Digital Refrain

Image by @dacspan on Twitter

This post is meant to be read with the following instrumental playing gently in the background:

The long game for shoe companies pursuing the next big star that begins with AAU middle school tournaments turns up another notch on NBA draft night. This is the moment when companies find out if their gamble turns into the next Lebron, Kevin Durant, or Derrick Rose to carry their shoe line. So which players in the class of 2012 fit the aesthetic of which shoe company?

First, a brief recap of the 2012 basketball shoe climate:

- Jordan Brand needs a signature athlete to carry the brand into the next decade and beyond
- with a title under his belt and Kobe Bryant nearing the end of his career, Lebron’s shoe is Nike’s most important line
- Players have a plethora of options that aren’t Nike, Jordan, Adidas, Reebok including Under Armour, Spalding, and Chinese options including Li-Ning, Peak, and 361
- players who played for AAU teams/colleges sponsored by a certain shoe company are likely to stay with that company
- The Golden State Warriors already have a popular colorway. With an open lineup of Steph Curry/Klay Thompson/Harrison Barnes/David Lee/Andrew Bogut, Warriors can rival the Hornets for potential colorways.

I’ve organized all the first round picks into various categories of shoe potential. First, let’s start with:

Jordan Brand Shooting Guards With Potential To Carry a Line
The ability to jump over another human survived the social media era and shooting guard remains the glamor shoe position. The following shooting guards (and Harrison Barnes) have the game and demeanor that is required to wear the premier shoe in the industry.
Dion Waiters (4th pick, Cavs) – One hot John Hollinger sentence comparing Waiters to Dwyane Wade got him drafted at #4. Look for Hollinger to compare Waiters’ shoe to Jordan 3’s in the near future. Also be on the lookout for the Air Waiters Hollinger ESPN Insider colorway.
Harrison Barnes (7th pick, Warriors) – The brand conscious Barnes didn’t have articles in The Atlantic to sign with anything less than the best.
Terrence Ross (8th pick, Raptors) – Ross is my Jordan Brand Sleeper of the Draft with the smooth Jordan game.
Jeremy Lamb (12th pick, Rockets) – Lamb can jump over people so…

Jordan Brand Guards Who Will Wear Fly Wades/Melo’s
This category is for guards with nice game but not quite “carry a line” potential. They include:
Kendall Marshall (13th Pick, Suns) – The Greg Maddux of basketball doesn’t fit into the explosive two guard category. But similar to Barnes, guards don’t go to UNC to wear Adidas in the future. Marshall is known to have an extensive shoe collection so he could use the Gilbert Arenas blueprint and play with a different pair of J’s every night.
Moe Harkless (15th Pick, 76ers) – St. John’s is a Jordan Brand farm system so Harkless will wear Melo M8’s/M9’s.

Lebron Disciples aka Kentucky Basketball
The Lebron 9 hit another level this Spring and Summer with new colorways selling out every couple weeks at $250 a pair. And that was before Lebron won a title. The next variations of Lebron’s will set the tone in basketball sneakers, and they will be worn by the following Wildcats:
Michael Kidd Gilchrist (2nd Pick, Bobcats) – John Calipari does not risk his coaching reputation every recruiting season so his former players could wear anything less. Unless Adidas throws nine figures your way and makes you the face of the company.
Marquis Teague (29th Pick, Bulls) – Do not stand between a Kentucky player and his swag. Look for Teague to wear all colorways as well.

Nike Signature
This category of player has the potential for their own shoe line ala Kevin Durant.
Anthony Davis (1st Pick, Hornets) – I see Davis breaking the trend of post players not getting their own line at Nike for the following reasons. First, the Hornets have one of the best colorways in all of sports. Two, there is a lot of history/personality in New Orleans that could be incorporated into a shoe. Three, Nike designers will find a way to put his signature unibrow on a shoe. That adds up to myself camping out overnight.

