SLAM’s Reebok Question Collab Celebrates Allen Iverson’s Iconic “Soul On Ice” Cover

words, shoe photography & design // Nick DePaula
issue 32 portraits // Clay Patrick McBride

You already know this was a must. 

As Allen Iverson writes in the foreword of the “30 YEARS OF SLAM” book:

“I AM SLAM.” 

“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,” Iverson writes. “Shit, 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.”

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

It’s not just an iconic SLAM cover. It’s 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. 

“In SLAM in the beginning, we would just cover the culture,” founder Dennis Page recently told Iverson. “But after ‘Soul On Ice,’ I like to think that we became part of the culture, because of that cover. Allen gave us the credibility.”

Throughout the detailed Russ Bengtson feature interview with The Answer, there’s a layout graphic featuring Iverson that’s centered around “The 3 of Diamonds.” As we all know, there isn’t much explanation needed to explain Allen’s affinity for ice. 

The throwback “PHILA” jersey he’s wearing in early 1999 was custom made by a local nearby manufacturer named Mitchell & Ness, to highlight the history of the league in an “Old School Issue” 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. 

“I fell in love with that magazine,” Iverson told Page. “Just the loyalty, and the way y’all 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. It was, ‘You be you, and we’ll take care of the rest.’”

To celebrate the original cover and the magazine’s 30th anniversary this year, SLAM and Reebok teamed up on a limited edition pair of Iverson’s iconic first signature shoe. 

Throughout Iverson’s 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. 

Inspired by “frosted” diamond watches, the midsole of the SLAM x Reebok Question Low features a metallic frosted texture that extends up into the shoe’s unmistakable toe cap. 

The SLAM and Reebok logos alternate on the tongue and heel, while the lettering up the eyelets have been switched out to read Allen’s longtime nickname among his closest friends: “Bubba Chuck.” 

“SLAM was everything to my career,” added Iverson. “Still today, I walk past a magazine stand and I see that magazine — I’m grabbing it.”

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.  

The “3 of Diamonds” 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’s 30-year history full circle, celebrating once again that “Allen Iverson is Soul On Ice.” 

“It 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’s going to live on forever.”

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