Anthony Edwards and Adidas are at it again. They turned a simple coincidence into another campaign against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Their ongoing sneaker war extended after referee Karl Lane wore the Shai 001 while officiating the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks. Adidas had wild reactions from fans. All they had to do was feed into the chaos.
Adidas did so by referencing their previous campaign when promoting the AE2 sneakers. They posted a screenshot of their depiction of SGA, accompanied by an official. At the time, it was a clear shot at the Thunder cornerstone, poking fun at the whistle being his “favorite accessory”. Now, Adidas literally had one of them wearing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s signature sneaker.
They didn’t try to extend the sneaker feud. It just came and landed right into Adidas’ laps, and they capitalised.
Just for the sake of explaining, there’s nothing wrong with a referee wearing basketball sneakers. It’s part of their uniform. Hence, Lane wearing the Shai 001 is no different than if he had worn one of Anthony Edwards’ signature sneakers with Adidas.
adidas Basketball trolled Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Converse again!
After NBA referee Karl Lane was spotted wearing the SHAI 001, adidas pulled a screenshot from its February All-Star AE 2 commercial where they poked fun at SGA saying his favorite accessory was a… pic.twitter.com/j62cTouui7
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) April 6, 2026
Both of the shoes are extremely popular. Notably, Edwards’ first project with Adidas was a runaway hit. On the other side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s invention with Converse sold out in minutes. The two meteoric stars are highly responsible for the return of sneaker rivalry in the NBA. And both of them embrace their off-court banter.
Converse previously took a dig at Edward after the Thunder beat the Timberwolves in the playoffs last season. Neither of them has ever spoken against each other’s actions. In fact, SGA sees it as a business maneuver.
“It’s the business of marketing. You talk about things that are hot and are going to get clicks to get clicks yourself. So, I completely understand it. It’s all fun and games, though. It doesn’t impact my sales, if you guys can’t tell,” Gilgeous-Alexander said when Adidas first released the video for AE2.
This rivalry won’t stop anytime soon. Both Edwards and SGA’s stocks are on the rise. They are among the best players in the league, competing on multiple fronts.
Anthony Edwards’ concerning knee injury sparks trouble for the Timberwolves
Anthony Edwards played in just two games after returning from an injury to his right knee. Ant is back on the sidelines again, with the same issue. This isn’t injury management. Head coach Chris Finch told The Athletic, “We’re still in the uncertain phase”. That’s the last thing the Timberwolves wanted with the playoffs only a week away.
Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic claims Edwards’ injury could be the same as Stephen Curry’s. The Warriors star was diagnosed with a “runner’s knee”. What looked like a few weeks of rehab caused Curry to miss 27 consecutive games. He played for the first time since January 30 in the Warriors’ clash against the Houston Rockets.
That’s the ‘uncertain’ part of the situation. Edwards is diagnosed with patellofemoral pain syndrome. It’s limited his participation over the last few games. Still, Finch is confident it shouldn’t be a persistent issue. The injury is still viewed as day-to-day. With Anthony Edwards still being young, there’s a chance he recovers quicker than Curry did.
The Timberwolves have made two straight WCF with Edwards at the helm. He’s the catalyst who connects their system together. Likewise, the Wolves will hope their cornerstone can return preferably before the playoffs begin.
