Converse Trolls Anthony Edwards and Adidas After Timberwolves Elimination

Last night, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. Not only were the Timberwolves eliminated, but Anthony Edwards got mocked online.

Over the past two NBA seasons, Edwards' first signature sneaker with adidas has taken the footwear industry by storm. The only thing more exciting than the adidas AE1 has been its irrelevant marketing campaign.

Adidas and Edwards have routinely taken shots at other brands and NBA stars. The campaign's "Believe That" tagline has been nightmare fuel for competing companies.

Converse was eager to dunk on Edwards and adidas after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to victory. Converse trolled Edwards' adidas campaign and brought him back down to size with a funny social media post.

A brie eight-second video shows a confused ant (a nod to Edwards' nickname) stumbling around with the message, "Nothing Left 2 Say? Unbelievable."

The ad concludes by flashing Gilgeous-Alexander's signature logo. The caption read, "Not hard 2 believe. @shai is headed to the Finals." Of course, the No. 2 is a reference to Gilgeous-Alexander's jersey number.

Former Nike marketing executive Jordan Rogers posted a breakdown of the marketing tactics on social media. The marketing guru enjoyed Converse's punchy, and explained how the loss impacts adidas.

"But perhaps the biggest insult to injury is this: whatever evolution of their campaign that they had for Ant ready to go for the Finals will not see the light of day until perhaps NBA tip-off next year. If they can utilize it," said Rodgers.

Edwards' debut hoop shoe with adidas has had an amazing run. Meanwhile, fans continue to wait for the launch of the Converse SHAI 001, which is scheduled for Fall 2025.

Not only is Gilgeous-Alexander a signature athlete for Converse, but he is also the Creative Director of Converse Basketball. Fans should expect more beef between adidas and Converse next year.

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