In honor of the 101st birthday of the first signature basketball shoe of all time and their namesake’s birthday, we are looking back at the cultural impact of the Converse Chuck Taylors and some of its biggest fans across multiple genres.
Taylor, a semi-professional basketball player, became a traveling salesman for the then called Converse Rubber Shoe Company in 1922 and took a particular interest in their first ever silhouette created solely for use on the basketball court. Having made several improvements to the design – including the round patch with the star shaped logo that bore his signature – the shoe was soon after dubbed the Chuck Taylor All Stars.
Snoop Dogg
From the video to Gin & Juice in 1993 to the Super Bowl Halftime Show at SoFi Stadium in 2022, the Chuck Taylor All Stars have been a staple in Snoop’s rotation for decades.
The Game
The notorious LA rapper has sported Chucks on many an occasion, nowhere more prominently though than on the cover of his critically acclaimed debut album Documentary – which also includes a reference to the sneaker in the album’s first track Westside Story.
A century of hoopers
The King and D-Book are just a few examples of basketball players on the highest level sporting the Converse classics: From Wilt Chamberlain dropping his iconic 100 points in 1962 to the biggest NBA stars of today, Chucks have been there for it all.
Wiz Khalifa
While there may be multiple things associated with Wiz Khalifa, the fact that his label as well as the movement that comes with it are literally named after the sneakers is a surefire indicator how high the shoes rank on the Taylor Gang’s list.
Kurt Cobain
The legendary musician and spearhead of the Grunge genre was spotted so seldomly without a pair of Chuck Taylor All Stars that his persona became nearly synonymous with the kicks that make up the first shot of the Smells Like Teen Spirit music video.
Rocky
While the Chuck Taylor All Stars lost their dominance on the NBA’s hardwood floors in the late 60s, one of their biggest cameos on any stage came in 70s, when Rocky wore a pair during the mother of all training montages. Start humming the theme tune now.
Blink 182
The Chuck Talyors famously starred in the band’s All The Small Things video – except for that part when the punk rockers combined white leather dress shoes with tighty whities of course.