The Kobe Bryant Category
This category is for players who modeled their game after Kobe aka the Austin Rivers. But the thing about growing up wanting to be Kobe is that you think you are better than Kobe and wouldn’t want to wear his shoe.
Austin Rivers (10th Pick, Hornets) – Rivers’ confidence is well documented. There are stories of Rivers holding himself like an NBA player way back in 2nd grade. I could see Rivers wearing Kobe VII’s/VIII’s with the Kobe logo taped over with “Rivers Systems” written over it.
Jared Cunningham (24th Pick, Mavs) – Cunningham is my Kobe Systems Sleeper of the Draft because, well…

Blake Griffin Technology (BGT) Wearers
This category is reserved mainly for post players who will wear the latest in Nike/Blake Griffin Technology, whether it be hyperhyperdunks/superflywire/lunarairs/jet pack technology.
Tyler Zeller (17th Pick, Cavs) – Something about Tyler Zeller tells me that he will wear BGT.
Andrew Nicholson (19th Pick, Magic) – St. Bonaventure is a Jordan Brand school but I can’t imagine Nicholson in a pair of Melo’s. BGT it is.
Evan Fournier (20th Pick, Nuggets) – I see a lot of French basketball players wearing Nike.
John Jenkins (23rd Pick, Hawks) – John Jenkins is the All American name BGT needs to fill its roster.
Miles Plumlee (26th Pick, Pacers) – He has a 40 inch vertical. I’ve never believed in fate until now.

Under Armour
These athletes have two choices – either be a cog in the machine at Nike wearing Hyperdunks in their team colors, or try to be the big man at Under Armour.
Bradley Beal (3rd Pick, Wizards) – Beal’s got a quiet/nice game that would complement Brandon Jennings. Beal could surpass Derrick Williams/Kemba Walker to become UA’s #2 basketball player and have a unique silhouette to complement his Ray Allen comped outside game.
Thomas Robinson (5th Pick, Kings) – Under Armor made their foray into bigs with Derrick Williams. Williams showed flashes last season but Robinson could develop into UA’s main post player.

Creative, Outside the Box Reebok
Reebok always comes with wild designs and silhouettes. This type of player has to have a certain flair and wildness to their game to justify the creativity of the shoe.
Terrence Jones (18th Pick, Rockets) – Jones will most likely wear hometown Nike shoes but his combination of versatility, explosiveness, and unpredictability are Reebok qualities.
Tony Wroten (25th Pick, Grizzlies) – The less fuck you give, the better your Reebok shoe is. Tony Wroten fits this category.Wroten can either turn the ball over or have the assist of the year every time he has the ball. In short, he has Reebok game.

Adidas Explosive Posts Who Aren’t Quite Dwight Howard – The Serge Ibaka Mold
As the title explains, Serge Ibaka created this archetype this latest playoffs by being an athletic post wearing the adiZero Shadow. Adidas is carving a niche as the home for athletic bigs who don’t get the attention of Blake Griffin.
Andre Drummond (9th Pick, Pistons) – A raw, athletic post who flashes dominant potential from time to time. This is the Adidas gambit.
Jared Sullinger (21st Pick, Celtics) – Sullinger doesn’t have the athleticism of Ibaka or Drummond required for the AdiZero. However, Adidas does have Tim Duncan and his “Big Fundamental” shoe in the archives for more technical posts.
Arnett Moultrie (27th Pick, 76ers) – Moultrie averaged 10 rebounds a game in college. If that doesn’t scream Adidas post, then what does?

Big Man on the Chinese Campus – The Baron Davis Outsider Archetype
This spot is reserved for guards who respond to the riches of China and have a different personality. This is very similar to the Reebok archetype in that a player has to be on the outside looking in, but in a less flashy manner.
Damian Lillard (6th Pick, Blazers) – Lillard is already an outsider coming from a small conference and will have that chip on his shoulder. Li Ning would be wise to pick him up and place him with their other outsider PGs on the roster (Baron Davis, Jose Calderon). Li-Ning made Calderon one of the best shoes of last season and if Lillard lives up to the hype of being one of the best pick and roll players in the league, his shoe could carve a niche amongst those who want something new. His logo should either be a picture of Lamarcus Aldridge setting a screen or be a silhouette of a pull up jumper
Perry Jones (28th Pick, Thunder) – Although OKC’s two best players are Nike, Jones has the type of potential for a Chinese company to throw a lot of $$$ to. I see a signature Perry Jones line from Peak in the future.

Other Posts
This spot is reserved for posts who are either 1. technically sound but not very athletic or 2. very athletic and not technically sound.
Meyers Leonard (11th Pick, Blazers) – Leonard is nice but raw. He will develop his game wearing Peak.
Festus Ezeli (30th Pick, Warriors) – Ezeli could be the face of a Diadora or Puma basketball shoe (if they decide to get into basketball shoes).

