Darius Acuff Jr. is still hooping with Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament, but now he will have some new dancing shoes. That’s because Acuff has signed an endorsement deal with Reebok which will lead to his own signature sneaker.
Arkansas freshman star Darius Acuff Jr. has landed a signature shoe with Reebok, becoming the first NCAA men’s athlete to receive one from a major U.S. brand while still in college, Reebok’s head of basketball, Jide Osifeso, tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/MDoHkgqdIW
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 24, 2026
Acuff becomes the first men’s NCAA athlete to receive his own signature sneaker while still active in college. He is also Reebok’s first signature basketball athlete since John Wall left the brand for then corporate sibling Adidas in 2013. Acuff joins WNBA superstar Angel Reese, who last year got her first Reebok signature sneaker, the Angel Reese 1. The Vector has been efforting to re-emerge in the basketball space after over a decade in the wilderness. Reebok has a strong back catalog to pull from, including lines from basketball president Shaquille O’Neal and vice president Allen Iverson as well as the legendary Pump line, but has been largely irrelevant in performance basketball since the mid-2010s. It’s also a sign of times, as a deal like this and others involving college athletes such as UConn’s Azzi Fudd and USC’s Juju Watkins have only been made possible thanks to the NIL era of college athletics.
However, given the criticism industry leader Nike has taken recently for lack of innovation and creativity (it can’t be a good sign that according to StockX, the Kobe 6 Protro was the No. 1 selling performance basketball sneaker on their platform in 2025), now is probably the right time for Reebok to attempt to mount a challenge. We’ve seen challenger brands rise in running (hello, New Balance, Hoka and On), so it’s not surprising to see the basketball market become more competitive. Adidas has been on the rise, thanks in large part to Anthony Edwards, and we’ve seen LaMelo Ball’s line make waves over at Puma.
Gen Z appears to have less allegiance to Nike than millennials, with StockX’s 2025 year-end Big Facts report revealing that only four of the top 12 searched silhouettes came from Nike/Jordan Brand, so the time is right for challengers to emerge. The question is can Acuff be the signature star that Reebok needs to enter the conversation, on and off the court? Reebok hit a home run 30 years ago when they signed Allen Iverson out of Georgetown. He was more of a slam dunk than Acuff, but the Arkansas star is projected to be a top-10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He averaged 23.3 points and 6.5 assists per game and landed a raft of awards this season, including SEC Player of the Year, SEC Rookie of the Year, SEC Tournament MVP and an AP All-America first team honors.
Before he attempts to revive Reebok, Acuff still has business to attend to with the Razorbacks. He and Arkansas next take the court against Arizona on Thursday and are a 7.5-point underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook. And luckily for fans in the Natural State, DraftKings Sportsbook is officially live in Arkansas on behalf of the Southland Casino Hotel! Click here to learn how new users in Arkansas can get $300 in bonus bets instantly when they bet $5.
FAQ
Who is Darius Acuff Jr.?
Darius Acuff Jr. is a freshman guard for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks. A 6-foot-3 athlete from Detroit, Acuff averaged 23.3 points and 6.5 assists per game and was a First Team All-American and the SEC Player of the Year.
Who are key leaders for Reebok?
Todd Krinsky was appointed President and CEO of Reebok in September 2022 after three decades at the company. Pro Basketball Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson were named president and vice president of Reebok basketball, respectively, in 2023.
What is Reebok?
Reebok is an athletic footwear and apparel brand founded in England in 1958. It has been based in Massachusetts since 1984 and is noteworthy for its Reebok Pump sneakers as well as signature lines for Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson. The brand was purchased by rival Adidas in 2005 and then sold to Authentic Brands Group in 2021.
