In 1936, on a rain-soaked court in Berlin, the U.S. men’s basketball team faced Canada in the Olympic final. Wearing bright white Converse All Stars with red and blue pinstripes, the Americans slogged through mud to win 19–8. This marked the Olympic debut of basketball—and of the Chuck Taylor All Star.
From Boots to Basketball
Marquis Converse founded his rubber shoe company in 1908 to make galoshes. To keep workers year-round, he began producing canvas-topped, non-skid shoes, which quickly caught on in the rising sport of basketball.
Taylor Joins the Team
In 1922, Converse hired Charles “Chuck” Taylor, a player and salesman, to promote the shoe. He held clinics nationwide and played in exhibitions. In 1934, the company added his name to the All Star model.
A Shoe of Choice
Converse provided shoes for the U.S. Olympic team in 1936. Though the company later struggled, the Chuck Taylor design remained largely unchanged. By the 1980s, the shoe had shifted from courts to culture, with fans in music and streetwear keeping it in circulation.
In 1936, the U.S. men's basketball team faced Canada in the Olympic final on a rain-soaked outdoor court in Berlin.
Wearing bright white Chuck Taylor All Stars, they won gold in basketball’s Olympic debut—and introduced a shoe that had already traveled far…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/N2mz5erFP4
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) May 5, 2025