Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is one of the best basketball players to ever live. There is a reason he is a mainstay in the GOAT conversation – his on-the-court credentials speak for themselves.
That said, James isn’t just a legend for his playing skills. Much like Michael Jordan before him, James has also etched his name into the record books over his long-time relationship with Nike.
James inked a lifetime deal with Nike at the end of 2015. Rumors suggest that it pays him more than $30 million annually, but concrete numbers have never actually come out.
What has come out with regularity is a new ‘LeBron’ shoe – and it was more of the same this week. Photos leaked out of the new LeBron 20, and it earned something of a mixed response.
The visual largely speaks for itself:
How do we feel about the Lebron 20? 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ekScbi9FIW
— The Pettiest Laker Fan 🤫 (@ThePettiestLA) June 26, 2022
As do the reactions:
— tony (@itstonyjdavis) June 28, 2022
Respectfully https://t.co/xet92r7rhg pic.twitter.com/m5EJkKwIKq
— PhillyDripIcicleCold (@MotivatedHumbly) June 27, 2022
— (@vontexcii) June 28, 2022
this looks like bubblegum https://t.co/PwmElpeTEm
— Mamba Mentality Masculinization Hypno (@SunshineSprkl69) June 27, 2022
same energy https://t.co/P7p76qRWOd pic.twitter.com/hUIeFFeLrk
— Ahmed Amr (@ahmeddd__10) June 27, 2022
first shoe of his i’ve genuinely liked since the 4’s tbh https://t.co/IfykGv48Jl
— naim (@nyeem0) June 27, 2022
#America Stop emasculating Men. This shoe mad girly I could accept a Easter purple but pink. https://t.co/r1qMZFO994
— Hibachi (@MoneyLineMisfit) June 27, 2022
LeBron’s making a return to my shoe collectionpic.twitter.com/5PqE6U38mr https://t.co/fsXqkOwJIq
— israel (@iohandles) June 27, 2022
Different shoe styles garner different responses from various people, so the polarization here is unsurprising. The same thing happened when Alex Caruso debuted his new kicks, Gordon Hayward offered up a signature shoe and Austin Reaves dropped his hot fire.
Some people always love it, while others always hate it.
Yikes. https://t.co/TO63AB9tcX
— Game 7 (@game7__) June 28, 2022
Will these new LeBrons ultimately sell as successfully as past models have?
Time will tell.
Related: Hornets’ Michael Jordan Dances With Mystery Woman (Video)
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
