Reebok is going back to the ’90s for its most recent basketball effort.
The athletics retailer, which reentered the performance basketball arena last year, is introducing a new version of the Reebok Question that debuted in 1996 alongside Allen Iverson. The Reebok Question Mid Recoded preserves the same design as the original but features improved cushioning and traction, per a company press release.
The shoe, which will cost $170, launches Nov. 10 in the U.S. and is exclusive to Foot Locker. It comes in two colorways: the original Red Toe colorway and a new 30th Anniversary Green colorway. Shoppers can also buy the product on Reebok’s website and it will become available globally on Nov. 16.
“With Recoded, the goal was to honor everything that made the Question an icon. This meant staying true to the original silhouette that’s become ingrained in Iverson’s DNA,” Reebok basketball designer Anthony Hale said in a statement. “Rebuilding this shoe for the modern hooper to live in and play in simply meant injecting our latest tech and understanding of how a basketball shoe should feel and perform.”
Iverson was one of Reebok’s most notable basketball ambassadors in the ‘90s, alongside Shaquille O’Neal. Both joined Reebok in 2023 to rejuvenate the brand’s basketball business, with O’Neal as president of basketball and Iverson as vice president of basketball.
Reebok’s renewed investment in basketball is the result of its acquisition in 2021 by Authentic Brands Group; prior to that, Reebok was owned by Adidas and was steadily positioned away from most of the sports it once competed in.
Reebok is debuting its most recent basketball shoe at another retailer trying to make a comeback: Foot Locker. That retailer, which was bought by Dick’s Sporting Goods last year, is looking to reinforce its position in the basketball arena. To that end, Foot Locker launched a year-round basketball marketing platform earlier this year, dubbed “Hoops Live Here.”
Foot Locker also debuted a hyperlocal community hub store alongside partner Nike in Los Angeles earlier this year. The promotional environment in athletic footwear right now, particularly with lifestyle sneakers, has been a headwind for Foot Locker in recent quarters.
Reebok and Foot Locker will host their own immersive store experience in Philadelphia as part of the Reebok Question Mid Recoded launch, opening a pop-up at the Bok Building on Nov. 10 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. The experience will honor “Allen Iverson’s impact on basketball, style, and culture, bringing his legacy to life through interactive moments, retail and game-day activations.”
