10 Reasons Why Nike Needs To Start Retroing LeBrons

The first Air Jordan released in 1985 — and in ’94 Nike flooded stores with retro releases of the same shoes that Michael donned in his first season with the Bulls. It’s hard to believe but the shoes went on sale for next to nothing back then and the same shoe would cost you a mortgage payment today. We aren’t trying to spark another LeBron vs. Mike debate but come on, James has paid his dues as a player and endorser for the brand. Just do it.

It’s 2013 and, from a technology aspect, keeping up with what Nike did in 2003 is still a challenge for other brands. While The Swoosh has made significant strides with making shoes lighter without losing support and durability, players seem to really like rocking more basic performance shoes because they have nostalgic value and are still comfortable as hell. Getting your name shouted out on the sneaker blogs might be part of it too. We see you, Swaggy P.

Kanye said it best, “Went from most hated to the champion god flow/ I guess that's a feeling only me and LeBron know." After LeBron took his talents to South Beach he was the most boo’ed player in every arena until Kris Humphries’ lack of pop culture popularity took over. After getting that ring, a gold medal for the U.S. he easily and understandably could have sat out on, and back-to-back MVP awards, it’s definitely ‘Bron’s time to shine.

Don’t let the Bulls fool you, Miami went on that crazy winning streak and have won 41 out of their last 45 for a reason. As much as Birdman (the white one who plays for the Heat) jokingly is taking the credit, it’s the fact that the Big Three is almost impossible to match up against. Nike is always giving us sneakers that correspond with James’ current accolades, how about something to honor his legacy. Started from the bottom…pack?

LeBron recently broke out the Fairfax VIIs he rocked in his Ohio days for a game this season and those "First Game" Zoom Generations would still look good even in MIA. Why not?

This is a no-brainer, Nike is in business to make money and LeBron’s 57 colorways each year are selling just fine.

A few years ago rocking retro Jordans with the ‘Air’ or Pennys were a sure way to get props from your fellow sneakerheads, but now even the novices can sell a few releases and cop a pair at Flight Club. One of the new trends is showing off LeBrons from his first few seasons. They have yet to re-release and are extremely hard to find in mint condition — the perfect storm for the thirst of a retro drop.

LeBron's been diversifying since he came into the league, and as such he's got a piece of the UNKNWN boutique in Miami. They already sell his shoes now — what better place to kick off a retro line?

Do your homework, even though his first two releases only had a few colorways each, they still trump just about everything else out in basketball right now. Plus we rather rock the wheat Zoom Generations than Timbs in the summer.

Yup, that's right, LeBron could be a free agent again next summer. Maybe get the whole retro operation up and running before everyone has to go through THAT again. And speaking of, someone better defrost Jim Gray.