Seemingly out of nowhere, LeBron James has unveiled the next entry in his signature footwear line with Nike.
Just moments ago, King James shared images on Instagram of a private workout with his youngest son, Bryce, while wearing an unreleased performance silhouette that has since been confirmed to be the Nike LeBron 21, as he's seen holding up the number "21."
Following up last year's debut of the Nike LeBron 20 that became the first performance hoops shoe in James’ signature line to debut as a low-top silhouette, the LeBron 21 will stick with a low-top construction on the upper.
This pair worn by James dons a tonal beige makeup that's offset by a brown heel counter. The lateral Swoosh is dressed in the aforementioned beige hue, while the medial version features a special graphic of some sort. As of now, the cushioning setup used in the midsole is currently unknown. The LeBron 20 used a dual Zoom Air configuration with a curved forefoot unit and a bottom-loaded heel unit, so it's possible the LeBron 21 could utilize a similar setup.
Despite an initial look from James, release details for the upcoming Nike LeBron 21 sneaker have yet to be announced by the Swoosh. Check back soon for official updates.
UPDATE (09/14): Nike has officially unveiled James' 21st signature sneaker, the LeBron 21. According to the Swoosh, this model is inspired by James' daughter, Zhuri, along with the notion of creating a sneaker for the modern-day hooper.
The sneaker features design elements that are inspired by an oyster shell specifically on the upper while the perforated foam tongue provides cushioning to the midfoot. The LeBron 21 is also equipped with a Zoom Turbo unit in the forefoot and a 13-millimeter Zoom unit tucked within its full-length Cushlon 2.0 foam midsole.
“As we took our next steps from the LeBron XX, we were inspired by the way LeBron maintains his body and his game during the offseason,” Jason Petrie, the lead designer for the LeBron 21, said. “His trainer says it's like taking care of an F1 car. You tweak the car between each race. You don’t need to rebuild the car completely. We wanted to retain some of the elements we know he loved, like the Zoom Turbo unit, but refine some of the finishes in the upper.”
The Nike LeBron 21 will be released globally on Sept. 28 at Nike.com and at select Nike Basketball retailers. The shoe will be available in full-family sizing.
