB says:
Yes I think I’ll finally buy some Wade’s now. Those converse he was rockin was ugly as hell.
July 17th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Chilirey says:
Converse is own by Nike…..non-story..Nike just putting more eggs in one basket.
Converse has zero technology in there footwear, at least since back in 1988 they “wave cushining” in Magic & Birds shoes (it was just a more dense foam).
Converse should go after the And 1 crowd….
July 17th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
BRUCE says:
Larry Johnson Converse Kicks were too shabby either, The Converse Reaction.
D-Wade kicks are going to be nice.
July 17th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Kobeef says:
Yeah – like others say it seems more dramtic before you realizer that nike owns Jordan and Converse.
Nike’s just re-arranging some chairs…I suspect converse will drop the attempt to be a performance brand and just do casual shoes (like adidas Y-3).
YOu could see this coming about a year ago when wade stopped wearing the new versions of his signature shoe…never a good sign.
The Jordan Wade 1′s will be awesome.
July 17th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
JHUSTLE says:
hell yea now wade sport some nice lookin kicks while he’s dunking on heads and not those ugly ass converse they’ve been designing for him. And he will be the lead man on jordan brand imo bcuz he has the sickest highlight reel every year. Cant wait 2 see them
July 17th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Chris From LB CALI says:
JORDAN needs to sign Paul Pierce
July 17th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
thenatural says:
Good move for Wade and good move for Nike. Although Nike owns Converse they are operated independently and this is evident in their marketing tactics and budget.
The fact that Wade is from Chicago is a great selling point to go along with his personable and flawless reputation.
Converse had Wade as the face of it’s basketball brand for years, however his shoe were ugly as hell and shoes sales were always weak. Remember Vince Carter with Puma? Same deal. Once Carter signed with Nike, the shoes he wore were more popular (think Nike Shox).
In my opinion, Wade is much more marketable than CP3 or Melo, which should launch him to the Jordan Brand’s number two guy.
July 17th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
mosduff says:
This isn’t basketball news.
July 17th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Soul Brova1 says:
Continue to build his brand, huh? Yet another from hard times that makes it and sells out for money by endorsing $200 sneakers that continue to cripple the young ones growing up in the same if not tougher conditions that he escaped from. The most comfortable pair of sneakers i’ve ever balled in were a pair of Starburys that cost $10 and i’ve had the Nikes, Reeboks, Spot-Bilts and such. When are we going to stop supporting the very things that are killing us? fans at games should be yelling MVP for players like Marbury, Harrington, Ben Wallace and those who are not looking to cash in on the low self worth of inner city kids looking for acceptance and recognition. now that we haev an African American in the White House the next order of business is for an athlete to publicly decline or terminate his contract with these shoe companies because the companies exploit the condition of kids growing up in awful socio-economic circumstances.
July 17th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
mosduff says:
WORD UP SOUL BROVA1!
July 17th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
100K says:
Wow. Good for him!
July 17th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
dk says:
Im afraid the Jordan shoe is worth more then a Al H shoe. Its light years better and costs more to produce. I mean to what degree im not aware of but you do get what you pay for and they cant charge
July 17th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
dk says:
50 for a shoe of that quality.
In addition a young kid looking for recognition in the inner city or wherever will still need what ever costs 200 to feel good, even if the Jordans were 20 bucks.
July 17th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
dk says:
its part of being young and part of being an American. Hopefully with proper guidance and education the youth learn to realize whats a necesity and what is not. But buying something once for quality
July 17th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
dk says:
is the wise maneuver to make.
July 17th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Ross says:
Didn’t know what to do with him? Do you know how many stupid Dwayne Wade Converse ads I had to watch because of him being such a sellout? Now I’m gonna have to sit through countless Nike ads with him in them.
July 17th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
dk says:
@18 Would you be kind enough to define brouva1, the link to my urban dictionary is inoperable…
July 17th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Tim says:
If jordans were 20 bucks noone would go crazy over them. They are a lifestyle item plain an simple
July 17th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
dk says:
@ Ross
Its better then all the condom and std commercials i have to sit through because of your mother.
July 17th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Octopus Jonny says:
Nike, Reebok, Converse, Adidas, Shoe Company #7, whatever. That shit isn’t just marketed at inner city youth with no scratch. What about all the sneakerheads with jobs that love buying new kicks? I’d say high-end sneakers are more directly marketed towards that niche with special editions and limited colorways. How many times have you been outside your sneaker spot to cop some limited shit and seen the line half full of inner-city kids with their moms screaming about how hard they gotta work for some $250 sneaks? Did I hear NEVER? Exactly.
July 17th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Soul Brova1 says:
@dk
they copmpared the cost to make a pair of starburys retailing at 15 to the cost to make a pai of lebrons retailing at $100 and the difference was about $5 apair max. I’ve heard more storiwes of nikes busting (my spot bilts actually busted on me) and malfunctions with the “in” kicks and have yet to hear a negative regarding the starburys. you do not get what you pay for when you buy a pair of jordans or lebrons you get the gasface for being a grown man and still trying to be one of the cool kids.
July 17th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
mosduff says:
@18 Would you be kind enough to define brouva1, the link to my urban dictionary is inoperable…
read the post above me genius
July 17th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
AB_40 says:
very nice now let’s just hope jordan brand got some fresh designs for him not some of the bs they came out with the last couple of years
July 17th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Soul Brova1 says:
@ Octopuss Johnny
I’ve seen numbers of inner city kids selling drugs to cop the high end kicks, i’ve known kids that have gotten shot, stabbed and beaten for the high end kicks, i’ve seen kids get beat because they stepped on someones high end kicks and scuffed them. if wade, mike, lebron and others can get kids and even grown men to stand in line and spend up to $250-300 on high end kicks why can’t they use their influence to re-establish the sensibilities that we’ve lost so long ago?
