A report from SI claims the Reebok site almost broke down due to heavy traffic.

When shoe companies release signature shoes, they usually do so in one colorway, and depending on the consumer response, the others will follow. However, Reebok took a huge gamble when it decided to debut WNBA star Angel Reese’s first signature shoe, the Reebok Angel Reese 1, in three different colorways. The gamble paid off on Thursday.

Released via Reebok’s official website, the Angel Reese 1 sold out in minutes. Online posts mentioned that the”Mebounds” colorway was selling out first, followed by “Diamond Dust” and “Receipts Ready.” Some accounts say they sold out in 30 minutes, while others say they sold out in less than an hour.

A report from Sports Illustrated even claimed that the heavy traffic nearly broke the Reebok website. Reese, meanwhile, broke down in happy tears.

“I’m in full tears right now. Taking a leap of faith and launching three of my signature shoes at once was a huge risk—but guess what? They all sold out! I’m sooooo THANKFUL & beyond GRATEFUL and just want to thank everyone for the amazing support. REEBOK IS BACK!” Reese tweeted.

Not just a three-colorway release, but one that was also fast-tracked

Thursday’s shoe release was a surprise when it was first announced last month. Initially, Reebok planned to debut Angel’s shoe in early 2026. However, after she was named the NBA2K26 video game’s WNBA edition cover athlete, they pushed hard to strike when the iron was still hot.

Angel ended up wearing the shoe on the NBA2K cover, and she wore the “Mebounds” colorway a week later at the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis. One month later, Reebok unveiled two more colorways, “Diamond Dust” and “Receipts Ready”, while announcing an unprecedented three-colorway launch on September 18th. Reese explained why the release was fast-tracked.

“I know fans have been wondering and asking about it. And I know it was supposed to come in 2026, but I thought, Why not now? Why not year two? Why not be able to wear my shoe while I’m playing and striving for great things? Being able to have the support that I have right now with the fans is really important to me, and I’m trying to maximize everything while I can. This is a really important moment for me right now, and I’m really excited for it to launch,” Reese said.

Shaq’s handiwork

However, releasing the Angel Reese 1 in three colorways and fast-tracking its release to at least four months earlier weren’t the only big gambles that Reebok took and won so far in their latest foray in the basketball sneaker wars. Getting Angel to their fold was the first big gamble that Reebok Basketball president Shaquille O’Neal had to take after the company told him that he literally had no budget to sign marquee NBA stars as his chief shoe endorser.

“I had to deal with something I never had to deal with: budgets. Cuz I’m like, ‘Imma sign Shai, I’ma sign all these players.’ But hollering at their agents, the motherf—r wants $60 million. And now I gotta go back to the Board and they said, ‘Man, you ain’t got $60 million,’”said O’Neal.

“Since we’re starting all over, we going to start with the younger generation. And then I said, ‘Let me make a power call real quick. ‘Angel, you want to go with Nike, where they’re just gonna give you a regular shoe. Or do you want to deal with a motherf—r that will give you your own shoe? You know you’re the s—t, you need your own shoe.’ For real, you can do that? ‘Yeah, I can do that.’ So signing Angel was my work,” he added.

Going further back, Reebok naming O’Neal and Allen Iverson to top positions in its basketball division was a big gamble, too. And like all the other risks they took, it’s paid off handsomely, at least so far.

Nike will always be Nike, with Adidas and Under Armour also holding firm positions in the market. However, for a comebacking brand like Reebok, these small wins, beginning with Shaq and A.I.’s hiring and ending with the sell-out of Reese’s first signature shoe, are massive for their future plans. For Angel, it’s a validation of the star power some are trying to deny her.