Spalding
John Henson (14th Pick, Bucks) – It’d be funny to see Henson averaging 3 blocks a game wearing Spalding.
Royce White (16th Pick, Rockets) – he’s an outside the box thinker and Spalding is an outside the box company.
Fab Melo (22nd Pick, Celtics) – I think he’s wearing Nike but Melo with Spalding is much more interesting. It will also be interesting the first time he gets yelled at by KG for blowing a defensive assignment. Also with Henson, White, and Melo in tow, Spalding is the Daryl Morey of shoe companies.

Others:
Draymond Green (35th Pick, Warriors) – He’s got the Reebok unique smooth game as perfected by Shawn Kemp and Shaq before him. Picture the 6-7, 230 pound Green bringing the ball up the court for the Warriors in Reebok Questions. His impact on the shoe game is limitless.
Scott Machado (Undrafted) – He’ll get a signature Li-Ning shoe once he breaks all assist records in summer league. Look for Jose Calderon to undercut him in a game.

Most likely to wear Galaxy Foams during a game (aka the Nick Young Award) – Tony Wroten, no question.
Most shoe potential in this draft – Barnes or Ross. One of them will lead Jordan.

Image by Christian Smith (@dacspan)

This article is meant to be read with the following soundtrack gently played in the background:

#yeezy2nightbefore

I set my alarm clock for 8 am. It was Friday, June 8th. The Yeezy 2’s would be released the next morning. I considered that thought and set the alarm on my phone for 8 am as well. I closed my eyes and envisioned purchasing the Yeezy 2’s and putting photos up on Instagram and Facebook. I imagined all the e-props I’d get from people I’d never meet. I placed my Playoff 12’s by the front door. I went to sleep.

#yeezy2daymorning

I woke up at 8:19 am that Saturday, June 9th, the earliest I’ve been up in six years. I was unfamiliar with the morning. It was very quiet outside. The sun was shined through from the opposite room of the house. Strange.

A dozen pairs of Yeezy 2’s, ranging from size 8-13, were being raffled off by a local sneaker store at a park in downtown Portland. Tickets were $3, sold from 9-10:30. The raffle would take place shortly after.

I started driving downtown. It was 8:24 am. Strange, the roads were empty. I was able to run a couple red light because I had to get to the Yeezy 2’s. There was no traffic on the highways in this alter-world of 8:40 am.

Downtown Portland was very unique as well. I normally come down around 11-11:30 pm on Friday and Saturday nights where it is very difficult to find parking. Now, I felt like taking two or three parking spaces at once to see how it felt.

I parked on an empty street. I breathed deeply. After months of rumors and anticipation, this was happening. Would we be the same after this? I got out and walked towards the park.

I arrived shortly before nine. Two separate lines stretched in opposite ways around the block. One line was to purchase a raffle ticket, the other was to take down driver’s license information.

I got in line behind two people in their early 30’s.

“It’s June? Time’s been flying like crazy. First the 12’s, then the 4’s, then the Yeezy’s,” one observed.

“I’m getting two pairs of the IX’s and then I’m done with the shoe game,” the other replied and shook his head at the line.

A lady carrying a shopping bag walked by.

“What’s this line for?” she asked.

“The Yeezy’s,” I said.

“What’s that?” she asked.

The nerve.

“The Yeezy 2’s. Kanye? Watch the Throne? The shoe?” I said.

“For a shoe?”

She made a face and walked away, swagless.

We moved forward.

I saw a man in a wheelchair get in back of the line. There were men, women, boys and girls (there was an age requirement of 14). There was an even ratio of snapback to no snapback.

We moved forward again.

The person behind me answered his phone.

“You bringing your lil bro? You know your odds increase exponentially if he comes.”

We moved forward.

A mini-van parked on the street near us. Eight people hopped out and sprinted behind me. I couldn’t see the end of the line from where I stood.

I eventually got to the front of the line and paid my $3. I received my raffle ticket. I was reinvigorated.

There were more than 500 people at the park at this time. I looked over my number and walked to the back of the other line. The person in front of me turned and said, “These numbers gotta mean something man, that’s the last three number of my social security. That’s a sign.”

He added “I need to get my eBay rep up.”

Then he explained how he had a dream the night before that there was a brawl during the raffle so he snatched a pair while no one was looking and ran off.

We moved forward. It was a little past 10 am.

“I live in Gresham. But that’s too far so I stayed at my boy’s place downtown last night,” a person behind me said.

“I don’t get it. Why are these shoes so hyped?” a girl asked.

