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Nike Pulls Psuedo-Iverson Sneakers after A.I.’s Lawyer Presumably says “Really?”
By Jim Adair
Published:
Allen Iverson was basically the face of Reebok from 1996 until the mid-2000s, and they were still putting out new Iverson sneakers (not re-issues) until 2009. There was a period of time where every family within the city limits of Philadelphia had at least one pair of these in the house, and to this day, Iverson (along with Shaq) is probably the one athlete most affiliated with Reebok in people’s minds. That is why Iverson’s lawyer made a whole fuss over those Nike shoes above.
According to the Associated Press, those Nike sneakers — part of the Zoom Flight ’96 collection — will no longer be released. Nice Kicks described the shoe as an “imagined Allen Iverson PE of the classic 1996 hoops shoe, featuring a 76ers color palette of blue nubuck with red and white accents … a speckled midsole, ice clear outsole and AI’s #3 on each heel.” Iverson’s lawyer described the shoe as an unauthorized use of Iverson’s identity, likeness, and persona. Nike says the shoe will still come out, but in “other color schemes” and presumably without the #3 on the back. If you’re really dying for an Iverson sneaker though, there are always the old stand-bys.
When he's not writing about sports here or ranting about them on Twitter, Jim is probably watching X-Files on Netflix or drinking a beer somewhere. Jim has nothing against hockey, it's just not his style. He once met Duce Staley at a Sixers game.