As LeBron James prepares for his 22nd NBA season, assuming he doesn’t surprise everyone by retiring, he is also working on the release of his latest sneaker from Nike.

James posted a photo teasing the Nike LeBron 22 after the shoe went through a wear test.

Nike has yet to announce an official release date for the shoe, but Victor Deng of Complex.com noted it is expected to be available at some point before the holiday season for $180.

Per Nicholas Vlahos of SoleRetriever.com, the silhouette shape on the test shoe in James’ picture is “relatively unchanged” from the LeBron 21, but some changes are expected to the side branding and sole unit.

Nike has released a new LeBron sneaker annually since his rookie season in 2003-04.

In a 2023 story celebrating the 20th anniversary of James’ original endorsement contract with Nike, Andscape’s Aaron Dodson and Nick DePaula noted there was a point when Reebok thought it had signed the most hyped high school draft prospect in NBA history on a six-year deal worth “well north of $100 million with additional perks.”

Aaron Goodwin, James’ agent at the time, told Dodson and DePaula he believed James was going to sign with Reebok.

“At one point we stepped outside the room and LeBron said, ‘Hey, I feel comfortable with them.’ Three hours later, he chose Nike,” Goodwin said.

James signed a lifetime endorsement deal with Nike in December 2015. Terms of the deal were not made public, but it’s reportedly worth more than $30 million annually for the future Hall of Famer.

The new sneakers are coming at a time when James’ future is uncertain. The 20-time All-Star has a $51.4 million player option with the Los Angeles Lakers for next season, but he could sign a three-year, $162 million deal with the club this summer by opting out.

Source:https://bleacherreport.com