July 17th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Jay-Are says:
who wouldn’t wanna wear jordans every game?
July 17th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
dk says:
Im finding it hard to believe the difference is 5 dollars but I dont have the resources here now to confirm that. My point still remains the kids are still gonna want the expensive status symbol shoes
July 17th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
BiG ShoT BoB says:
@ Soul Brova if that’s the case these kids problems go way deeper than shoes. Let’s say they do get the shoes by selling drugs or stealing. Now that their wearing the shoes does the crime stop there? There’s always going to be things that we all want that we can’t have but it doesn’t make everyone do ridiculous things to obtain them.
July 17th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Booga says:
Starbury and Jordans same quality?!?!?! Maybe if yur game consists of walking around, jacking up shots from the outside and not playing any D. I hooped in dem “Starbury’s” for the heck of it and dem kicks were in no way comparable 2 my Jordans and my game consists of slashing, quik cuts and alot of stop & go……dem “Starbury’s” wore out so fast I was ready 2 ask 4 my $15 bucks back!!! LOL Long story short, the reason of the price difference is the time,research and money spent on the quality/dependability of the shoe.
July 17th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Booga says:
Oh yeah, can’t wait for what kind of syk campaign the Jordan Brand comes up wit 4 D-Wade……..definitely sum better kicks.
July 17th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Soul Brova1 says:
@ Booga
good point about type of game you have, i’m a big man playing down low and occassionly on perimeter and i do play d and run the floor when it’s break time. the difference in price is the amount of money they use for advertising an exorbitant amount of that goes to the millions they are paying the athletes.
@big shot bob
no crime won’t stop there but for alot o fthese kids that is what gets them in the game…they wanna rock what the next man is wearing or whatever the newest latest is then once they get that taste it’s like a lion after his first kill…can’t stop won’t stop.
July 17th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
mapletown says:
Nice to see Wade going to Jordan. Curious to see what his first shoe will look like. Just my opinion but Melo and CP3 have had some not so good looking shoes come out.
July 17th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
yll says:
man he shouldve signed directly under nike not jordan brand. hes to big of a star to be under jordan. lebron and kobe would never sign under the jordan brand they trying to be better than him. wade failed sorry to say
July 17th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
blackmamba says:
nice, now he just has to play chi-city….
July 17th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Big Island says:
Why the FUCK would Jordan want to sign Paul Pierce?!?!?! He is the least likeable, least marketable guy ever.
July 17th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
dk says:
@41 I concur
July 17th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
knock knock says:
build his brand?? lmao if his “brand” wasn’t doing so well, it sure as hell wasn’t converses fault. Sicka hearing this news.
July 17th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
clq says:
converse kept coming up with shitty products and wade was probably tired of it. jb is a brand that people follow and though they come out with bullshit lately it’s better than most of the foolishness out on the market now. “knock knock” loves elephant cack
July 18th, 2009 at 1:07 am
Amos Leak says:
yeah…Converse should have done a better job with creating better product sneakers. They’ve had their time, but it’s nothing like jordan brand. Nike should really come in and establish control of their designs with better people. That’s the only way it will return to the future. because to lose d-wade is like chicago wit no jordan. it’s really that important..what else player can you look forward to now?
July 18th, 2009 at 4:41 am
crossphaded says:
Definitely a good move for D-Wade. my big question: does he carry his “stretched limb” logo to the Jordan brand or start from scratch with something new?
I kinda liked his Converse logo. I copped the Wade 1 playoff editions and the 1.3′s but after that, they were straight up fugly.
I heard he didn’t even wear his 09 model. If that wasn’t a sign that he was going to jump ship, I don’t know what was.
July 18th, 2009 at 8:51 am
Scipio Magnus says:
Starbury make Starbury cause he can’t sell shoes, so were Ben and Harrington. And those kids killing each other because of Shoes might kill for Rolex, Gucci, Mercedes or whatever.
I can’t afford JB when I was young but now I do and thats make me valued the brand even more (Thanks for Retros). Luxury product is not a problem unless you are a communist but I bet Kim Jong Il wore Jordan Brand too, though not his people.
D-Wade to JB is great, Converse don’t deserved to have Wade. They should sign those cult player like The Birdman or stop making performance shoes and stay making Chucks.
July 18th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Sonic Reducer says:
Well said Soul Brova1.
“Building my brand”… Industry of cool BS..
SO lame.
July 19th, 2009 at 3:51 am
JaKobe24 says:
what’s suprising about this at all? i mean for real look at all his draft photo shoots, the boys go J’z on his feet, and his shoes are gonna look sick but Bron and Kobe still gonna get the better shoe technology because they’re better players
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:24 pm
D-lite says:
Those making the shoes would not be earning anything legit if not for the factories, they’re not banging. Mind your own, you can’t understand unless you’ve walked in their shoes no pun intended!
July 30th, 2009 at 3:25 am
amir says:
nike is destroying converse…converse should be sold and established as a shoe company not as a nike subsidiary…if wade doesnt want to stick with converse so be it, the brand can live without him…i love converse i stuck with it through thick or thin and i was dissapointed with the nike purchase….
August 11th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
wear em J's with pride says:
real talk, d-wade always wore J’s, even when he was signed with converse. i use to play keys for his mom church, everytime he came through, (during the off season), he always had a fresh pair of J’s on!!!!! finally, a shoe i can buy and wear representing d-wade!!!!!!
February 10th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
J.Dev says:
“Wade, next move was his best move, get it in”
February 10th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
J.Dev says:
“Wade next move was his best move, Get it in”.