Reebok plots a comeback with a shimmering Angel Reese sneaker

Fast Company

09-07-2025

Since Michael Jordan and Nike changed the rules of sports marketing, signature shoes ranging from LeBrons to Currys have defined basketball footwear.
With few exceptions, it's only in the last few years that WNBA players have been given similar opportunities. And now, amid a surge of interest in the league, the WNBA's most glamorous player, Angel Reese, has revealed her first shoe with Reebok, called the Angel Reese 1.
The mainstay brands of athletic shoes—Nike and Adidas—have been struggling, as a combination of scale and brand fatigue have left windows for smaller competition to grow, and new tariffs threaten the bottom line of the industry. Adidas actually sold off Reebok in 2021 to Authentic Brands Group for $2.5 billion. Authentic Brands manages a variety of recognizable names, including Champion, Eddie Bauer, Brooks Brothers, and Frye.
Since the sell-off, Reebok's profits are up. Focused less on marketing and product innovation than licensing the known name, the company's revenue jumped from $196 million in 2022 to $276 million in 2023. But Reebok, like its larger peers, is focused on rekindling its cultural relevance to establish its next act. The company has declared that its cultural comeback begins with basketball—a strategy revealed in late 2024 by Shaquille O'Neal, president of the company's basketball division. In his pocket was his very first recruit at Reebok: The 2024 first-round draft pick and 'Bayou Barbie,' Reese.
In the two seasons since, Reese has been a force, bringing a new sense of competition and fashion to the WNBA—while solidifying herself as a two-time All-Star in the process.
For her first shoe at Reebok, the Angel Reese 1 in the 'Diamond Dust' colorway, Reese says she wanted a shoe that you couldn't ignore.
'I wanted something that was really bold to go with my identity,' she says, noting that the shoe's subtle iridescent finish is meant to capture how she became a star despite coming 'from nothing' in Baltimore. 'You could be a diamond that shines anywhere.'
The silhouette itself features an almost old-school layering of textures, reminiscent of vintage Reebok (or, dare I say, 'dad shoes'). However, its low-cut white profile also looks like it could tag in for the ever-popular court shoe in some contexts. Reese herself says she wanted it to cross seamlessly between basketball and street wear, teasing that many more colorways are on the way.