{"id":822172,"date":"2024-11-26T10:02:40","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T15:02:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?p=822172"},"modified":"2024-11-26T10:35:15","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T15:35:15","slug":"slams-reebok-question-collab-celebrates-allen-iversons-iconic-soul-on-ice-cover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/kicks\/slams-reebok-question-collab-celebrates-allen-iversons-iconic-soul-on-ice-cover\/","title":{"rendered":"SLAM’s Reebok Question Collab Celebrates Allen Iverson’s Iconic “Soul On Ice” Cover"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

words, shoe photography & design \/\/ Nick DePaula<\/strong>
issue 32 portraits \/\/ Clay Patrick McBride<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You already know<\/em> this was a must. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Allen Iverson writes in the foreword of the \u201c30 YEARS OF SLAM\u201d book<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI AM SLAM.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I say I AM SLAM because together — with me living it and SLAM covering it — we made it OK to be you, to be authentic, in the NBA,\u201d Iverson writes. \u201cShit, we made it OK for athletes to be themselves in all of sports. Now that might sound cocky, but it’s not. It’s just facts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bond and timeline of the two have been linked ever since Iverson was first featured on the mag\u2019s ninth cover in early 1996, while still in college. When Issue #32 dropped though, the impact reached beyond basketball. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It\u2019s not just an iconic SLAM cover. It\u2019s an image that kickstarted an entire throwback jersey era for the 2000s, and cemented AI as the most culturally impactful icon that the league has ever seen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn SLAM in the beginning, we would just cover the culture,\u201d founder Dennis Page recently told Iverson<\/a>. \u201cBut after \u2018Soul On Ice,\u2019 I like to think that we became part of the culture, because of that cover. Allen gave us the credibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the detailed Russ Bengtson feature interview with The Answer, there\u2019s a layout graphic featuring Iverson that\u2019s centered around \u201cThe 3 of Diamonds.\u201d As we all know, there isn\u2019t much explanation needed to explain Allen\u2019s affinity for ice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The throwback \u201cPHILA\u201d jersey he\u2019s wearing in early 1999 was custom made by a local nearby manufacturer named Mitchell & Ness, to highlight the history of the league in an \u201cOld School Issue\u201d as the NBA was dealing with a lockout that year. It was the chain, the tats, the bracelet, the watch and the earrings that let you know this was a modern icon of the next millennium. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI fell in love with that magazine,\u201d Iverson told Page. \u201cJust the loyalty, and the way y\u2019all had no problem with letting me be me. It was no situation to where I had to deal with being on the cover and my tattoos are airbrushed off. All authentic<\/em>. It was, \u2018You be you, and we\u2019ll take care of the rest.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To celebrate the original cover and the magazine\u2019s 30th anniversary this year, SLAM and Reebok teamed up on a limited edition pair of Iverson\u2019s iconic first signature shoe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Throughout Iverson\u2019s career, diamonds were often incorporated into anniversary moments or celebratory launches, like the time Reebok put a $65,000 diamond-laced Question up for sale on Eastbay. When Iverson celebrated his 10th anniversary with the company, Reebok gifted him with a diamond-laced pair of Answers from his MVP season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inspired by \u201cfrosted\u201d diamond watches, the midsole of the SLAM x Reebok Question Low features a metallic frosted texture that extends up into the shoe\u2019s unmistakable toe cap. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The SLAM and Reebok logos alternate on the tongue and heel, while the lettering up the eyelets have been switched out to read Allen\u2019s longtime nickname among his closest friends: \u201cBubba Chuck.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cSLAM was everything to my career,\u201d added Iverson. \u201cStill today, I walk past a magazine stand and I see that magazine \u2014 I\u2019m grabbing it.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along the insoles and the box, Iverson is featured in alternate portraits from the era where he left a mark on the game for good.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201c3 of Diamonds\u201d logo from the original cover story layout can be found on both the heel of the shoe and through the clear outsole, bringing one of the most impactful covers in SLAM\u2019s 30-year history full circle, celebrating once again that \u201cAllen Iverson is Soul On Ice.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was an honor for all of us to be able to embrace the cover, be in it and have our story told, the way that we wanted it to be told,” Iverson reflected. “It was so great for the culture, and so great for basketball. And it\u2019s going to live on forever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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words, shoe photography & design \/\/ Nick DePaulaissue 32 portraits \/\/ Clay Patrick McBride You already know this was a must.  As Allen Iverson writes in the foreword of the \u201c30 YEARS OF SLAM\u201d book: \u201cI AM SLAM.\u201d  “I say I AM SLAM because together — with me living it and SLAM covering it — […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":218,"featured_media":822176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[174,62525,8775],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-822172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kicks","tag-allen-iverson","tag-feature-1","tag-reebok-question"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/822172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/218"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=822172"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/822172\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":822206,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/822172\/revisions\/822206"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/822176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=822172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=822172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=822172"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=822172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}