"Wear test" - LeBron James leaks first images of Nike 'LeBron 22' on IG
LA Lakers star LeBron James recently teased fans with the first wear test of his upcoming Nike LeBron 22 shoes on Instagram. After he and the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs, James shifted his focus to the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he may wind up wearing the upcoming Nike LeBron 22s.
While details of the release haven't been announced, James showed off the prototype on his Instagram story. Like other pre-release prototypes, the Nike LeBron 22s shown on the future Hall of Famer's Instagram story were completely black.
While an all-black colorway will likely be released once the shoes become available to the general public, the shoes shown on LeBron James' Instagram story are likely just a prototype design sent exclusively to James.
James notably didn't give any word as to when the shoes will be released, however, the expectation seems to be that the shoes will likely follow suit of past releases. If so, they will likely drop in September before the start of the NBA season.
Alternatively, the shoes could be released earlier in the summer with an Olympic-themed colorway with the LA star suiting up for Team USA. Check out images of the shoes below.
Note: Instagram stories automatically delete after 24 hours and as such, cannot be embedded. Given that, a screenshot has been included below.
Looking at LeBron James' history with Nike over the years
Before LeBron James ever suited up for the Cleveland Cavaliers or stepped on an NBA court, the young prospect already had quite a bit of attention from shoe brands. Reebok emerged as an early favorite to sign James to a shoe deal thanks to a massive offer that also included a slew of perks, however, the deal fell through.
According to Andscape's Aaron Dodson, James even told his agent back in 2003 amid negotiations that he was quote "comfortable" signing with Reebok. The brand had offered him upwards of $100 million, and was prepared to put their faith in the young star, however, that same day, James signed with Nike.
The pair have since released an annual iteration of James' signature shoe, with Nike extending James and signing him to a lifetime deal in 2015. While no details of the lifetime deal were confirmed by James, reports have indicated that he could be making upwards of $30 million a year as part of the deal.
Since then, James has released another eight models of his signature shoes with numerous colorways for each model along the way. Nike most recently released the Nike LeBron 21s for $200, with the expectation being that the LeBron 22s will be released at the same price point when they drop.
Aside from Michael Jordan, no other NBA athlete has as many signature shoes released as LeBron James. With the upcoming release of the LeBron 22s, James and Nike have shown no signs of slowing down or losing momentum despite the future Hall of Famer entering year 22 of his NBA career.