Nike Almost Gave Allen Iverson a Bigger Sneaker Deal Than Michael Jordan

It is hard to imagine Allen Iverson's legendary NBA career without Reebok. Long before Iverson made waves with his unapologetic style, the Philadelphia 76ers rookie already had a signature sneaker deal with Reebok.

Iverson's partnership with Reebok was far from certain. Not only did the Bethel High legend have to overcome adversity off the court, but he also nearly signed with Nike after his collegiate career with the Georgetown Hoyas.

Howard White, the Vice President of Jordan Brand, recently appeared on the "All the Smoke" Podcast, where he shared the story of how Nike lost Allen Iverson to Reebok before the 1996 NBA Draft. Below is the clip of the video from All the Smoke's Instagram post, and our summary of how everything went right for Reebok.

Nike Couldn't Pay Allen Iverson More Than Michael Jordan

White explained that he had built a strong relationship with the Iverson family and began to sense that the future top pick planned to leave Georgetown for the 1996 NBA Draft. White implored Nike co-founder Phil Knight to sign Iverson, "Sign him now."

However, Knight was reluctant to approach Iverson because he believed the All-American would return for another college season and wanted to be deferential to Georgetown coach John Thompson. That gave Reebok time to make an offer that Nike could not match.

White recalled, "Reebok said, 'Well, you know, we'll pay, but we want to give you, on top of that, this marketing money. So when you do marketing, you know, you already got the money. We already put it there.' So that kind of drove it up pretty high. Now, we probably could have changed it around, but that's like more than MJ [Michael Jordan] was making. I said there's no way on any planet I'm doing that."

Iverson's Historic Reebok Sneaker Deal

Despite Nike's reluctance to restructure their contract offer to Iverson, White still loves Iverson and believes he could have helped him throughout his NBA career.

Iverson officially signed a 10-year, $50 million signature sneaker deal with Reebok in 1996. In 2001, the two parties converted the original sneaker deal into a lifetime contract. This deal included a $32 million trust fund accessible in 2030 and an $800,000 annual salary for life.

According to footwear reporter Nick Depaula, Reebok designed Iverson's first signature basketball shoe (the Question) while he was still in college, so it could be launched at the start of his rookie season. Nike would have released the Flight Turbulence as the "Air Bubba Chuck" by the 1997 All-Star Weekend.

Iverson's New Role With Reebok

In addition to a highly successful signature sneaker line that continues to enjoy retro releases, Iverson has taken on a leadership role at Reebok. In October 2023, Iverson agreed to serve as the Vice President of Reebok Basketball under President Shaquille O'Neal.

Iverson made the right choice financially, but sneakerheads and NBA fans will always wonder what could have been between him and Nike. Follow Sports Illustrated's Kicks On SI for all your footwear news from the NBA and beyond.