Whether he’s preparing for a new season with the Los Angeles Lakers or a new season of his hit HBO talk show The Shop, LeBron James always seems to have his mind on the pulse of innovation. Well, that sentiment also applies to his ongoing signature shoe series alongside Nike with the official introduction of his LEBRON 17 silhouette.
Boasting the highest-volume heel Max Air unit in any of Bron-Bron’s past shoes, the LEBRON XVII is constructed from the best of Nike’s laundry list of innovative footwear technologies. From two independent Air Zoom pods under the forefoot to the introduction of “Knitposite” — it’s a Flyknit-based upgrade of the Battleknit 2.0 seen on the LEBRON XVI — this shoe is built for performance first. That’s not to say the shoe doesn’t have hits of style; the heat-molded yarns seen on the upper add pops of color and an overall structure that’s truly eye-grabbing.
For this silhouette in particular, the Swoosh will utilize the tongue for all those colorway-specific add-ons. For instance, on the “Future Air” edition that LeBron advertised on IG yesterday (seen above), the tongue is done up in a fully iridescent design. That look changes when you look at his Lakers-centric option; that one brings back the Lion crest (originally seen on the the heel of the LEBRON 16) with “23” and his “LJ” logo in place as well. The black/white iteration stands as the classic colorway of sorts, especially since the tongue on that version incorporates motifs from the past shoes in the line, in addition to “I’m King” imprinted in bold lettering. Overall, these continue his unwavering legacy, both on and off the court, in all the right ways. We see you, King James!
The Nike LEBRON 17 launches officially with the Lakers-themed colorway on September 27, although some were lucky enough to cop the “Future Air” option yesterday on SNKRS. The black/white version is scheduled for an October 3 drop date. Get a look at all three below:
