THE QUESTION OG RED TOE
WHAT IF? In the early ‘90s, Todd Krinsky and Que
the cost of signing A.I., but Krinsky and Gaskins
Gaskins, two young members of the Reebok
convinced them all that Allen Iverson didn’t just
team, were in search of a star to spearhead their
walk the walk—he made it his own.
reintegration to basketball footwear. Krinsky and Gaskins were just two of the many basketball
Krinsky, Gaskins and Reebok designer Scott
fanatics with their eyes on the outsized aura of a
Hewett created a shrine to A.I. in Hewett’s
certain 6-foot sophomore guard.
small house in Quincy, MA. They collected every newspaper clipping and magazine article
After watching a college game where A.I. dunked
they could find about A.I. and (to the dismay of
on a player nearly a foot taller than him, Krinsky and
Hewett’s wife) covered the living room walls to
Gaskins returned to headquarters adamant that
get into the mind of this young player. They got
Iverson was a once-in-a-generation player. They
to work designing “The Prototype,” which would
had a now-famous “what if?” conversation about
become the Reebok Question Mid—a fitting
what it would mean for the brand to sign him. Some
shoe for the player who had come to be known
executives within Reebok were concerned about
as “The Answer.” 14