20 Years Strong: A Brief History of the Nike LeBron Collection
By
By Stadium Goods |20 Years Strong: A Brief History of the Nike LeBron Collection
Celebrating LeBron James’s 20th anniversary in the NBA, we take a look at many of his signature sneaker highlights.
Matt DeSciora
As one of the greatest basketball players of all time, LeBron James has accomplished things in the NBA that many thought weren’t possible. He’s set records for winning championships with three different teams, points scored in a career, most consecutive double-digit scoring games, All-NBA teams, and 20-point games in NBA history, and he’s the only player in league history to record at least 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 10,000 assists.
And he’s done it all while wearing Nike LeBron sneakers.
A collection that started in 2003, the Nike LeBron line makes up some of the greatest and most influential performance basketball shoes ever made. From collaborations with Ronnie Fieg’s Kith to colorways like the Nike LeBron 8 “South Beach” that played an important role in advancing sneaker culture from a niché to a mainstream hobby in the early 2010s, the Nike LeBron collection has lived up to and succeeded the expectations of the original 7-year, $87 million dollar contract that Nike gave to LeBron prior to his rookie season in the NBA.
In celebration of LeBron’s 20th anniversary in the NBA, we’re taking a brief look at the history of the Nike LeBron series, beginning with the line’s very first shoe, the Nike Air Zoom Generation. Whether you’ve been collecting “King James’s” signature shoes from the beginning or have recently become familiar with the collection, everyone could use a refresher on some of the line’s greatest hits.
Nike Air Zoom Generation “First Game”
Before we get started on this journey through LeBron’s signature sneakers, let’s clear up a common misconception about the line. The Nike Air Zoom Generation is LeBron’s first-ever signature shoe with Nike, but the model’s “First Game” colorway wasn’t the first shoe LeBron wore in the NBA. Allow us to explain.
In spite of its nickname, the Air Zoom Generation “First Game” isn’t the sneaker LeBron wore when he made his NBA debut against the Sacramento Kings on October 29, 2003. (The shoe he wore that night is actually the white, black, and red colorway.) Instead, the Air Zoom Generation “First Game” refers to the colorway of the model that LeBron had on when he played in his first home game as a rookie with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Got all that? Great, let’s continue.
Before switching to Max Air for the LeBron 7, LeBron’s first few sneakers utilized Zoom Air cushioning, which is the same technology that was found in many of Nike’s classic basketball shoes from the 1990s and early 2000s. One of the more popular Nike LeBrons from the Zoom Air era was the Nike Zoom LeBron 2 “USA,’ which was worn by “King James” during the 2004 summer olympics in Athens, Greece. The colorway was retroed by Nike back in October 2022.
LeBron has never competed in an NBA Slam Dunk Contest but, back in the mid-to-late 2000s, he was a participant in multiple Skills Competitions that were held over All-Star Weekend. In 2006, he competed in the contest but came up short against his good buddy Dwyane Wade. A year later in 2007, he again competed in the contest and again lost out to Wade. But at least he did so in style, wearing the shiny gold Nike Zoom LeBron 4 “All-Star.”
Nike LeBron 7 “Lakers Media Day”
Old shoe, new team. That’s a brief summary of this particular colorway of the LeBron 7. The model was originally worn by LeBron during the 2009-10 NBA season, the final year of his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. This flashy, mismatched LeBron 7 was debuted by LeBron years later during his first NBA Media Day as a Los Angeles Laker in 2019. Initially just a PE, Nike later released the colorway in 2020 in celebration of LeBron’s 2020 NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Nike LeBron 8 “South Beach” is the most hyped and arguably most influential sneaker in the history of the Nike LeBron collection. It’s the shoe that started a new era in LeBron’s sneaker legacy, and the shoe that first paired LeBron with ultra talented Nike footwear designer Jason Petrie, who would become an integral part of the next chapters of the Nike LeBron collection. The Nike LeBron 8 “South Beach” not only celebrates the beginning of LeBron’s run with the Miami Heat, but is the shoe that helped turn sneaker collecting into a mainstream hobby in the early days of social media.
The Nike LeBron 9 “Big Bang” is another now-classic colorway from the Nike LeBron collection that has been re-released as a retro in recent years. The colorway was originally released over NBA All-Star Weekend in 2012, and is one of multiple sneakers from Nike’s heralded “Galaxy” collection (the same collection, might we add, that includes the legendary Nike Air Foamposite One “Galaxy.”) Inspiration for the fiery orange “Big Bang” shoe comes from Kennedy Space Center, which is located near Orlando, Florida, the site of the ‘12 All-Star Game in which LeBron competed in.
With so many great colorways in the Nike LeBron collection, it was only right that Nike created a “What The” inspired theme for the Nike LeBron 11 in 2014. The design features elements of other Nike LeBrons before it, including the Nike LeBron 7’s tongue and the map of Akron, Ohio, LeBron’s hometown, that was seen on the Nike LeBron 5. The “What The” Nike LeBron 11 celebrates the 10th anniversary of “King James’s” signature shoe line. Worth noting from a tech standpoint, the 11 also saw the return of Zoom Air cushioning to the LeBron line, with a drop-in, Zoom-cushioned midsole housed within the shoe.
Kith x Nike LeBron 15 “Closing Ceremony”
The Nike LeBron line isn’t known for its collaborations, but that doesn't mean that the few times that Nike has teamed up with other creatives for design inspiration haven’t been an overwhelming success. Case in point being the Kith x Nike LeBron 15 “Closing Ceremony,” a shoe that originated as a Player Exclusive colorway that was surprise-released on Kith’s online store in 2018. The buzzy release came just months after the memorable “Long Live the King” collection from Kith.
Following the success of the Nike LeBron 11 “What The,” the Nike LeBron 17 was offered in a “What The” design in 2020. This version of the “What The” features elements of Nike LeBron colorways like the “Currency,” “I Promise,” and the UNINTERRUPTED’s “More Than An Athlete” motto, too, for good measure. The Nike LeBron 17 “What The” is the third Nike LeBron sneaker to be released in a “What The” theme.
The Nike LeBron 20 “Time Machine” doesn’t necessarily nod to any specific Nike LeBron sneakers from the past, but that doesn’t detract from the shoe’s interesting colorway. A combination of colors and materials give the model an eye-catching look, one that almost calls to mind the head-turning design of the “South Beach” theme.
Our look into the history of some of the more interesting Nike LeBron sneakers concludes with the Nike LeBron 21 “Akoya.” Said to be inspired by LeBron’s bond with his daughter, Zhuri Nova, the colorway features a super versatile appearance with Light Bone and Campfire Orange accenting throughout. Without a doubt, the “Akoya” is one of the most exciting new colorways of Nike Basketball’s collection for the 2023-2024 NBA season.