Presented by Reebok
Reebok has long understood that basketball is not a country club sport.
The spirit of the game resides on the blacktop, far removed from certified trainers or air conditioning. A heart and a ball are the only amenities required to be great, with a basket or even a milk crate symbolizing the goal to get buckets by any means necessary.
Such sentiment is the calling card for Kerby Jean-Raymond’s newest project for Reebok, the aptly titled CrateMasters short film. The eight-minute clip tells the story of a young boy in Brooklyn set on proving himself in a summer basketball tournament. Courageously, he defies the odds and indoor opportunity through skill, smarts, and sheer will. Such a narrative may prove popular in 2021, but trust, it’s nothing new for Reebok.
1986 Reebok Basketball ad (left) and 1991 Reebok Blacktop ad (right), images via Sole Collector & DeFY New York
In the ‘80s, Reebok rose in the game of basketball by connecting to its concrete core. Their taglines “Life is Not a Spectator Sport” and later “Life is Short, Play Hard” spoke to the ethos that their shoes were not meant to be status symbols held above the heads of others and kept clean. Instead, they were meant to be worn and worked in. This proved true for the pronounced Pumps worn in airborne assaults by the likes of Dominique Wilkins and Dee Brown in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. It also proved true for the economy-priced Workouts the brand handed out at New Orleans’ Magnolia Projects during the late ‘90s when working with Cash Money Records.
Whether life was life or ball was life, Reebok was invested in the activity, not just the product. By the early 1990s, this proved true in the landscape of hoop as the brand outfitted the outdoor game with the Blacktop series, launched their asphalt approved Above the Rim line, and leaned on NBA endorsers who were both electric and of the culture like Shaquille O’Neal, Shawn Kemp, and Nick Van Exel.
Nick Van Exel for the Reebok Blast, image via Reebok
Shaq resonated because he rapped, the Reignman relished because he was raw, and Nick the Quick captivated because he had flash. Despite the different sizes and styles of all their early ‘90s endorsers, all three had one thing in common: they were tough. Even with million-dollar deals and All-Star appearances, no one doubted if Reebok’s roster could keep the same energy on the asphalt as they did in an NBA game.
As the marketing around basketball changed throughout the 1990s, Reebok stayed the same. More so, they doubled down on their ethos by signing a new star to carry their brand. His name? Allen Iverson.
Wearing his heart on his sleeve and his crew through his aesthetic, the ever-talented underdog took the world by storm as the 1996-97 NBA Rookie of the Year. Reebok empowered the King of the Crossover to be exactly who he was, all while overcoming unfair imprisonment, shorter height, and a world out to critique his every move. This proved true on the court, in the streets, and in their ads.
By the early 2000s, Reebok was built around Allen Iverson and his toughness that grew from the blacktop. Soon, Reebok returned to their Above the Rim line and laced an array of hoopers who had playground game and palatable toughness. Guys like Steve Francis, Baron Davis, and Kenyon Martin became faces for the brand, bringing it both in the NBA and at the EBC.
By 2003, Reebok had its eyes on the next generation of basketball. Of the culture and built like a tank, LeBron James was known to be their next target. Because of this, the brand offered him a cash contract on the spot, seeding him Question PEs in his school colors way before he ever shook David Stern’s hand. However, King James signed with the competition. Rather than cry over spilled milk, Reebok took the cash they had sitting for LeBron and divvied it up amongst to power players from another game: Jay Z and 50 Cent.
Allen Iverson & Jay Z at EBC at Rucker Park (left) & Jamal Crawford in Reebok S. Carters Mids (right), images via Amino Hip-Hop & SLAM
Famously, the I Am What I Am campaign would feature Hov, 50, and AI owning their personas whether in the booth, in the boardroom, or on the blacktop. Playground-grown pros like Jamal Crawford and Jalen Rose would wear Jay Z’s signature shoe in NBA action while AI would continue his run, appealing to blacktop ballers from Hampton to Shanghai.
As the 2000s came to a close and transitioned into the 2010s, Reebok revived their basketball brand through the likes of Rajon Rondo and John Wall. Still, Allen Iverson served as the guiding light for their roster even in retirement. Remaining raw, Reebok also signed Gerald Green, a high school prodigy who lost half a finger as a youth by getting it caught dunking on a chain net.
Image via WearTesters
Eventually, Reebok’s performance hoop line would take a reset with the brand reclaiming their Classics. Tried and true classics like Allen Iverson’s Question Mid and Answer IV continue to garner excitement from fans around the world. Reebok Basketball’s current footwear lineup of retros and innovative collabs continue to impress in 2021.
True to the game, Reebok brought back the likes of Shaq and Shawn Kemp while also reaching out to rappers like Rick Ross, Swizz Beatz, and even a young Travis Scott.
Often ahead of the curve, always on the pulse, Reebok’s heartbeat in basketball is back with CrateMasters. From Brooklyn to Flint, Long Beach to Little Rock, anybody that balls on the blacktop taps that same spirit seen in AI, Nick the Quick, and The Human Highlight Film.
With Kerby running point, a historical past behind them, and a bright future ahead, it’s still the same summer blacktop heating the hearts and soles that make Reebok real.
