Nike Cancels Allen Iverson Tribute Sneaker Because of...Allen Iverson

Nike will no longer be releasing the Zoom Flight '96 "Allen Iverson" colorway.

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Nike is no stranger to coming out with tribute sneakers and commemorating milestones. Its latest design was supposed to be a nod to one of the greatest athletes ever, but is now being pulled back.

The problem? The tribute was for Allen Iverson, who has been signed with competitor Reebok for his entire career.

According to the AP, Iverson's beef stems from the fact that Nike used his likeness on the product without his consent. The sneaker in question, the Nike Zoom Flight '96, has a red and blue color scheme a la the Philadelphia 76ers and even dons Iverson's signature #3 on the heel.

"Nike is clearly trying to use Allen Iverson's celebrity status and persona to promote Nike's shoes," Iverson's lawyer Derek Challenger said. "There's no other No. 3 that played for the 76ers that came out of the 1996 draft. For Nike to use his status to sell shoes, and not get his permission, to not compensate him, is bad business."

Challenger sent Nike a letter this past week to raise objections to the sneaker. Today, Nike confirmed that the sneaker will in fact be pulled.

"Nike has made a business decision to not move forward with the shoe in the red/blue and white/purple colorways," Nike spokesman KeJuan Wilkins said in a statement. "However, two colorways inspired by the original 1996 colorways will still be available for purchase."

While Nike has made the decision to pull back the sneakers, it's worth noting that the exact pair already released at select Nike sportswear stores and that Challenger believes Iverson should be compensated for the sneakers that were already sold.

"They should get back to me with a number for all this," Challenger said. "I hope before the week is over I hear from them directly."

[via AP]