In 1976, the final American Basketball Association (ABA) All-Star Game, which coincided with the league’s historic merger with the NBA, was the site of an important first: the inaugural Slam Dunk contest, where Julius “Dr. J” Erving wowed the Denver crowd with his iconic foul-line dunk, instituting a new creative harmony between the game’s art and athleticism. Leading into the 45th anniversary of the merger, Converse releases an ABA-inspired capsule for select basketball models — the All Star BB Evo, the G4 and the lifestyle-driven Chuck 70 — that applies the same patriotic color treatments as the league’s basketball.
All three silhouettes feature an enamel red, white and rush blue color scheme. The All Star BB Evo continues the model’s stark split-shoe design, adding a dash of gold to the signature Converse Star Chevron logo, while the G4 includes subtle asymmetric red and blue detailing between the shoe’s medial and lateral sides. The ABA logo appears on the tongue of both silhouettes (the Evo also shows the logo on the outsole).
The Chuck 70 rounds out the trio; its upper features an all-over print graphic with the logos of some nostalgically-storied franchises, such as the San Diego Conquistadors, the Pittsburgh Condors, the Oakland (wait for it…) Oaks and more.
The Converse ABA capsule releases November 12 at converse.com and select global retailers.
