Source: Nike Basketbal / NIke
LeBron James has been in the NBA a cool 17 seasons, and he’s up to his 18th signature sneaker. Today (Sept. 18), Nike officially unveiled the Nike LeBron 18, and it should look kind of familiar.
Source: Nike Basketbal / NIke
We say that because the new shoe takes plenty of cues from past models. While comfort is still essential, a career approaching two decades means plenty of cushioning and protection underfoot. The shoe features an Air Max unit in the heel which is surrounded by an integrated full-length Zoom Air Bag. To make it clear, the shoe is visually split into two “halves” with aesthetics that point to speed up front in the forefoot and “muscle” on the back heel.
Once again the upper is on some next ish with Knitposite 2.0 that touts the raised dimensions used in the LeBron 15’s Battleknit, the high-tenacity yarns that were flipped in the LeBron 16 and the TPU yarns that made upthe exoskeleton of the LeBron 17. All that to say that it’s light and durable.
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Also worth noting is a sole that was developed with the Nike Sport Research Lab for all types of traction and there is even Max Air utilized in the tongue.
“At this point, LeBron has spent half his life with Nike,” says LeBron footwear designer Jason Petrie via a statement. “We wanted to make him a shoe that played with this idea of two halves. How could we keep improvising on the Max Air value that LeBron loves, but use the forefoot half to sharpen the low-to-the-ground, micro-shifts that LeBron needs to cut and transition down the floor? We’ve gotten near-surgically detailed on these features so that the sum of the shoe’s parts come together for LeBron, and for every kind of player.”
The Empire Jade colorway and the multicolor option of the LeBron 18 will be out in Greater China starting September 21 and 24, respectively. North America will get theirs on October 21.
Check out detailed photos below.
