Burn Rubber has officially unveiled its upcoming collaboration with Reebok on the Question.
We are excited to present the Burn Rubber x Reebok Question for Apollos Young, the Detroit grammar school legend! These sneakers take inspiration from the colors from the 1996 ish Detroit Pistons and the life of Apollos “the S is silent” Young! Check out the details on AY and the shoe after the jump!
The Legend of Apollos Young…
Some say Apollos Young was on his way to being the greatest basketball player to ever live. Apollos “The S is silent” Young, A.Y. for short was the prince with storybook beginnings. The only child born to christian missionary parents, raised by his grandparents. The golden boy. The one. The Inquiry. A.Y. had a privileged life to say the least. Some say it’s the reason for his first & only trip to “reality”.
Legend says, A.Y. was so sheltered that he never so much as scraped his knee growing up. His only outlet came from an old basketball & a run-down hoop that his grandfather put up on a shed outback. He became relentless on the court & to his grandmother’s dismay, he was allowed to play on his grammar school team. That year, as an 8th grader, A.Y. lead Machlan Prep to it’s first grammar school city title by averaging 97 pts, 44 rebs, & 0.3 assts a game. This unbelievable stat line caught the eye of a (promising) NBA scout & Apollos Young was on his way to the big stage. Before he even stepped foot on a NBA court, he signed a lifetime sneaker contract with Reebok.
The reason you may’ve never heard of Apollos Young is because he never played one second of A professional NBA game. His new found “fast life” turned this nice little Christian boy, into a certified Rockstar. A.Y. Went from a clean cut, sweater vest wearing schoolboy to a tattooed, baggy shorts wearing womanizer with a no holds barred attitude during the preseason. It started with the double cup lean sipping instead of the Gatorade that his teammates used for refreshments. A.Y. is on record for being the first player to ever smoke a black & mild during a game. Although, as a 14 year man child, he averaged 48.7 pts, 23.3 rebs, & 0.1 assts, the line was drawn in his last preseason game. You see, the inquiry was known to wear his cell phone on him during the game, but no one could ever think that he would take it to the level that he took it. Alot of his antics were swept under the rug because of his superior skill level. One thing that couldn’t go unnoticed, was his last time on an NBA court.
In the 4th & final game of the Pistons (1996ish) preseason game, in front of a packed crowd, Apollos Young put on an amazing show. 54 pts, 31 rebs, 22 steals, 0 assts. Other than the fact that he’d cursed his coach out, punched a referee, & fondled a cheerleader, A.Y. was having a great game. His team was down 2, with 10 seconds to go on the clock. The entire world was watching, and Apollo knew it, he was born for this moment. The ball is inbounded to the inquiry, the clock starts to tick. 9, A.Y. calls for an iso at the top of the key. 8, he looks off a wide open teammate in the corner for the 3 pt attempt. 7, the entire stadium is on its feet. 6. The Inquiry, starts his signature (crossover) move. 5, he completely embarrasses the defender, and has a wide open lane to the basket. 4, he stops, pulls up for 3. 3, the ball is in the air, it looks good. 2, the ball is still in the air, and it still looks good. 1, the ball hits the rim, it rolls around the rim 2 times. Everyone in the stands is in awe of what is developing right in front of there eyes. When he comes down from his picture perfect jumper, a .45 caliber pistol falls from his waistline & 3 shots go off. The first shot, hit the opposing coach in the shoulder, the second shot …, the third shot struck the basketball & knocked it off of the rim ruining the perfect storybook ending for Apollos Young. After that debacle, The Inquiry was no more. No team in the entire free world was willing to give him a second chance, and every sponsor he had, pulled out of the deals that were on the table. Everyone accept the lifetime sneaker contract that he had signed with Reebok.
Legend has it that Apollos “The S is silent” young is often seen walking down Woodward avenue in Detroit MI, wearing rags, & begging for scraps. The one good thing that is said to be consistent about “The Inquiry” is his sneakers. They are always new & always crispy. The shoe that we present to you is made to the exact specs of A.Y.’s shoe that was never released to the public. Ladies & gentlemen, we present to you Apollos Young’s signature shoe, the Burn Rubber x Reebok Inquiry. Any questions?
The collab is set to to drop on September 1 at 12 p.m. at Burn Rubber’s Detroit storefront.