MONTHS HAD gone by. They said it would just be a day, maybe two, before they heard back. But nope. It had been months since twin brothers Ryan and Adam Goldston met with the NBA in late July of 2010. The brothers had to get their new basketball sneakers approved by the League before players could wear them on-court. But weeks and weeks and weeks passed. Ryan still has excitement in his voice all these years later when he talks about it.
“Adam and I were high school basketball players,” he says. “Our high school team won the Southern California Championship. We played in college at SC. Our dream growing up was literally to be in SLAM.”
The brothers didn’t make it to SLAM as ballplayers. They made it as businessmen. They used all the money they had to buy an ad in SLAM to launch APL, their sneaker company. Athletic Propulsion Labs was meant to be the pinnacle of basketball performance footwear.
That was the only paid advertisement they did. And it worked.
“You have these NBA players and their agents reaching out to us,” Ryan continues. “We ended up getting invited to the NBA Finals when the Lakers were playing the Celtics, 2010. We ran into David Stern and Adam Silver. We were talking to them about APL and the shoes and they said, If you guys want any NBA players to wear it, you have to come to meet with the NBA prior to August 1 of the upcoming season to show them the product and make sure you get approvals.”
The APL Concept 1 was a performance monster, highlighted by Goldston's proprietary Load ’N Launch technology. Load ’N Launch is a forefoot spring pad. The “Load” part happens when a player jumps, compressing the springs. Then the “Launch” comes in the form of a release at the moment of liftoff. The kicks, simply speaking, gave wearers stupid bunnies.
The brothers’ initial idea for APL was to be on the “highest end of the performance spectrum,” according to Ryan. APL ended up flying too high for the League.
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the magazine
THE THIRD Coming
FOR DJ WAGNER, SON OF DAJUAN AND GRANDSON OF MILT—BOTH FORMER NBA PLAYERS—BASKETBALL RUNS IN HIS FAMILY’S BLOOD. OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, HE’LL USE THAT TALENT AND HIS NO. 1 RANKING IN THE CLASS OF 2023 TO LEAD CAMDEN HS TO THE TOP OF THE BASKETBALL WORLD (AGAIN).
STATE of the UNION
CHRIS PAUL HAS BEEN A NATURAL LEADER SINCE AS FAR BACK AS HE CAN REMEMBER. BUT THROUGH 2020, AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE NBPA, PAUL HAS LED ALL 450 NBA PLAYERS THROUGH THE MOST TURBULENT OF TIMES—THROUGH A PANDEMIC, A SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVEMENT, A BUBBLE, AND A SEASON THAT SOMEHOW STRETCHED 355 DAYS—AND THOSE LEADERSHIP ABILITIES HAVE BEEN MORE CRUCIAL THAN EVER. WE SPOKE WITH CP3 ABOUT THE LEGACY OF THE PAST YEAR AND MUCH MORE.
The Fresh Princesses of Blair
IT’S STRAIGHT UP DOMINATION WHEN OLIVIA MILES AND DOMINIQUE DARIUS, TWO OF THE BEST GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PLAYERS IN THE COUNTRY, ARE ON THE FLOOR AT THE SAME TIME.
BREAKING BOUNDARIES
MEET THE SALAM SCHOOL STARS—AN ALL-MUSLIM GIRLS’ TEAM THAT’S CHALLENGING GENDER-NORMS WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITY.
Back For More
ATHLETIC PROPULSION LABS’ first basketball sneaker got banned from the NBA because it gave wearers an “advantage.” The brothers who launched the company have returned to the game 10 years later, with a duo of brand new sneakers.
3 the HARD WAY
THREE NBA CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH THREE DIFFERENT TEAMS MEANS DANNY GREEN KNOWS A THING OR THREE ABOUT WINNING. AS HE WRITES HERE, THE THIRD WAS THE MOST SATISFYING.
Hollywood
Though her first year in the WNBA was anything but normal, Atlanta dream star Chennedy Carter is on her way to a long career in front of the bright lights.
NO MERCY, NO FEAR
THE NBA IS BACK AND NEW ORLEANS PELICANS STAR ZION WILLIAMSON IS AS CONFIDENT AS HE’S EVER BEEN. LET THIS BE YOUR FINAL WARNING.
THE PEOPLE'S CHAMP
NATASHA CLOUD HAS ALWAYS FOUGHT FOR WHAT’S RIGHT. BY OPTING OUT OF THE 2020 WNBA SEASON TO FOCUS ON SOCIAL JUSTICE, THE REIGNING CHAMP CONTINUES HER FIGHT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY.
PACK MENTALITY
MEET ROBBY SIKKA, THE SUPERFAN TURNED DOCTOR TURNED NBA TEAM VP WHOSE EXPERTISE HAS BEEN CRUCIAL FOR THE NBA THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC.
Y&R: DRAMA AT SHARON AND REY'S WEDDING
The day before her wedding, a stressed-out Sharon becomes concerned when Nick shows up at her house.
Mississippi mise en scene
Inspired by bold color and eclectic cinematic set design, Gaynell Martin turned fantasy into reality in her show-stopping Hattiesburg home.
Y&R: CHELSEA HAS A STROKE
LATE BREAKING NEWS
INSIDE ADAM FOLTZ' 5.90 INDEX SECOND-GEN AFTERMATH
At only 4,100 pounds, Adam Foltz knows he doesn’t need crazy horsepower to be competitive in the 5.90 Index class, which is probably why he has fueling on the P-pump pulled all the way back and has focused more on dialing in the chassis lately. “With a small nitrous tweak we went from 6.50 to 5.80,” he told us. “But once we know it’s going to go straight every time, we’ll be shooting for low 1.2’s on the 60-foot (on the trans brake).”
Burst of Activity
TOOL’S ADAM JONES — AND GIBSON’S CESAR GUEIKIAN — DISCUSS THE FINER POINTS OF GIBSON’S NEW ADAM JONES 1979 LES PAUL CUSTOM
BEST BASSISTS REVEALED!
You voted for the Bassist Of 2020... and the results are in.
Prom King
With a huge Netflix deal and the power to green-light just about anything, Ryan Murphy has become the ultimate insider. And his work is suffering.
Shoots from the hip
SEASON OF SAVINGS
KOBE BRYANT & DAUGHTER DIDN'T STAND A CHANCE!
Gianna and Kobe died while on their way to a girls’ basketball tournament
JENNIFER & LEO: FLIRTING WITH DISASTER
JENNIFER LAWRENCE AND LEONARDO DICAPRIO’S CHEMISTRY IS SHAKING THEIR SIGNIFICANT OTHERS.