IN PHOTOS: LeBron James debuts Baylor-Inspired Nike 21 PE against Blazers
LeBron James has been showing new colorways of his newest shoes the Nike LeBron 21s. On Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers, he rocked a fresh new pair of his signature shoe. James’s most recent colorway is a PE special edition made for Baylor University. The shoe features a white upper with green and yellow accents. It also has a Baylor logo on the tongue.
It is a bit of a strange choice for James as he has no obvious connection to Baylor. However, Nike is the official athletic supplier for the university’s athletic program. Players on the basketball team wear special Nikes including the PE edition of LeBron 21s as seen on The King himself.
Nike often makes customized versions and colorways of its signature basketball shoes for the school’s basketball teams. The PE edition of some Nike basketball shoes and Jordan brand shoes are often hyped and hard to come by. This is especially true for PE edition of Oregon shoes. Perhaps James will rock Oregon PE editions of his 21s later in the season.
It seems more likely that he may go with Ohio State, USC or Duke next, though. James is a longtime Buckeyes fan despite never attending Ohio State. He has had customized jerseys and shoes made for the team before.
In regards to USC, his son Bronny currently plays on the team, which would be an obvious connection. As for Duke, James said he would have likely attended Duke if he played college basketball.
LeBron James’ Nike deal
LeBron James is one of Nike’s most important athletes. He has had a deal with the company since before he even stepped on an NBA floor. LeBron James and Nike have partnered for 21 signature editions of his shoe line. They have also created multiple branded clothing lines and spin-off versions of his signature shoes, like the “Witnesses” or “Soldiers.”
James and Nike signed a seven-year, $87 million deal before James’ rookie season. Nike beat out offers of more than $100 million from Adidas and Reebok because it had a shoe already made for James in the pitch meeting.
The two sides have been partners ever since. James signed a lifetime deal with the brand in 2015. The deal is worth a reported $1 billion and keeps one of the basketball greats tied to the Oregon-based brand forever.
The brand connection will continue for a while, as LeBron James’s son Bronny already has his own deal with Nike. The youngster wears his dad’s shoes while playing for USC. There's no word yet on if he has a signature shoe in the works. He may have to make the NBA first. He is not quite the sure-thing prospect that his father was at 18 years old.