The first regular season game of LeBron James’ illustrious career was on October 29, 2003. He and the Cavaliers were in Sacramento, facing an experienced and talented Kings team. Mike Bibby, Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic proved to be too much to handle for young LeBron, though, and the home squad took the 106-92 win.
But James had forcefully announced his arrival as a serious threat to the League. The 18-year-old had 25 points, 9 assists and 4 steals. He delivered a soaring tomahawk dunk in the first quarter, the first of many Statue of Liberty throwdowns.
And of course, making good on his $90 million contract with Nike, he was wearing his signature sneaker, the Air Zoom Generation. The midcut sneaker was built with military-precision in mind. James has long been interested in soldiers (word to the 2016 Finals sneakers) and Nike made sure to pack his footwear with tech that would help him attack opponents.
That red, black and white Nike Air Zoom Generation colorway is finally returning, 14 years since it was released, continuing to push the LeBron retro line. The major difference between the OG version is the back heel window. It’s dressed in metallic red this time around, replacing the silver chrome that it originally came in.
It’s 2003 otherwise, paying homage to the first sneaker that started LeBron James’ Hall of Fame career. Zoom Air cushioning, a mix of mesh and leather on the upper, and the colorway that ‘Bron first made famous.
The Nike Air Zoom Generation will drop in very limited quantities on August 26, for $175.
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Photos courtesy of Nike