“‘CAUSE THEY FROM THE FUTURE!” someone yelled.

A group of kids posed for a picture showing the Roc A Fella diamond symbol. One turned to the crowd.

“THROW UP THE DIAMONDS!!”

I took Instagram photos of people taking Instagram photos of me. The line moved forward.

We discussed what we’d do with the shoes if we won a pair. The common response was eBay.

“I’m not wearing them. That’s six months of rent. Well, I might wear them once to see what it’s like.”

More people kept arriving.

“I woke up without an alarm today. I went to bed at 1, and I just knew I’d wake up.”

A couple steps forward.

“I don’t give a fuck. If they have size 8, I’ll wear it. If they have size 12, I’ll wear it.”

I checked Twitter.

“I don’t know the names of any shoes out there. I know heat.”

A few steps forward.

“I won a raffle before, an iPod back in middle school. My heart was racing when they called my name. I got this.”

A car drove by.

“They taking credit card out here? Where’s an ATM??”

The college aged student turned to me again. He lowered his voice.

“It’s 11:11. Make a wish. But you can’t tell anyone you wished for Yeezy 2’s or else it won’t come true.”

I eventually got my information taken. Then we waited some more.

#yeezy2: The Game Within the Game

Both lines were complete around 11:30 am. Many athletes talk about a moment of intense peace before the start of big games. I felt it. Several hundred people circled around the play structure in the enclosed park. An employee ascended to the top of the plastic slide. A hush. William Golding wrote about a similar situation in “Lord of the Flies”. Except instead of a conch, the leader had raffle tickets for the Yeezy 2’s.

#yeezy2notcaring

At first, I didn’t give a shit because I wasn’t going to win. There were over 600 people in the raffle. I didn’t have a chance. I wasn’t going to wear the shoes. But the person next to me made a deep point: as long as we had a ticket, we had a chance. Then I imagined it – my number would be called, and I would walk to the front of the crowd as people stared in awe. I would hold up a pair of 10.5’s and drink champagne from it like it was the Stanley Cup. I would be on the cover of Sneaker Freaker, maybe Sports Illustrated, maybe Time Magazine getting breastfed in Yeezy 2’s. Which lead to the…

#yeezy2hope

I was convinced I was gonna win. I was there for a purpose. It was my time. Everything that I had worked for in my life lead up to this day.

The raffle started. This person won, then that person, then another, then another, then another. Which lead to the…

#yeezy2therealization

The realization I wasn’t going to win.

Which lead to the…

#yeezy2crowddispersal

After the last number was announced, everyone walked straight to their cars and left. Hundreds of pissed off with nothing to show but a ticket. The park cleared out in minutes. I walked back up the street empty handed which lead to the…

#yeezy2depression

I haven’t ate in two days.

———————-

The eBay-ification of Life

We talked about how stupid it was to wait in this line for this shoe while we waited in line. Then we talked about what shoes we were looking to camp out for in the near future. Did you camp out for the Concords? Did you get the Military 4’s this morning? How long would you have camped out? We asked “Do you think this shoe is actually nice?” and responded “This shoe is ugly.” And yet we all waited, for three hours, for a raffle. For a pair of shoes few planned to wear.

One of the early winners pumped his fist while his friend yelled “EBAY!” A guy with two female friends stood near the slide during the raffle. When one of the girls won, the guy turned to the crowd, pumped his fist, and said “That’s my shoe! That’s MY shoe!” Later in the raffle, employees announced there were only three shoe sizes left – 8, 11.5, and 13, to which the response was “I’LL TAKE THEM ALL!!!”

Many in the raffle, especially those who grew up with Kanye’s music, genuinely like the design and the inspiration of the Yeezy 2’s. I wouldn’t have sold them or worn them. It’d be a keepsake of the summer I waited in line, checking updates on Denmark-Netherlands on my iPhone. Actually, I’d have worn them a couple times for Instagram sake, then stored them, and they’d be the crown jewel of my collection (props to @dacspan for the art above). Yet there was no question where most of the shoes would end up. There was a rumor that a pair sold for $90,000. Shoe culture is a balance between personality and design – what you like and what it says about you. But making thousands of dollars by buying a raffle ticket on a random Saturday morning? The market over everything.

