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Allen Iverson's hot rod Reebok Answer 4 is a delightfully tacky throwback
Guy Fieri would love it.
Flame-riddled sneakers are always tacky, and yet they still seem to work against all odds. The fiery Vans Old Skool is among the more covetable makeups, and in 2018 Supreme covered the Nike Zoom Streak Spectrum Plus in three different colors of flames. Soon, we’ll have a new entry into Guy Fieri-approved sneakers courtesy of Reebok and Allen Iverson.
The largely dormant Answer IV is slated to hit shelves again this spring, and a new version of the sneaker has surfaced with a hot rod color scheme. The retro print once seen on far too many short-sleeve button-ups is a fitting match for the shoe originally released in 2000 and worn by Iverson in his only MVP season. Coming on mesh alongside tumbled black leather, the flames are unquestionably ugly — but so much so that you may just want to try to pull them off.
All sorts of gaudy trends from the 2000s have made a return — including lowrise jeans with whale tails, velour tracksuits, and excessively sporty sunglasses — so why not put some flames on your feet as you attempt to get a fit off?
A.I.’s tattoos make an appearance — If you can look past bright orange flames over a purple background, you’ll find several graphics that are pulled directly from Iverson’s tattoos. “Cru Thik,” a reference to his friends, appears on the tongue strap in the very same font as forearm tattoo. Chinese characters, of which Iverson has many inked, also appear on the tongue and heel — a call back to another aughts trend and one that absolutely does not need to return.
Despite being on the sidelines in recent years, the Answer IV was originally one of Iverson’s more popular signature shoes. DMX I-pak cushioning and a 3D Ultralite compound were used for the very first time in his line, and it stuck out from the crowd of contemporary sneakers with its zipper and velcro fastening.
Do you dare? — The Answer IV will make a comeback in one of its original color schemes come April 9, and thereafter we should expect several other variants to follow. The first-of-its-kind hot rod version doesn’t yet have a release date, but we can expect it to launch sometime in 2021 for $140.
How you wear the sneaker after is entirely up to you, and you should look forward to the challenge.