John Kim 
Over the last decade, these prized possessions commonly called Samples and PEs have been the cream of the crop in terms of collectible sneakers. Typically, these artifacts were in Air Jordan Retro form; Kobe Bryant’s string of PE Retros colored up in Purple and Yellow, Carmelo Anthony’s exclusives for his Nuggets days, and cleat versions for the brand’s NFL athletes were simply dream colorways made only for the athletes, but somehow these never-for-retail editions landed in the hands of the most feverish collectors on the planet (and we’ve shed a spotlight on some of these thorough individuals). Over the last half-decade, Nike Basketball stepped up with some of these delicious compositions and for some models, these issues outnumbered actual released versions.
It can be argued that the Nike Air Max LeBron VII was the kickstarter to the Nike LeBron Sample and PE craze, simply because there were so many out there. The “Heroes” Pack, which acted as a tribute to LeBron’s idols, the trio of Hardwood Classics colorways, or even the unreleased MVP are just some of the bangers that can elevate any sneaker collection into that elite status. Do you own a pair or several of those listed here? If so, how’d you get your hands on one? Check out this overview of some jaw-dropping LeBron VII PEs and Samples and stay tuned to Sneaker News for the next installment of The Sample and PE Craze.
HARDWOOD CLASSICS
The “Hardwood Classics” features three renditions of orange and blue. The colorways, often mistaken as “Knicks” varieties, are tributes to the old-school Cavaliers uniforms.
HEROES PACK
Michael Jordan, Penny Hardaway, and Deion Sanders make up a young LeBron’s idols. Nike transformed the LeBron VII in three different flavors to reflect the Air Jordan XI, Air Max Penny, and Diamond Turf.
ALL BLACK EVERYTHING
Jay Z’s companionship with LeBron is highlighted by this incredibly rare tonal-black PE that served as an homage to the famous “All Black Everything” line. The pair was designed by DJ Clark Kent, a longtime Jigga associate since the Reasonable Doubt days.
CAVFANATIC
As a big “thank you” to its loyal fans, the Cleveland Cavaliers organization debuted “CavFanatic” night and gave back some cool treats and souvenirs for its most loyal followers. A special colorway of the LeBron VII was created to match the throwback-inspired uniforms.
SHOOTING STARS
The Shooting Stars is the name of King James’ AAU Tournament, and also the name of this clean PE colorway (that eerily fits with Miami Heat uniforms).
MVP
LeBron James was awarded the MVP of the 2009-2010 NBA season, but in light of the negative reception toward his decision to leave for Miami, Nike scrapped the release of this limited release. Of the entire group listed here, the MVP was by far the “easiest” to obtain.
SVMS
LeBron’s alma mater of St. Vincent-St. Mary has always been a storyline for the LeBron series. This unreleased PE of the Air Max LeBron VII puts a spotlight on the clean colorway of White/Green/Gold, but unfortunately it never hit stores.
CHRISTMAS
The released version of the LeBron VII “Christmas” was a banger, but this sample, complete with a candy apple red patent leather and speckled swoosh, was certainly a better treat.
HYPERFUSE
An unreleased version of the Air Max LeBron VII featured a non-Flywire Hyperfuse upper. The shoes never hit production, although it did serve as a nice precursor to the LeBron 8 P.S. sneaker.
KENTUCKY
LeBron’s been a fan of Kentucky Wildcats long before Drake jumped on the bandwagon. This special PE version of the LeBron VII landed in the hands of select players on the team.
