Why Reebok Needs to Give Allen Iverson a New Signature Sneaker

Practice? Yeah, we all know about that. Let's not shove it aside like it isn't important. BUT, let's consider how important it is for our icons to step out and dance to the beat of their own drum. Why do we love JR Smith? Exactly. No player in recent memory matched on court success with a rebel attitude like AI. We loved him as a player as a result and embraced his Reebok line in full step. Sneaker culture needs a DNGF leader. Let it be the pride of Hampton. We've gotten a little soft...it's time to inject some attitude to the game.

We're not talking about Michael Jordan here, whose eponymous shoe never actually went out of production. No, this is about Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, whose Penny V was released in 2012, five years after he played his last NBA game. Penny was great and all - first-team All NBA in '94-95 and '95-96 great - but he never led the League in scoring or won an MVP. If Penny still resonates, Allen sure as hell does too.

Allen Iverson still looks 25 and he's still just as marketable as he was back in the day, if he can just get some playing time...Granted, we all know he doesn't want to come off the bench, but regardless of whether he's playing or not, the market for basketball shoes has increased exponentially since AI last laced his Reebooks in the NBA. Even if AI isn't playing, the amount of people that are capable of Youtubing his career highlights and running out to buy a pair of kicks for the court is astounding compared to the potential of the market back in Iverson's heyday.

Even before Reebok lost John Wall to parent brand adidas, their basketball roster was nothing to write home about. Jordan, Nike, and adidas run the NBA right now, and it's been nearly two decades since Reebok's roster included three of the League's top 10 players in Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal and Shawn Kemp. Instead of gambling on unproven rookies or journeyman vets, why not turn to someone who has already proven their mettle as a signature-level athlete? The stars of today grew up watching AI - bet they'd be proud to wear his shoes.

Nobody in the history of Reebok's basketball endeavors performed better than AI. Iverson's moves are still emulated and idolized today because he was one of the few to make the great Michael Jordan look less than great on multiple occasions. Sure, he had his struggles. And by today's grossly misplaced measurement standard of championship rings above all, he falls short, but there are a lot of Hall of Fame caliber players that never kissed the Larry O'Brien trophy.

Ask any sneakerhead who lived through the mid-90s and you'll most likely hear praise for Reebok's DMX and Hexalite cushioning. Despite the change in technology over the years in nearly every aspect of sneakers, cushioning doesn't really change that much. Skate shoes use a lot of Suprafoam or similar cushioning systems, Nike uses Air, ASICS Gel and so on. DMX and Hexalite technology is as functional today as it was when Iverson was putting fans in those Philly seats. A few updates here and there and Reebok's performance basketball edge could be as sharp as AI's tongue again. We're talkin' about practice.

Reebok announced last year that they were going to refocus their efforts and direction when it comes to performance basketball sneakers. Best we can tell, that consisted of sending guys on their current roster the best of their '90s output - Shaq Attaqs, Questions and Kamikazes. And while those shoes are still viable, a new shoe based on what a 20-something Allen Iverson would wear now would be even better.

There is more demand for sneakers than there ever has been. In fact, there's a crazy amount of sneakers, a crazy amount of jobs and a crazy niche industry that surrounds sneakers now. What's more fitting for that than the craziness of Allen Iverson?

Swizz Beatz and Todd Krinsky have done an incredible job at repositioning the Reebok Classics brand within the marketplace over the past few years. Bringing back AI, Shaq, Kemp and more, along with their signature product, has made Reebok more buzzworthy than they've been in years. Not to mention the likes of Rick Ross and Tyga on the music side of things. That said, an Iverson shoe right now, might even make more sense than it did in his last years in the league.

AI turned 38 today, he played his last NBA game (a loss to the Bulls) on February 20, 2010, yet it is still possible to find people who wholeheartedly believe that Iverson can still play the game at a high level - that he still deserves a roster spot. Heck, if his name were on the All-Star ballot, he'd no doubt beat out plenty of younger guards. It seems highly unlikely that AI will get another shot in the league, but his fans still believe. And isn't that what really matters?