10 Classic Reebok Basketball Shoes That Should Always Be In Production

The streets have been yelling “Reebok Back” for a minute and we can’t disagree. Since Swizzy has taken over the throne, you can’t deny that the brand has been doing an incredible job resurfacing classic sneakers—appealing to grown folks who fell in love with the shoe game in the ’80s and ’90s as well as the new youth movement who loves retro kicks. Like any other true classic sneaker, it only makes sense that the timeless pieces be readily available to us at any time. Hit the jump to check out 10 Classic Reebok Basketball Shoes That Should Always Be In Production, and let us know which kicks you would always like to see in constant rotation.

You can make the argument for a few other Iverson kicks, but The Answer Lite, or IIs, are incredibly underrated. Where the original Answers started in terms of comfort, this model took it to the next level. We need these back for performance reasons and the red/camo shorts that were featured in the Eastbay catalog along with them. The embossed “IVERSON” across the forefoot (easier to see on the white version) was a nice touch, too.

Part of the Reebok era where the simple use of black and white designs had their basketball sneakers looking like Rorschach tests. The Reebok Blast was typically seen on the feet of Nick Van Exel while running the point spot for the Lakers and even Iverson during his rookie training camp with the Sixers. The shoe featured Hexalite cushioning and a supportive cut allowing Nicky to move laterally (and explode to the hoop) without worrying about rolling an ankle.

As the story goes, rookie-to-be Shaquille O’Neal visited Nike’s campus to meet with Phil Knight while fully decked out in Reebok apparel. O’Neal signed with Reebok, and Knight is allegedly still peeved. Reebok got things started with a bang with the Shaq Attaq, a Pump shoe that featured a tremendous midsole cutaway, shiny blue highlights, and a silhouette that stood out in the Diesel’s size 20. You might remember them being on his feet as Shaq brought down the house en route to Rookie of the Year honors.

When Massachusetts-based Reebok decided to get into the basketball game, who better to rep than a couple of Celtics? Reebok signed up Celtics guards Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge, and put them in the then state-of-the-art BB 5600. That big looping side panel kept them locked in, and gave billboard-size space for the new kid on the block to represent.

It’s not easy designing a sneaker for a big man that provides the kind of support to go hard in the paint and still appeal to people visually. Reebok killed it with the Shaqnosis, featuring a hypnotic use of black and white circles throughout the shoe and remaining bulky and supportive yet cushioned perfectly for Shaq to dominate his foes under the boards. You didn’t even need to see the Dunkman logo to know who these were for, and you can thank Swizz Beatz for listening to the streets and bringing these back.

D-M-X! The Reebok Answer I was a huge step away from The Question in terms of design and technology. The shoe was lighter, slimmer, and lower than The Question, and also were the first basketball shoe to feature DMX technology, which made you feel like you were hoopin’ on clouds. The full-on patent leather models (set to re-release) gave you instant street cred. The white and red pair are still the best, and we wouldn’t mind having them in constant rotation.

Even kids who weren’t around when the shoe first released knew how important the Pump Omni Lite was when they re-released in May. The refined Hexalite-cushioned silhouette, birthed from the Omni Zone series, gave the Pump a sleeker, more up-to-date feel. And when Dee paused to Pump-up before winning the ’91 Slam Dunk contest, a star was born. (Sorry Dee, we meant the shoes.)

It ain’t hard to tell that after the successful retro release still going strong in 2013 we could use these back for good. For a minute in the mid-90s a lot of serious basketball shoes were dropping—and Shawn Kemp helped push Planet Reebok to the next level. The simplistic use of white and black EKG-esque lines were the foundation of the aesthetically pleasing kicks. Throw in the comfortable Hexalite cushioning and stable ankle support and you were ready to average a double-double and throw down dunks on the best of ’em… vertical pending.

Paul Litchfield’s innovation with the Pumps helped Reebok make Nike play catch-up for a few years. The shoe was the first to feature The Pump mechanism, and the orange basketball on the tongue became just as much of a status symbol as the Jumpman when they first dropped. You couldn’t find a playground without them, and having “The Human Highlight Film” Dominique Wilkins defy gravity in them during the ’90 Dunk Contest wasn’t a bad introduction to a true classic.

There were a lot of questions swirling around No. 1 draft pick A.I. as he left Georgetown for the NBA. In his first year in the league he broke Wilt Chamberlain’s consecutive rookie 40-point game record and even made MJ look a fool—all in his signature Questions. Upon its release, the Reebok Question broke sales numbers for Reebok, allowing Reebok to sign A.I. to a lifetime contract. Iverson broke ankles with his handles and broke necks with the Reebok Question thanks to the massive Hexalite windows and clean colorways displaying just a little color on the toecap (in suede or pearlescent leather) and behind the Achilles.