Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr. Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Reebok hopes it has found the next 'Answer' with historic Darius Acuff Jr. deal

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Mar 24, 2026 6:05 PM ET

After the 1996 NBA Draft, Reebok signed former Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson. The shoe company hopes it has found the next "Answer" in Arkansas Razorbacks freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr.

On Tuesday, Reebok confirmed it signed Acuff to a signature shoe deal. Jide Osifeso, head of basketball at Reebok, told ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania the Arkansas star is the first NCAA men's athlete to receive a shoe deal with a major U.S. brand while still in college.

The shoe company hopes Acuff becomes the catalyst that Iverson was 30 years ago. Reebok hasn't had a basketball player with a signature shoe since former Washington Wizards guard John Wall. It may have picked the right player in Acuff, who models his game after "AI."

How Darius Acuff Jr. and Allen Iverson are similar

"My favorite player to always watch is Allen Iverson," Acuff said after signing a $1.1M NIL (name, image and likeness) deal with Reebok in 2025, per Brandon Carr of WDIV-TV in Detroit. "I watch him too much."

Acuff 1 on the way. pic.twitter.com/oNvr5k5mY5
— Reebok (@Reebok) March 24, 2026

That shows. Like Iverson, Acuff is a high-scoring guard who can shoot it from nearly anywhere. He ranks seventh in the country in scoring (23.3 points per game). In two NCAA Tournament games, he has averaged 30 PPG on 48.8% shooting from the field. You can catch him in No. 4-seeded Arkansas' Sweet 16 matchup against the No. 1-seeded Arizona Wildcats in San Jose on Thursday (9:45 p.m. ET, CBS).

Iverson — who later signed a lifetime deal with Reebok in November 2001 — is a fan of Acuff. The Hall of Famer recently shared a collaboration with the Arkansas star on Instagram, calling Acuff, "the next him" in the caption.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Allen Iverson (@theofficialai3)

Can Darius Acuff Jr. live up to shoe deal?

Time will tell, but it's easy to see why Reebok has prioritized keeping 2025-26 first-team All-American Acuff in the fold. He clearly has many of the skills teams covet in guards, making the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder a potential top-10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Tankathon's latest mock draft has the Atlanta Hawks taking him with pick No. 8.

And with Iverson endorsing Acuff, Reebok should feel confident it has found the "Answer 2.0."

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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