Yao Ming, the first foreign champion in NBA history, was drafted by the Houston Rockets in 2002, and since then Yao Ming has begun a legendary NBA career.

After entering the league, Nike quickly began to contact Yao Ming, and the main shoe technology at that time was SHOX technology, and the first sneaker tailored for Yao Ming was called NIKE SHOX LIMITLESS TB, which was a Shox shoe that was very suitable for center interior players. The NIKE SHOX LIMITLESS TB is a veteran of the Shox series, with an Air Zoom cushioning feature on the forefoot and a centerpiece on the back, with four Shox "air columns" making the shoe seem very new at the time. Shox technology is also considered to be a shoe technology for heavier players.

Before the final of the 2003 Asian Championships, the "Yao Team" officially announced that Yao Ming had signed a contract with REEBOK, and REEBOK promised to design and sell a sneaker and apparel series bearing Yao Ming's signature.

After successfully "docking" Yao Ming with NBA FUSION, everyone was expecting REEBOK to launch a real signature sneaker for Yao Ming, and when Yao Ming appeared in a new shoe with sleek lines before the 2003 All-Star Game, many people thought that his signature shoe had arrived early, but soon the NBA logo with a bit of Tai Chi imagery on the shoe showed its identity. Although the sneaker, called NBA ENIGMA, did not become Yao Ming's first signature shoe, it was a pair of sneakers that exuded "Yao Ming's vibe" from the inside out. As a series of products launched not long ago, NBA ENIGMA basically copied the configuration of NBA FUSION in terms of technology, the core cushioning technology is also widely used DMX FOAM, and the TPU bearing tray with hollow in the middle palm is also from NBA FUSION's "heritage" design. The lack of change in technology does not mean that the NBA ENIGMA has not improved, on the contrary, this pair of NBA ENIGMA is a good reflection of the characteristics of an "atypical" interior shoe. Compared with the player version of NBA ENIGMA worn by Yao Ming, the commercial version is different in the upper design, and the actual height has decreased, but the NBA ENIGMA ankle on both sides of the iconic bright patent leather hides a tough hard stamped material, with a thick upper padded inner lining and metal mesh interlayer, which can provide excellent lateral support protection while making the ankle not have a stiff sense of restraint. It has more flexibility than similar shoes. PAIRED WITH A CUT-OUT TPU TRAY IN THE MID-FOOT, THE NBA ENIGMA IS NO LESS STABLE THAN ANY INTERIOR SNEAKER, AND IT'S AS FLEXIBLE AS ITS 7-FOOT-6" OWNER. In terms of outsole, NBA ENIGMA finally justifiably uses 360° TRACTION technology, and fully interprets this 360-degree all-round anti-slip concept with a circle of concentric circles. It is worth mentioning that these circular skid patterns are made of high-strength rubber, which can improve the friction and outsole strength at the same time, and prevent injuries caused by valgus.

As for the shape, NBA ENIGMA may not be the kind of flattering style that people will fall in love with at first sight, BA ENIGMA is clearly different from people's traditional concept of "long" shoes tough, stereotyped shape style, with the circle as the core design element, NBA ENIGMA with simple and spiritual lines and contrasting color scheme to bring out a rare "aura" in similar styles. The biggest highlight of the whole shoe is the NBA logo full of Tai Chi charm on the ankle, and the red patent leather material that surrounds it and extends down to the midsole separates the shoe, which has a sense of yin and yang. This slightly "feminine" shape design is very consistent with Yao Ming's style of "avoiding the heavy and light" at that time, and it is also just like the meaning of the name ENIGMA - full of oriental mystery and unknown. WHETHER DELIBERATE OR COINCIDENTAL, NBA ENIGMA IS AN EXCEPTIONAL MATCH WITH SECOND-YEAR YAO MING, PROVIDING GOOD CUSHIONING AND PROTECTION, AS WELL AS GOOD FLEXIBILITY, WHICH IS JUST RIGHT FOR YAO MING, WHO DOESN'T LIKE TO RUN AND JUMP AND RELIES MORE ON AGILE MOVEMENT. In a sense, NBA ENIGMA's pair of Yao Ming's "quasi" signature shoes are the ones with the highest tacit understanding with Yao Ming.

YAO MING'S INITIAL ARRIVAL AT REEBOK WAS HIGHLY REGARDED, AND REEBOK SOON INTRODUCED AN NBA DONTIME YAO NOTE EMBROIDERED WITH HIS CHINESE CHARACTER "YAO" AND JERSEY NUMBER "11" FOR YAO MING

The player version of the NBA ENIGMA is very different from the commercial version in that the heel height of the player version is flush with the ankle, and the overall height of the upper is higher than that of the commercial version, so the line of the ankle reinforced patent leather is also different.

REEBOK's biggest mistake after signing Yao Ming was that it did not promote his endorsement style in time, the first two pairs of NBA shoes were not put on the shelves in time, and the relationship with Yao Ming was rarely mentioned in the advertisement. With the end of the 03-04 season, the Athens Olympics has become Yao Ming's most important stage, and for REEBOK, the Olympic Games is the best opportunity to promote its products.

This shoe has been controversial since it was exposed on the Internet, similar to the large color block design of the AJ12 upper, except for the limited support received by hardcore Yao Mi and some sneaker professionals, it was not favored by most shoe fans, as Yao Ming's first signature shoe after signing the contract, REEBOK obviously chose a conservative posture to ask for directions. After leading the Chinese men's basketball team to the top 8 of the Olympic Games, Yao Ming's popularity was also unprecedentedly high, and the ensuing NBA China game set off a wave of "Yao Ming fever".

As the main sponsor of the NBA China game, REEBOK will naturally not let go of this great promotion opportunity, HIGH POST was launched as scheduled during the China game, and the promotion of TV and print advertising is also huge, but HIGH POST did not let REEBOK, which vowed to create millions of sales in China, get its wish, and the curse of "long people don't sell shoes" was also fulfilled in the Oriental giant. As a high-end signature shoe, it still uses the standard configuration of DMX FOAM+TPU bearing tray, which has been used since NBA FUSION, which inevitably makes people feel that it is not innovative enough.

In terms of actual performance, the HIGH POST is still a very competent pair of interior sneakers. Although the body looks very wide and there is no special lace system, the feeling of the shoe is not bad, which is largely due to the stamped material on the outside of the shoe body covered with support strips, which not only provides good wrapping, but also greatly improves the lateral support, which is definitely a great design.