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Did Allen Iverson Get His Own Air Jordan 12? Fans Remember His Michael Jordan Crossover

By Jonathan Franks
Published on: 09:28 PST, Apr 1, 2016

Did Allen Iverson get his own signature shoe from the Jordan brand? Is there an official pair of Air Jordan 12 sneakers being released with Allen Iverson’s name on them?

Those were some of the questions raised by many fans and followers of the Jordan brand and Allen Iverson Friday after a photo of the new shoes was released online.

In the photo, which was initially released by Sneaker Bar Detroit (SBD), a pair of white and blue Air Jordan 12 sneakers are shown. Allen Iverson’s last name and jersey number (3) are printed on the back of the shoe.

According to the report, the Air Jordan 12 sneakers honoring Allen Iverson were actually a commemorative tribute to the epic face-off between Iverson and Michael Jordan which occurred back in March of 1997. The report stated that the release of the popular Jordan sneakers would help celebrate the 20th anniversary of the moment when Iverson masterfully and impressively crossed over Michael Jordan not once, but twice.

“As a nod to the 20th Anniversary of that moment, Jordan Brand will be honoring Allen Iverson with a special edition Air Jordan 12. This release has a similar color scheme as the ‘French Blue’ colorway that includes Iverson’s number ‘3’ on the bottom heel, along with his last name ‘Iverson’ on the back heels instead of the usual ‘Jordan.'”

For more information on the Allen Iverson vs. Michael Jordan anniversary editions of the Air Jordan 12 sneakers, Sneaker Bar Detroit encouraged visitors to read the second page of its feature article. However, as soon as you click the link, you’re greeted by the message “APRIL FOOLS” and a YouTube music video of an April Fools’ Day song.

Unfortunately, this means that the Air Jordan 12 sneakers paying tribute to Allen Iverson are not being released anytime soon (or ever). However, it does allow Allen Iverson and Michael Jordan’s fans a dose of nostalgia as they remember, reflect, and re-watch the epic moment when one of the most impressive point guards at that time went head-to-head against the greatest basketball player of all time.

When he received the “Game Changer” Award on BET last July, according to Ball is Life, Allen Iverson did not hesitate to pay tribute to Michael Jordan.

“Growing up wanting to be like Mike. That’s what’s up, ain’t it? If it wasn’t for him, you know what I mean. I wouldn’t be on this stage. I wouldn’t have had the vision to be a basketball player. So I love him for that, and I honor him for that.”

During the same speech, Iverson also took a moment to share an inspirational message of his own.

“When I leave out of the crib every day, people always say to me, ‘What’s up, AI?’ I tell them the same thing 99.9 percent of the time. I tell them, ‘the same fight, different round.’ This world is a world title fight. Some days you’re going to get knocked down. Some rounds are going to be good. Some are going to be bad. The only thing that matters is getting back up and fighting again.”

The Jordan Brand may not have honored Allen Iverson with his own signature shoe or even a modified version of the popular Air Jordan 12 model. However, that is an honor bestowed on a relatively small group of NBA players when you think about the entire association of players overall.

[Image Credit: Drew Hallowell/Getty Images]

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