Allen Iverson's Sneaker Legacy: How Reebok's 'The Question' Changed the Game

    Allen Iverson is one of the most hated, most loved, and most recognizable players in the history of the game. Many people say his career has been overshadowed by his criminal record. The haters will say he brought a bad image to the NBA and was a ball hog who never led the Sixers to a championship. Regardless of what you think about him, Allen Iverson was one of the most profitable NBA stars of his era, and Reebok was lucky enough to sign him early in 1986. Reebok was the foremost athletic footwear brand in North America. Much of Reebok's success in 1986 was thanks to the foam aliens in which the main character kicks ass and a pair of some abstract-looking Reebok concept sneakers. 

    These sneakers are now known today as the Alien Stomper. By 1988, Reebok sales had grown to 1.8 billion, controlling 26.7% of the athletic footwear market, topping their main rival brand, Nike, which brought in 1.2 billion in revenue that year. The coming years would be a constant tug of war between Nike and Reebok, with Reebok releasing their Pump technology and Nike outfitting the legendary NBA star Michael Jordan.

Rebook Alien Stomper

    Fast forward to 1996, Allen Iverson is a college basketball superstar playing with one of the most prestigious universities in the country, Georgetown, during his sophomore season. He decided to quit college ball and make himself available for the upcoming NBA Draft. Two young Reebok employees, Todd Krinsky and Cute Gaskins, were watching Iverson's games and keeping a close eye on his height. They knew he was a once-in-a-lifetime player, and they decided to go all-in on him. At this point, Allen Iverson's college hype was at its apex, and both Nike and Reebok had eyes on him. Here's what Iverson's first sports agent, David Fogg, had to say about the prospects surrounding Iverson at the time: "Typically, I call all the companies and give them an opportunity to make a presentation.

    It came down to Nike and Reebok, and obviously, Allen's mentor, Coach Thompson, is a strong Nike guy, and Georgetown is one of the top Nike schools. They wanted to have Allen, but they weren't prepared to step up to the level that it was going to take to sign him. Reebok was more than prepared to step it up to the level that Iverson and David Fogg were after. In fact, Reebok had begun designing an Iverson signature shoe model even before signing him. Q Gaskins and Todd Krinsky were so confident in Iverson's star potential that they wanted to be prepared to offer him the shoe on the spot.

Allen Iverson's The Question, 1996

    Since there were so many questions surrounding Allen Iverson as an upcoming basketball star, they decided to name the model "The Question." Designed by footwear designer Scott Hewitt, The Question had a unique design equipped with Reebok's Hexalite technology and a ghillie lace-up design that resembled the Air Jordan 6. The Question's most iconic design featured its colorway, which Iverson wore throughout his incredible rookie year and even crossed Michael Jordan wearing them. The Reebok team was confident that Iverson's shoe would make a big impact once he started to make a name for himself in the league, but what they didn't see coming was how huge the hype would actually be. It turns out the streets couldn't get enough of Allen Iverson.