I needed to cleanse my soul from these ideals of greed. Powell’s Bookstore, perhaps the most famous bookstore in the world, was a few blocks up the street. Three stories of ideas, stories, and human endeavor. This would save me. I walked to the fiction section, straight to the “F”. Ahh, Faulkner, the great writer who said that man will live forever because of a “soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance”. He’d never desert me in this darkest hour. I took “Light in August” off the shelf. The seminal work, his famous exploration of the human prejudices that span and define generations. I found a used copy for $8.95. I grinned as I walked to the checkout counter. $8.95? I could get at least $14 for that.

Final Stats:

Number of t-shirts that said “Turn My Swag On” – 4

Photoshop by Christian Smith (@dacspan)

Writer’s Note: This post is meant to be read with the following song playing quietly in the background

I woke up on Thursday, May 24th, and called House of Hoops. The Question, Allen Iverson’s signature Reebok shoe, was getting re-released the next day. I dialed their number and cleared my voice.

“Are you guys getting the Questions tomorrow?”

“No, we’re not,” the employee responded.

I assumed House of Hoops opened specifically for occasions like this. I did a real life SMH.

“Are any stores around here getting them?”

“Champs Sports is getting them. Call them.”

I hung up and dialed Champs Sports.

“We’re not getting any pairs,” they said, “But Foot Action is definitely getting them. Call them.”

I looked up the Foot Action number, and called them with the same question.

“We’re not getting those shoes.”

I asked if they knew any other stores I could call.

“House of Hoops is definitely getting them.”

I told them I already called House of Hoops.

“Champs Sports will have them.”

I told them I already called Champs and they weren’t getting any pairs.

“Well, call them again.”

“Why would I call them again?” I responded.

“I don’t know. Fuck you. Bye.” (I added “fuck you”)

Dial-tone.

And that’s the day I discovered that the Reebok Question would never make it to Oregon.
———————————————————————————————–
I woke up the next day and called House of Hoops. The Nike N7 Zoom KD IV’s came out that morning in limited release. The N7’s are a line promoting activity and sport within the Native American population. The name refers to Native American wisdom that the consequences of every action must be considered for seven generations. The N7 KD IV’s combined the KD IV silhouette with two variations of N7 colorways. I was disappointed to have missed out on the Question. I set my sights on this KD IV collaboration.

I scrolled down to House of Hoops on my iPhone.

“Do you have any KD IV N7’s in stock?”

“We’re not getting any pairs. Call the downtown Nike store.”

I looked up the number for the Nike Portland store.

“Sorry, we’re not getting any pairs. Call the outlet store.”

I looked up the number and called the Nike Factory Store.

“We don’t have any pairs, but the Woodburn Outlets got a shipment.”

I smh’d. I was on the verge of missing out on two releases. How would I face my e-friends? I thought about going to Wendy’s and calling it a day. I reluctantly called the Woodburn Outlet Nike Store.

“Do you have the KD IV N7’s?”

I began to sweat.

“Yes, we have some in stock.”

I smiled for the first time in weeks (since I got the Playoff 12′s).

“Do you have them in 10.5?”

A fair question from a potential customer.

“We can’t tell you,” the employee replied.

“What?”

“We can’t tell you what we have over the phone. You have to come to the store,” he insisted.

“But do you have pairs?”

That’s 2 out of 2 in the fair question department.

“Yes we have a certain number of pairs remaining,” he replied.

“How many pairs?”

A third fair question.

He raised his voice.

“I can’t say over the phone.”

“Can you whisper it?” I asked.

Dial-tone.

The Woodburn Outlet Mall is located about 30 miles south of Beaverton. Nike chose this location out of all the stores in the immediate Portland area. The outlet made local headlines last Black Friday by having a mile long line that stretched off the I-5 onramp. I looked at my Toyota Corolla and knew what I had to do. I arrived at the store thirty minutes later. There was a stack of boxes with the white colorway of the shoe at the back of the store. I grabbed my shoe size, opened the box, and logged onto Twitter. Then I heard a voice.

“There’s a limit of one pair per person,” the employee behind me said.

I turned around.

“Is it one colorway per person or overall one pair per person?”

“You can only get one pair per person,” he said.

“I can’t get one pair of each colorway? I want to support Native American athletics,” I said.

He said, “You can get both colorways.”

“So I can get two pairs of shoes, one in each colorway?” I asked.

Another Nike employee joined the conversation.

I asked him, “Can I get one pair of each colorway or is it one pair per person?”

He said, “You can get one pair of each colorway.”

I said, “Okay, so that’s two shoes, one in each colorway.”

