Converse is reportedly bringing back Kentucky's 1996 blue denim sneakers for 30th anniversary

Could we see Kentucky men’s basketball sporting the famous denim jerseys soon? A step in that direction has reportedly been made.

According to popular sneaker website Sole Retriever, Converse, a subsidiary of Nike, is bringing back the iconic Cons Blue “Denim” shoe, which was worn by the national championship-winning Wildcats team during the 1995-96 season. Nicknamed “The Untouchables”, Rick Pitino‘s squad rocked the denim-lined sneakers en route to posting a 34-2 record and beating Syracuse in the title game for the program’s sixth championship.

Those same shoes will make a comeback in the spring/summer of 2026 to celebrate the team’s 30th anniversary. A price point has not been revealed, but Sole Retriever says they’ll be available at select retailers both online and in-store once they do drop.

Will these shoes serve as a soft launch for Kentucky to bring back the denim jerseys and shorts that were also worn during the 95-96 campaign? We can only dream at this point, but this certainly feels like the start of something.

https://t.co/Fyq309owCP

— Sole Retriever (@SoleRetriever) July 31, 2025

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope, who was the team captain on that 1996 Wildcats team, has teased the possibility of bringing back the denim look since taking the job back in April 2024.

In December, Pope said during his radio call-in show that adding the denim jerseys to the uniform rotation was “definitely on my agenda of things to get accomplished.” Back in May, rising sophomore Collin Chandler posted a workout video of himself wearing denim-inspired Kentucky shorts. Former ‘Cat Devin Booker also dropped a pair of denim Books 1s in April.

Re-debuting the denim unis against Pitino’s St. John’s team when Kentucky faces the Red Storm on December 20th sure would be a cool nod to the past, but that’s technically right before the official 30th anniversary hits. However, when there is smoke, there is usually fire — it wouldn’t shock anyone to see some denim on the hardwood at some point next year.

Would you be in favor of seeing the denim jerseys make a comeback in the 2025-26 season?

Got thoughts? Continue the conversation on KSBoard, the KSR Message Board.