In January 2013, poor sales, bad product reviews, and lack of commercial interest prompted sportswear giant Reebok to halt production of new basketball shoes. For many fans of the brand, it marked the end of an era.
Reebok has spawned many popular as well as infamous basketball footwear in the history of the sport, with a number of them appearing in the 1990s and early 2000s. The list includes the fan favorites such as the Blast, X-Beam, Prophet, Answer, and Question. Those who lived through the 90s know Reebok was synonymous to NBA legends Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal, and Shawn Kemp to name a few.
It's most recent NBA endorser, John Wall of the Washington Wizards, was picked up by Adidas when Reebok abandoned its basketball line, although not totally.
To keep its basketball heritage alive after it ended its production of new basketball footwear, Reebok has constantly released classic pairs such as the Kamikaze, Answer, Pump, and Blast.
A recent development by Reebok has made observers and sneaker reviewers believe that the brand is making a comeback to the basketball scene.
Last October 15, Reebok launched its newest basketball shoe model to date since the company's 2013 pronouncement. Dubbed the Reebok ZPump Rise, the latest basketball kicks from Reebok boasts of the company's patented Pump technology plus the fusion compression sleeve, giving users seamless and irritation-free upper.
Reebok markets the ZPump Rise as "the shoe that adapts to you."
Whether the ZPump Rise can bring Reebok back as a major basketball brand remains to be seen.
Reebok shifted its focus from basketball shoes and equipment to CrossFit footwear and gear. Finding success in that particular niche, the sportswear company has recently branched out to mixed martial arts, the UFC in particular.
While Reebok seems to have semi monopoly in the MMA market, its latest deal with the UFC is met with criticism from many of the sport's figures, from fighters to cutmen and other MMA brands.