10 Reasons Why Nike Doesn't Need To Start Retroing LeBrons Yet

Image via Complex Original

When the first round of Air Jordan retros dropped in 1994 and 1995, the sneaker world - and sneakers in general - had come an awful long way since 1985. Growth over those nine, 10 years was exponential, in terms of both design and technology. The Air Jordan 1 was a venerable antique. While a lot has changed in sneakers since the introduction of the Air Zoom Generation in 2003, the AZG would still be a viable performance shoe today. The Air Jordan 1 in 1994? Not so much.

Back in the mid-'90s, signature sneaker lines still hadn't really caught on. There was Ewing, there were Air Jordans, there were the first Shaqs and Barkleys - and other than that, not a whole heck of a lot. Penny didn't have a shoe yet, the James Worthy New Balance experiment was over. In other words, there was room for retro. Now? You've been in a sneaker store lately, right?

It's hard to say anything bad about MJ's "less than legendary" years in the footwear department, but in all honesty, it hasn't really been the same since retros began. Maybe it's because we were distracted by classic retros and that's why signature models of the 2000s got overlooked?

How do we know this? Well, mostly because if he HAD asked, there'd probably be Zoom Generations on shelves right now. Plus, it should be obvious to anyone that LeBron is too focused on pushing forward to look back. He (and we) will have plenty of time to reminisce later.

Original LeBrons are still relatively easy to come by. In fact, you can still get 9s at a discount even. And judging from Instagram, even AZGs and LeBron IIs are still perfectly wearable. Instead of retroing, people should do some digging instead. As a bonus - no complaints about retro quality!

Don't get confused - we're not talking about basketball here. Yes, there is a chance that, when all is said and done, LeBron might be remembered as the best to ever do it. But this is about sneakers. And while the early LeBron sneakers have their share of fans, they're not exactly early Jordans. Outside of the Zoom Generation, it's hard to predict what would be a surefire retro hit.

With the market as crowded as it is, it would be nice if LeBron's retros - whenever they happen - are thought out rather than haphazard. Whether it's celebrating anniversaries of accomplishments, dropping shoes in chronolological order or whatever it is, just make the releases logical.

There are so many color choices every season when it comes to LeBron's latest signature model, why would you need to add MORE choices? We won't even get into Elites and NIKEiD. Not to mention, we know you "real" fans are still sleeping on the Soldier line.

The thing about King James is that he's still making history. The kid is still under 30, and while he may have four MVPs and is a Hall of Fame lock, he's only got that one ring. They may have started retroing Jordans 10 years in, but that's because Mike was retired and riding buses in Birmingham. Bet if he stayed a Bull the retros would have come later.

Look, if there ARE going to be LeBron retros while he's still playing, wouldn't it make sense to at least wait until his current contract expires? He'll probably have another title or two by then and have celebrated his 30th birthday. Plus, if he DOES decide to go back to Cleveland, what better way to celebrate the return of the King?