1-24-2012
Dear Reebok,
Hey, it’s me again. Sorry it’s been so long since my last letter — things are busy, you know. But I’ve been thinking a lot lately, and there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.
Let me start off by just saying I think y’all have been doing a great job lately. The Classics Vintage pack was amazing, and it’s terrific that you’re recognizing the 25th anniversary of the Workout in such a thorough fashion. And while plenty of people (including yours truly) would love to see true-to-the-OG retros of the Kamikaze II and the Blast, it’s cool that Swizzy has been allowed to bring those old silos back at all. What with all the blue-tinted clear outsoles and Hexalite pods, you’d think it was 1996 again.
Which brings me to my real reason for writing this letter.
You remember Allen Iverson, right? Rookie of the Year in 1997, MVP in 2001, four-time NBA scoring champ. You should — you signed him to a “lifetime” contract in 2001. Now, we’re not entirely sure what “lifetime” means in terms of sneaker contracts, but we DO know that Allen Iverson is still alive. And his sneaker line should be, too.
I’m not asking for much. Like I said earlier, you’re using all that blue-tinted translucent rubber and Hexalite anyway — it’s amazing you haven’t produced a run of Questions by accident. Seeing that it’s the 15th anniversary of his Rookie of the Year award, perhaps you should do it on purpose. Red toes and blue toes — pure Philadelphia. (That dusty blue one pictured above is an original sample that has sat on some desk or another of mine since the late ‘90s — you can borrow it if you need to.) Please don't let Swizzy put out an "updated" version called the "Inquiry" or something first.
And then there’s the Answers, primarily the originals and the IVs (which if you don’t remember, Tyronn Lue sure does). Maybe the original DMX technology is impossible to reproduce, but it would still be nice to see a run of original Answers, either in basic black or that sick patent red that never officially made it to U.S. shores. And jeez, give the “Finals” white toe Answer IV its long-overdue due — dropping them as part of an exhaustive Eastbay team shoe mass release barely counts.
All I’m saying is remember us. And remember Allen Iverson. Please.
Yours in size 10s,
--Russ Bengtson
