By now you’ve seen lots and lots of colorways of the Nike LeBron 13 (the first of which we revealed on the cover of SLAM 192), the latest piece of pinnacle footwear to be donned by the one and only King James. The 13th edition of LeBron’s signature sneaker is the most technically advanced ever. Built to harness LBJ’s explosiveness, it’s designed to the exact specifications of the most dominant player on the planet, while personal touches on the LeBron 13 include “Akronite” emblazoned on the outsole, plus markings for his birth month of December 1984.
Last week, Nike Basketball granted SLAM the opportunity to wear-test the LeBron 13 during a private personal training session with elite NBA trainer Idan Ravin, who has worked with everyone from Stephen Curry to James Harden to yes, LeBron himself. You might remember Idan from his “Hoops Whisperer” column in our mag, in fact.
Running us through a series of cardio and shooting drills, Idan made sure to put us—and the sneakers—to work. Hard-cutting on the baseline really displayed the shoe’s flexibility and sock-like fit, while broad jumps from end to end helped us feel the Nike Zoom Air cushioning mapped specifically to the impact points in the foot. Not to mention that the 13s are extremely breathable—much needed as we sweated our asses off through Idan’s workout.
Scroll through the photos above for a closer look at the shoe on-court. Thanks again to Nike for the experience, and to Idan for the shooting tips.
