Brand New Photos Of The $270 LeBron James Sneakers That Caused A Major Uproar Last Month
Nike just released new photos of the LeBron X — the new LeBron James sneaker that sparked outrage last month when the WSJ reported it would cost $315.
The standard version of the shoe will actually cost $180, and a souped-up version with Nike+ will cost $270.
Nike is marketing the shoe with a campaign focused on vaguely ancient opulence, similar to what they did with Kanye West's Air Yeezy II. Here's how they describe the shoe:
"Inspired by the creation and beauty of a diamond, the metaphoric comparisons run parallel to James' career. Diamonds form between the Earth’s crust and super-heated core, where intensity changes the structure of carbon over time."
Diamonds are worked into the design, just like hieroglyphics and obelisks were worked into the latest Yeezy's.
On a more practical level, the shoe features a lightweight upper, an asymmetrical design that helps support the your ligaments, and little slits that get air moving through the shoe. The $270 version comes with Nike+ technology that lets you track things like how high you jump and how fast you run.
They look pretty wild (especially in these colors) and we imagine you'll either love 'em or hate 'em.
The three colorways right now
This color is officially called "jade." And there's a tiny diamond illustration worked into it
The rubber heel is pretty mesmerizing
Nike typically uses this "Flywire" on their running shoes, but they've brought it to the LeBron X
Here's the sole, that logo in the middle is all over the shoe
There it is again on the tongue
The Nike swoosh has that crinkled silver look
Nike says each colorway is inspired by diamonds. Blue is "symbolic of the blue tint diamonds gain from interaction with electricity"
The jade is "inspired by the Chinese art of cutting jade using diamonds"
Nike didn't say how the regular back shoes were diamond-like
From far away, the little details get lost, and they just look like normal basketball shoes
Here's the TV spot that will promote the shoe
More shoes
Check Out The Over-The-Top Air Yeezy II's >
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