The recent unveiling and release of the Nike LeBron 11 marked a pretty sizable milestone for LeBron James, who has now entered the rarefied air of athletes with over a decade’s worth of signature silhouettes under their belts. Nike has already recognized the occasion with no small amount of fanfare, having most recently celebrated down in Miami with the 11/11 Experience as well as an impressive digital experience called “A Decade in the Making“. With exactly eleven days to go until November the 11th, Sneaker News will take a moment to highlight each and every signature shoe in the LeBron legacy as a part of our ongoing 11 Days of Nike LeBron series, starting with the shoe that sparked the entire collection – the Nike Air Zoom Generation. Read on below!
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The Nike Air Zoom Generation really needs no introduction at this point, but for the younger fans unaware of the significance – this is LeBron’s first signature shoe. Officially, the shoe doesn’t include LeBron James’ name, but there was no doubt who these belonged to, especially when he dropped a ridiculous 25 points, 9 assists, and 6 boards against the Sacramento Kings during his first career regular season game. With the harshest of bright lights shining from above, LeBron rose to occasion and came through with an impressive overall game and eventually starred as the highlight for the Rookie Challenge in February of 2004.
The AZGs didn’t circulate much as only five colorways ever hit stores. The basic Black/Red for Away, a White/Red for Home, a clean Alternate White/Black/Red, the rarer “First Game”, and the All-Star specialty known as the Wheats comprise the entire Air Zoom Generation catalog, but that’s not including the special Desert Camo, Pink, and Rookie of the Year Samples and PEs that gained their legend status on sneaker forums. The AZG became a popular topic in 2013 as well as LeBron himself rocked a pair of 1s recently, and talks of a possible Retro kept fans in the loop more than usual. What’s your favorite Air Zoom Generation colorway? Check out some of the better joints here and stay tuned for Day 2 of 11 Days of Nike LeBron.