Flashback To '95: Reebok Kamikaze II “USA”
Published:June 26, 2020
Long ago before NBA2K took the world by storm, I used to play NBA Jam. The head to head matchups while playing 2-on-2 was new and exciting at the time. With the Sega Genesis controller in hand, I would religiously select the Seattle Supersonics as my team of choice. It was something about the dynamic duo of Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp that felt unstoppable when I played with them. With alley-oops and high-flying dunks being the objective, Payton tossed them, and Kemp slam-dunked. For hours on in, I was in utter amazement how unstoppable this pixelated character of Shawn Kemp was.
As I got older, my appreciation for basketball grew as I matured. Slowly, I began to look deeper into the actual player than just a video game version. Once I started getting into how gifted of a hooper he was, my eyes couldn’t resist looking down at his kicks. The first pair that I remember Kemp having on was the Reebok Kamikaze II. Despite my not caring for white sneakers (at the time), I was mesmerized by the captivating zig zags.
They say you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. With the instant success of Kemp’s signature shoe, the sequel manages to get retroed decade after decade. Reebok design team has taken the classic silhouette and decided to revive it this year. The ‘Reign Man’ prowess is displayed in the tough design layout. Panels of suede and mesh blends are crossing boundaries throughout the All-American upper. Navy blue is placed in the front of the sneaker where the toe tip, toe box, lace guard, and collar. Diving the colors is a frequency shaped quarter in icy white leather. This is a clear distinction in the shoe as the full-grain leather patch is stitched on top of the upper. In the rear is vector red suede covering the heel and mustache and insole lining respectively. The midsole and outsole are significantly thick with assortments of black, grey, and white at the bottom. A 3M tongue with the embroidered ‘Reebok’ made the sneaker complete for the olympian in you.