by Sandy Dover for BMF (Complex Media)
Shawn Kemp came to the Portland Trail Blazers in a trade after spending two prior seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers. A perennial All-Star, “The Reignman” didn’t quite work out in Oregon, for a number of reasons better yet left alone. Still, Reebok Classic has decided to commemorate his time using the Kamikaze II as a canvas for a special Trail Blazers edition. …
by Sandy Dover for Baller Mind Frame of Complex Media
You may have already caught wind of future Hall of Famer and “Shaqramento Kings” owner Shaquille O’Neal having his original Reebok sneaker, the Shaq Attaq, released in colors inspired by his native Newark, New Jersey — also known as the “Brick City”. If you didn’t, check back on it here, but if you did already catch the noise, see more of the beauty shots of the Shaq Attaq Brick City classic, courtesy of Reebok Classic. …
by Sandy Dover for Baller Mind Frame of Complex Media
The Reebok Question is easily one of the greatest basketball shoes ever designed and produced. Though the shoe itself was a direct competitor to the sneaker competition of its day and somewhat an anti-Air Jordan even as Michael Jordan himself was exiting the game (as a Chicago Bull, at least), it was behind the design as a performer.
Somewhat heavy even for a guard in 1996 while using a technology that was already beyond its heyday, The Question was enough of a cultural beacon to attract people to acquire the footwear – however, with the Reebok Q96, performance is now at the forefront of reimagining the classic sneaker. …
by Sandy Dover for Baller Mind Frame
Save for a brief period in the mid-2000s where the Pump Omni Lite was retro-released in a few NBA-influenced lifestyle colorways, this is one of the very few opportunities to see the classic sneaker come back in its true form just like the Boston Celtics’ Brown wore them. Check below for another look at the Pump Omni Lite — the quality is exemplary. …
One of the biggest events in Reebok history came with the debut of NBA superstar guard Allen Iverson’s second signature shoe, The Answer I DMX 10. Featuring the brand’s landmark air transfer technology, DMX, in a 10-pod system through the foremost and rearmost areas of the sole, the shoe was a prototype for performance. Though Iverson himself had yet to really leap into the hearts and minds of his young fans nationally, the shoe penetrated the culture of basketball and the footwear industry. The year was 1997.
After 16 years since its initial release, the Reebok Classic OG version has come upon us all, and it may be one of the best colorways seen on the AI model. Virtually unchanged in its design, the revamped Answer I takes on a black/red/gold colorway that actually flatters the design and the wear of the shoe itself. The absence of white, a greater presence of red, and a deep old gold saturation on the gum rubber sole virtually makes the shoe something that will keep its ‘new release’ look throughout the life of the shoe, casually worn or otherwise.
The Reebok Classic Answer I OG isn’t available everywhere, but if you want to check for it, you can find it at Foot Locker, Finish Line, Champs, Jimmy Jazz and reebok.com for $149.99.
Many thanks to Reebok for the assets.
Retroactive shoes can be a bit of a wild card, particularly the ones that attempt to combine elements of past models with new design concepts. Not always a winning situation. However, surprisingly, Reebok has made a couple of winners in their new models that revisit the past — the Q96 and the Pumpspective Omni.
Starting with the Q96, it’s a great example of translating a classic retro model into something fresh, without stomping all over its defining characteristics. Unlike so-called “new retros”, the Q96 takes what is most iconic from The Question, carries those over, and then expounds on those characteristics with other attributes that can actually be useful for it as a performance shoe. All Reebok needed to do was keep the toe cap, the branded eyelets and maintain the silhouette. They did, and the Q96 looks beautiful. It’s not necessary the classic that The Question is, but it’s fresh and it actually gives the original shoe more life in the process.
In the case of the Pumpspective Omni, it has a similar case to the Q96 — iconic color scheme, maintenance of an important design line, and the famous Pump basketball tongue. It’s a bit removed from the original Pump Omni, but seeing as to how it’s 22 years removed from the original, the new Omni was due for something a little more dynamic.
The new Omni is something of a reintroduction to the world for Reebok Basketball, something more focused with simple, yet discernible performance characteristics that consumers will actually appreciate and gravitate toward; it also have the same kind of retro flavor in its design that people would move toward, even if playing ball isn’t in their cards.
The bottom line? If the Omni and the Q96 are the future for Reebok Basketball, expect good things in the brand’s future. Even without going to0 far into innovation, these shoes have quality design, and based on that alone, Reebok will be received again by the masses with open arms.
Photos courtesy of Reebok
by Sandy Dover for Yahoo!
At one time, Reebok had been not just one of the best performance brands in the footwear industry – no, it was the best brand for performance footwear. The 1980s and early 1990s were very good to the brand with the Vector, but along the way, newer companies, better technologies, and bad decisions were the culprits for Reebok’s fall from grace, things have begun to change for the brand. One promising change has shown itself in the Reebok DMXSky Run.
Characterized by ubiquitous dotting on its upper (amongst other things), the Run — as shown above and in greater detail here — is one of the best running shoes to come from Reebok in 15 years, and a big reason for that is the resurrection of the DMX technology. Upon its debut in 1997, a seemingly coincidental time to be shown to the world when a world-famous rapper of the same name was taking the world by storm, DMX as an air transfer cushioning system changed the way the industry saw that air (not “… Air”) could be utilized. Brand ambassadors like Allen Iverson helped further the popularity of the technology, but it was abandoned years later. Why it was brought up from the grave, I haven’t a clue, but I’m thankful. …
by Sandy Dover for Yahoo!
After 16 years, Reebok, revitalized from its rebranding as a retro sportswear brand from its former status as an present-day footwear giant, has re-released its classic Allen Iverson signature shoe (one of several), The Answer I – Iverson’s second signature shoe, which was a footwear response to his first shoe, The Question, which played off his nickname (the namesake of said re-release). …
Courtesy of Reebok
Images courtesy of Reebok
Reebok Classic lets you Live White Hot this spring.
Rick Ross, Tyga, Swizz, Allen Iverson and more keep their style clean and fresh with Reebok Classic’s collection of all-white footwear, including the Question Low, Workout Plus, Classic Leather, Workout Mid, Twilight Zone Pump, ExoFit Hi, Phase 1, and DMX 10.Debuting at key retailers including Foot Locker, Reebok.com, Finish Line, Jimmy Jazz, City Gear, and Shiekh Shoes on Friday, March 22nd, the Reebok Classic Whites collection drops for a suggested retail price range of $65-$120.
SNDVR 