Nothing wrong with a little trash talk. After Anthony Edwards’ shoe brand trolled Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a recent commercial, the reigning MVP had no problem with the little back and forth.
After the Oklahoma City Thunder gentlemen swept the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2025 Western Conference Finals, Converse took advantage of Gilgeous-Alexander’s domination. They dropped a commercial where an ant walked across a desert — a subtle jab at Edwards, considering his nickname.
A behind-the-scenes video revealed Edwards’ reaction to the commercial. He said they were going to get back at Gilgeous-Alexander eventually. Instead of waiting for the Timberwolves to get revenge on the Thunder, they rushed their response.
Five months later, adidas responded — albeit in a weaker way. Famed comedian Katt Williams did some standup on Edwards’ behalf. While he respected Gilgeous-Alexander’s on-court results as an MVP winner and NBA champion, he went at his SHAI 001 signature shoe design.
“He’s lucky his game is as smooth as his little poems. Because them shoes? No thank you,” Williams said. “The game left that brand behind for a reason.”
Ouch. That’s taking things personally. What did Gilgeous-Alexander think of Edwards’ commercial taking a shot at him? He discussed it after the Thunder’s 3-0 start, when they secured a 117-100 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t take any offense to it. He knows it’s part of the game. He’s Converse’s NBA face and Edwards is adidas’ NBA face. When you can lean into a rivalry, you’ve got to.
“It’s the business of marketing. You talk about things that are hot and are going to get clicks to get clicks yourself,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “So I completely understand it. It’s all fun and games, though. It doesn’t impact my sales, if you guys can’t tell.”
That’s probably the right way to look at it. NBA history suggests that shoe rivalries have been going on since the beginning of the league. It’ll be interesting to see if Gilgeous-Alexander and Converse respond or if they’ll just let the on-court results do the talking for them.