Another Nike employee came over and said, “No. You can only get one pair. One colorway.”

“Are you sure? I thought it was one colorway per person, per day,” someone interjected.

To which someone replied, “What? One pair per person?”

To which someone responded, “One pair per colorway.”

“Yes, there are 24 hours in a day,” someone said over the intercom.

“Is a person a colorway?” someone asked.

Someone responded, “Colorways are people, yes. But only one pair.”

“But what is a color?” someone asked.

And so on, for the next ten minutes.

I believe it was Samuel Beckett who wrote about a similar situation in his famous “Waiting for Godot”. The play, written in 1953, is about two characters who wait outside of a Foot Locker for a pair of Yeezy 3’s that never get released. They end up waiting forever wearing bootleg foamposites, smh.
——————————————————————————————
Allen Iverson showed up to game 6 of the 76ers/Celtics Eastern Conference semi-finals game earlier in the week. The Twitter reaction focused on his appearance – same backwards cap, same blue 76ers jacket, same chain, and of course, the same red and white Questions. He re-iterated his desire to get another shot with an NBA team during a third quarter interview:

The Reebok Question became Iverson’s signature shoe during his rookie season in 1996. The shoe referred to the larger question of:

June 1997 Slam Magazine Cover

The shoe, with its unique honeycomb hexalite technology represented Iverson’s quickness and speed, but also the small breaks in life that either go or don’t go a certain way. The streetball attitude, the signature moment, the simple yet innovative design – it all came together for Reebok in 1996 in the form of the Question. And here it was, re-released on the last Friday of May, 2012, to a new generation raised on a Nike/Jordan Brand monopoly.

Kevin Durant spent that same Friday handling shoe requests on Twitter. The most common interaction was something like “Hey KD, the shoes sold out in my neighborhood” with KD responding “I got you”. One defining trait of all versions of his line is the under $100 price point. The line also features a personal touch, adding Durant’s zip code, house number, and small reminders to appreciate his gifts embedded on the sole. The shoes are humble, down to earth, respectful, knowledgeable, unlimited range, pass the ball Russell West…shit, my bad.

I got a pair of white KD IV’s from the outlet and drove home (it turns out the black colorways had sold out hours earlier). They’d make a good summer shoe and I’d remember the summer of 2012 as the time when I wore N7 KD IV’s, and add that mentally to my life story collection (this winter I got my first pair of Janoski’s ‘cause I liked the versatility of the design and I wore it to formal gatherings, and last summer was the Air Max 90 Infrared Quickstrike I bought off eBay which I couldn’t wear until August ‘cause it rained all summer, and so on…).

I talked to people on Twitter then took a nap. When I woke up, I called Papa John’s. My order went off without a hitch, without any pepperoni pizza-as-gateway-to-existential-life argument. And it was all quiet on the Twitter front. There was no Friday night NBA game for the first time in months, no chance for Durant to score 40 in his new colorways, no potential moment to crystallize on Youtube so kids 30 years from now will know why they camp out overnight for a N7 KD IV retro re-release.

Chuck Taylor retired from basketball in 1921 and took a job as a salesman. But Chuck Taylors have sold over 600 million pairs worldwide and, 90 years later, are still the signature shoe for smoking weed in college dorms across the country. An entire generation who only know Jordan through Kobe Bryant comparisons camp out for days to get his latest shoe, even if the Bobcats went 7-59 last season. Penny Hardaway’s career ended five years ago when he got waived for Luke Jackson – and yet, a version of his shoe caused a riot in Orlando last winter and go for $2500 on eBay. Once you have that, once you reach that level, you’re immortal. Iverson’s Question released Friday morning at midnight online. They were sold out by the time I logged onto Reebok around 12:30 am. People began lining up hours earlier for the morning release. Pairs are going on eBay for $250. Reebok is rumored to be planning future re-releases of various shoes he wore throughout his career. One more chance to return to the league? Iverson never left.

This blog post by the numbers:
Retail Price of The Question: $125
Current Price of The Question on eBay: $225-$350
Retail Price of Nike N7 KD IV: $95
Current Price of Nike N7 KD IV on eBay: $150-$225
Retail Price of Lebron 9 P.S. Elite “Miami Vice”, released June 2nd: $250
Lebron 9 P.S. Elite “Miami Vice” on eBay: $400 and above
Retail Price of Nike Air Yeezy 2, released June 9th: $250
Future Price of Nike Air Yeezy 2 on eBay: Infinity