Patrick Johnson 
The Nike Zoom Flight ’96 “Allen Iverson” is no more. A while back news came that the Nike Zoom Flight ’96 was going to return in two curious colorways – one featuring a Lakers purple and gold motif and the number 8 in PE stitching on the back while the other pair featured a Philadelphia 76ers aesthetic and a number 3 on the heel. The plan was for the Swoosh to honor one of the greatest, if not the defacto Draft Class of all time with two Player Exclusives nodding at the two premier prospects – Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson. The Zoom Flight ’96 nodded at the draft year, of course. The problem here is that AI never laced up a Swoosh pair as he was signed by Reebok immediately out of college. And while releases like the Packer Shoes x Reebok Question Mid PE Pack slyly accomplished the same in the past, the fact that this Nike release was on a much larger scale grabbed the former Sixer great’s attention. It’s worth noting that the shoe has already released at select shops like Concepts and overseas in Asia, and now Iverson’s lawyer wants compensation based on the units sold, given that he believes the fact that a no.3 was stitched on a shoe made in 1996 in 76ers colors is enough to warrant unlawful use of Allen Iverson’s likeness. Nike is also cancelling the Kobe pair despite the fact that he crossed over from adidas and is currently a Nike athlete. Hold onto your pair if you were able to pick them up, as this should spark even more excitement surrounding the ‘PE’.
Source: AP
