Voltron’s Back: Black Mamba Origins, Reebok’s Return, and the Future of F1 Sneakers

The whole crew is back together... Nick, Mike, Robbie, and Rohit are all in the same (virtual) room for the first time in a while, and things get weird before they get good. From confusing their Thugs (Young vs. Slim, no disrespect to either) to breaking down the Reebok Engine A26 and the adidas x Spider collab dropping March 3rd, the guys cover a lot of ground this episode.

The real meat of the conversation though? That ESPN story by Baxter Holmes about the Jordan 19 and the Black Mamba origin... it turns out the snakeskin concept that defined Kobe's entire identity was originally pitched for Michael Jordan, who wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. Nick, Rohit, and Mike dig into why that story matters beyond the history books, what it says about how sneaker media used to work, and why moments like this one don't happen nearly enough anymore.

Then the conversation shifts to Formula 1, sneaker partnerships in motorsports, where the real opportunity is, and why Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari might be more interesting for the sneaker world than anyone is talking about yet.

Oh, and somewhere in there, Robbie gets off a line about MJ having too many animal nicknames that you just have to hear for yourself.

Topics covered:

Reebok Engine A26, adidas x Spider Superstar Super Modified, Jordan 19 Black Mamba origin story, WNBA Jordan Heir II, Hyrox vs. CrossFit, Formula 1 sneaker partnerships, NIL deals and the future of basketball culture.

ESPN Story: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48016100/inside-secret-history-black-mamba-kobe-bryant-michael-jordan-air-jordan-19

Nick's Story: https://www.thesneakernewsletter.com/p/sometimes-the-universe-proves-your

SUPPORT THE SHOW:

Donate Through Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/sneakerhistory

Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/nickengvall

Early Access, Exclusive Videos, and Content On Patreon: https://patreon.com/sneakerhistory

Subscribe on Substack: https://substack.com/@sneakerhistory

Join our Discord Community: https://discord.gg/xJFyWmWgza

If you are interested in advertising to our audience, contact us: podcast@sneakerhistory.com

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER SHOWS:

For the Formula 1 Fans - Exhaust Notes: https://exhaustnotes.fm

For the Fitted Hat Fans - Crown and Stitch: https://crownandstitch.com

For the Cars & Sneakers Fans - Cars & Kicks: https://carsxkicks.com

For the Creators & Creatives - Outside The Box: https://podcasts.apple.com/id/podcast/outside-the-box-convos-with-creators/id1050172106

[Links contain affiliate links; we may receive a small commission if you purchase after clicking a link. A great way to support the pod!]

—––––—––––—––––—––––—––––—––––—––––—––––

Our podcast is proudly...

Recorded on Riverside: http://www.riverside.fm/?via=sneakerhistory

Hosted & Distributed By Captivate: https://bit.ly/3j2muPb

GET IN TOUCH:

Robbie - robbie@sneakerhistory.com

Mike - mike@sneakerhistory.com

Rohit - rohit@sneakerhistory.com

Nick - nick@sneakerhistory.com

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/