Panini America x Reebok Hit the Gridiron With Emmitt Smith Sneaker & Sports Card Collection

(BOSTON) June 10, 2024 – Today, Reebok and sports card manufacturer Panini America announced their second footwear, apparel, and trading card collaboration as they hit the gridiron to honor football legend and longtime partner Emmitt Smith alongside Panini’s iconic “Prizm” card brand. Releasing globally June 14 with a matching “Preseason” apparel capsule ($40-$80), the collection is championed by three “Prizm”-inspired iterations of historic Reebok turf training shoes, the “Preseason ’94” and Emmitt Smith’s signature “ES22”.

Emmitt Smith and Reebok joined forces for the first time in 1993. Throughout the ‘90s Smith would appear in Reebok advertisements showcasing the brand’s bold “Preseason” line of turf shoes. Smith’s signature ES22 trainer arrived in 1996, bringing Reebok’s imaginative performance design language to a completely new turf shoe built to match the athlete’s world-class speed, strength, and agility.

Nearly 15 years later, Smith would join the Panini America family when in 2009 the historic sports card manufacturer struck a deal with professional football, including the league’s teams and players (of past and present). In 2012, Panini introduced its flagship “Prizm” brand, presenting consumers with a new and exciting premium sports card offering. With its high-gloss opti-chrome design, compelling rookie “RC” badge, short-print parallels, and rare inserts, Prizm would soon become one of the most sought-after and defining products in modern sports cards culture. Today, via the ‘Reebok x Panini Prizm Preseason’ collection, legends collide.

“Like Prizm in sports cards, Reebok’s archive is jam packed with products and stories that have made a significant impact on their industry,” commented Jason Howarth, SVP of Marketing & Athlete Relations at Panini America. “Emmitt Smith – who’s been in the Panini and Reebok families for a longtime – is undeniably one of the biggest gamechangers in sports history. It’s amazing to have access to his footwear catalogue, to be able to honor him through this collaboration, and to bring fans a product that showcases the best of the Panini and Reebok brands.”

Across three ‘Reebok x Panini Prizm Preseason’ footwear styles, Reebok, Emmitt Smith, and Panini Prizm fans will appreciate special design elements like sharp Prizm logos, bold nods to infamous Prizm cards and parallels, and other ‘easter eggs’ all within the historic Reebok “Preseason” design language:

Preseason ’94 Low “Purple Prizm” (100202416, $120): Available in adult and youth sizing, this nostalgic purple, white, and black, mixed-material adaptation of the low-cut ’94 trainer nods Panini’s beloved Purple Prizm parallel, featuring a premium leather upper, hairy suede toe overlay, a TPU Purple Prizm side stripe detail, and Prizm logos at the tongue and heel.

Preseason ’94 “Gold Prizm” (100202417, $140): Available in adult and youth sizing, this metallic gold build features a premium leather upper, TPU Gold Shimmer midfoot strap, ​a Prizm heel logo, Hexalite cushioning, and more, resulting in a bold take on the mid-90s turf training shoe that pays homage to Panini’s coveted Gold Prizm and Gold Shimmer Prizm parallel cards, typically limited to 10 copies.

ES22  “Color Blast” (100202418, $200): Available in adult sizing, this bright white, patent leather, limited edition take on Emmitt Smith’s signature Reebok ES22 training shoe from ‘96 gets Panini’s rare “Color Blast” treatment via a multi-color speckled midsole and flecked laces, a “Color Blast” Vector logo badge on the medial and lateral sides, a custom Color Blast sock liner, and clear TPU Prizm and Vector lace webbing, all seated atop a Prizm and Reebok branded translucent outsole.

Commemorating the release, each Panini x Reebok ES22 “Color Blast” pair purchased will come with a limited-edition Panini x Reebok Prizm Emmitt Smith trading card (preview imagery HERE). Including a base Prizm design with parallels and coveted Prizm inserts (like Brilliance, Manga, and Color Blast) of varying rarity, the set features beautiful imagery of Emmitt Smith from the ‘90s and 2000’s. A complete checklist can be found HERE.

Product imagery, “card shop” campaign content, and card renderings can be found HERE.

In 2022, Reebok and Panini America came together for the first time, in celebration of “Prizm” and basketball superstar and cultural icon, Allen Iverson.

The SS24 ‘Reebok x Panini Prizm Preseason’ footwear and apparel collection is available globally from Reebok.com and select retailers beginning June 14.

 

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Media Contact: Jason Silva, Reebok, [email protected]

About Panini America

Panini America, a subsidiary of the Panini Group, established 60 years ago in Modena, Italy, has subsidiaries throughout Europe, Latin America and the United States. Panini is the world leader in officially licensed collectibles and is the most significant publisher of collectibles in the U.S., with official licenses for NFL, NFLPA, NBA, NBPA, FIFA, LIV Golf, NASCAR, College, Disney and other key properties from many other licensors. Panini America is also the exclusive trading card and sticker partner of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc. Panini has distribution channels in more than 150  countries and employs a staff of over 1,200.

For more information visit us at www.paniniamerica.net, www.paninigroup.com or http://blog.paniniamerica.net/. You can also follow Panini America on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

About Reebok Design Group

Reebok Design Group (RDG) is the global brand hub of design, development, innovation, marketing and creative services for Reebok footwear and apparel. As the central source of the brand’s creative vision, RDG provides ongoing support and expertise to Reebok’s network of strategic partners around the world. RDG champions Reebok’s storied heritage, ethos, and DNA to authentically deliver a unified brand directive and consumer experience globally. A division of SPARC Group, RDG is headquartered in Boston, MA.

For more information, visit Reebok.com or, for the latest news at News.Reebok.com. Discover Reebok on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.