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Fathertime remains undefeated #25years

I remember when the Question launched…As I kid at a small liberal arts school, the Question was on every frat boys feet on and off the court. I clearly remember getting lit up by one of the b-ball teams frat boy guards who was wearing them (and I play great d).during intramurals. Sure I wanted them but as a poor college kid, I had one pair of shoes to last me for the year and that year it was the Air Penny I .
Anyhoo, Reebok is celebrating the 25th anniversary with the Question again since it it’s the only shoe that Reebok can sell as a hoops shoe. I’ve seen numerous NBA players rocking the Question in the bubble so when the best in the world are wearing 25 year old shoes, it really comes to show you it ain’t the shoes.

Pros: traction when clean, fit, support and stability, containment , timeless 🔥

Cons: dust magnet, heavy compared to today’s shoes

Sizing advice: true to size

Best for: any position

Weight

18 ounces which back in 1995 wasn’t horrible. But now it’s on par with some Hardens and a few ounces heavier than today’s average

Traction

I’ve heard mixed reviews about traction on these so I can only speak from my experience; these work great when clean but horribly on dusty floors. Last time I wore these on a dusty floor, I might as well have been Sonic

But like every shoe when clean these worked great. There really isn’t any flex in the grooves because of the thickness and flatness of the design so you really have to rely on the tackiness of the rubber. Which won’t work much when dirt keeps piling up. Traction”technology” hasn’t changed at all and labeling rubber (ie continental rubber/adidas) doesn’t do anything either. How’s that going Adidas ? Oh you don’t do it anymore on hoop shoes got it becsuse licensing costs too much, got it. Just give us. Drose 7 patterns on every shoe and we are good.

Cushioning

Hexalite and EVA (otherwise known as UA propriety foam 😂)

Hexalite: A cushioning technology inspired by the honeycomb, which is one of the strongest yet lightest shapes in nature. The structure is covered by a durable layer of thermoplastic urethane which helps the setup maintain its shape and performance capabilities.

So even back in 1995, shoe companies knew how to put out marketing material.

Ok granted these are old af but if my memory serves me correctly, Hexalite felt pretty good out of the box but nowhere near as fun as Zoom or Boost or Bounce or Lightstrike or Lunarlon or React.. the list goes on and on .

To cheat a little, I tried the re re re re re re re re retro on at the store and they felt about the same. Most of what you feel is the EVA. You’re not paying for tech with the Question when you’re buying the Question so don’t expect the same kind of feel as more modern shoes. Imagine an updated Question with Boost and lighter materials though.. and imagine the cost when it doesn’t sell and you find it at the outlets for $39.99. *see every Adidas attempt at doing this*

Fit

This is a puffy shoe ..no not that Puffy

Given all the padding and high cut there are no issues with fit . No movement in the toe box no heel slip. New ways to image the foot and design sneakers allows a lot of the excess fluff to be removed and keep a solid fit. Maybe these would weigh 16 ounces today vs then.

Back in 2006 I wore a 10.5 and these fit perfectly but as I’ve aged, my feet have flattened and lengthened so now I need an 11. I recommend going true to size with these even if it makes your feet look like they were stung by a bee.

Leather..luxurious and heavy vs modern materials. But damn this is a sexy shoe. Paying a little more for leather ? I think most would versus today’s cheap feeling synthetics.

Support and stability

No issues here either . Man 25 years old and more stable than a lot of shoes that a adding unnecessary curvatures.

Containment

Raised thick midsole and leather ? What is this 1995? Oh wait yea it is. No issues here at all

Conclusion

Remember when Iversin crossed over Mj? I’ll bet you’ve never seen that clip ever ever in your life. Well if you haven’t

Remember when people thought Reebok was going to come back and overtake Nike because of AI? No, me neither. Or Under armour? Adidas ? 😂 . Ain’t no beating Nike they are just too powerful.

The Question and and Answer IV are my personal two favorite Iverson shoes and apparently Reebok’s as well since they keep making them over and over. Sure the tech is the same and/removed but nobody cares bc it’s AI. The Question is bloated and could be updated with newer parts but it isn’t the same as the OG. Reebok has done a nice job overall replicating the Question over and over and over again over the years. I haven’t bought another retro since I got these back in 2005/2006 as the 10 year anniversary pack ..I think.

I played in these last year just for kicks (get it?) and didn’t have any major issues other than traction on dusty floors. Surprisingly these held up which is amazing for a 15 year old shoe. Did I score any more or any less ? Nope. Did I feel any more sore afterwards? Nope but I’m in pretty good shape. Did I have fun playing in them ? Hell yes. And I think that’s the point.