Who's first signature shoe was the hardest??? [PART 2]

4. Allen Iverson

First shoe: Reebok Question

Facts about shoes:

1) The signature shoe series makes up the second longest-running basketball line in history, which started with the iconic ‘Question’ in 1996 and ran consecutively until 2009's Answer 13. Iverson quickly received a 10-year, $50 million contract from Reebok when the Sixers made him the first overall pick in the 1996 draft. However, he signed a unique endorsement deal with Reebok in 2001. In addition to paying $800,000 a year for life, Reebok set aside $32 million in a trust fund that Allen will not be able to access until he turns 55 in the year 2030. This deal has been described as a lifesaver because Iverson had major financial troubles leading to his bank account being seized by a judge in Georgia to pay off an almost $860,000 jewelry bill. Thank goodness for the answer to debt generated by misspending being passive income.

2) The Reebok Question debuted in AI’s rookie season as his on-court shoe in 1996. He also was elected as the NBA Rookie of the Year that season. Till this day rookies very rarely get large contracts for a signature shoe deal. Some exceptions to this are guys like Grant Hill and Lebron James.

Rookie Year Stats: 23.5 PPG, 7.5 APG, 4.1 RPG & 2.1 SPG

3) Iverson signed with Reebok to be different. While most high profile players were going with basketball shoe giants like Nike and Adidas, Iverson didn’t want to follow the herd. He signed with Reebok because he wanted to change the culture of basketball and sports apparel and a deal with Reebok was a better fit for accomplishing that.

5. Shaquille O’Neal

First Shoe: Shaq Attaq

1) His ‘Shaq Attaq’ shoe debuted in 1992 and was the most popular and successful basketball shoe marketed by an NBA big man. The deal was worth $50 million dollars for 5 years.

2) The Shaq Attaq’s premier featured was the brand’s premium technology of the time, the Pump, for a customized fit and feel and Graphlite for extra support in the midfoot. The Shaq Attaq was released originally in only two colorways, home and away Orlando Magic looks, which both were re-released for the first time ever in 2013.

3) The original Shaq Attaq remains one of Shaq’s most popular shoes ever, only competing with the Shaqnosis for most collectors’ favorite Shaq signature. His shoe deal ran from 1992 to 1998

6. Kobe Bryant

First shoe: KB 8 (Adidas)/ Air Huarache 2K4

1) Kobe’s first shoe deal: In 1996 at age 17 he signed a deal with Adidas for a reported $48 million over six years. He reportedly paid $8 million to terminate the agreement in 2002, and a year later signed with Nike (instead of Reebok) for $40 million over 4 years.

2)After the flop with the Kobe Two, Kobe sought after a new shoe deal and wore player edition Jordans’. Kobe eventually signed with Nike in 2003 but unfortunately, his legal issues kept the Swoosh from giving him his own signature line. so he wore Air Huaraches for two seasons. The Air Huaraches 2K4 would mark the end of the Shaq/Kobe Lakers era as they were unsuccessful in their attempt to four-peat but also mark the beginning of the Kobe Bryant era.

3) Once the 2005 season came around, Kobe was all ready to wear his first true signature shoe from Nike, the Air Zoom Kobe 1. You would think that winning his first scoring title where he scored an amazing 35.4 points a game, that would be enough, but nope, the Black Mamba marked the season with the second-highest scoring output in a single game in NBA History by scorching the Toronto Raptors for 81 points. The record belongs to Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 100 points in a game in 1962. One more thing to add, that year Kobe also become the fourth player in NBA history to average more than 35 points a game.