After one wearing, it’s upper stiff and unyielding, and with BALLS carefully placed at the rear of both of my feet, I figured the Weapon EVO was Converse’s way of politely including me in some sort of dubious ethnographic experiment intended to poke fun at the profound level of homoeroticism in basketball.
As it turns out, the EVO is simply Converse’s premier TEAM basketball shoe for 2009, and not a marked attempt at challenging my heterosexual sensibilities with an unusually named cushioning system. The system I’m referring to is called BALLS, a collection of spherically-shaped polyurethane marbles that are designed to impart a high level of resilience with a low-profile, generally comfortable feel. Cons debuted the platform on the Weapon EVO, which coincidentally, also resurrects the Chevron and Star logo from the archives, an emblem that hearkens way, way, way back.
I hooped in the white/red joints. But before we get to my thoughts, I would like to thank Paul and Molly for a pair and delivering on all of the sketches! Thanks!Read More »
Although it may seem like a culture shock to the youth, player-endorsed shoes have been around for almost 90 years. On a daily basis you’re bound to see Chuck Taylor’s, but what about KEDS or Randy’s? Coulter’s Basketball has a wonderful article about the history of player-endorsed shoes that is worth to take a look at.
I’ll have an in-depth look at the Converse Weapon Evo prepared and ready to release in a few weeks for y’all. In the meantime, enjoy these teaser images and feel the BALLS.
With Ramon Diaz compiling a list of his favorite Nike commercials, (scroll down a bit) we figured The Roth Boys’ proclamation to the other Converse Band of Ballers teams fit today’s mood. Whaddya think? Funny or corny? Ingenious, perhaps? Either way, we’ll have more improvisational work from Asher and his gang as the week progresses!
Converse hosted their inaugural Band of Ballers event on Wednesday August 12 at the St. Patrick’s Youth Center in NYC to celebrate the launch of the Weapon Evo. The Evo, an updated version of the 1986-’87 Converse Weapon, introduces Cons’ Balls Technology. “Balls” are polyurethane bladders embedded in the shoe’s heel that compress and rebound during play.
Celeb squads included Jones Family, led by ebullient rapper Jim Jones, Asher Roth’s Roth Boys, and Pacific Division’s Pac Div. Bobbito, Hawaii Mike Salman, Bang Lee, Dustin Canalin, and DJ Clue were at St. Pat’s in full effect as fans.
Jones Family defeated Pac Div for the ‘chip, 10-2.
Earlier this summer, Converse invited me to experiment with their Converse ONE initiative, an “ID” service that allows the consumer to invent their own color combinations and graft logos or personal memorandums onto their kicks. I revised a pair of Pro Leather ‘76 Mids several months ago (hit the link to read more about ONE’s blueprint and my quibbles with its piddling color palette) and got the opportunity to transform the Weapon ‘86 in June.
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The Pro Leather ‘76 OX “Vintage” in white/green, white/red, white/black are the pharmaceuticals Dr. Erving prescribed for my non-existent hops and marginal speed when I visited his clinic earlier today. All right, all right—only time in the gym will cure those ailments, but I digress. The premium leather uppers and weathered midsole on this batch of Pro Leathers is already makin’ me feel better, anyways!
The Converse Pro Leather ‘76 OX is available now in Japan and should be hitting Cons’ online depot soon.
The generous crowd over at Converse presented me with a pair of Weapon ’86 Mids a couple of weeks ago. I scooped an original white/purple eam pair several months ago on the down low, and couldn’t wait to draw comparisons. (I didn’t get home from school until last Thursday, placing me in an incompetent position for summoning up images)
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