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Beaverton, Ore. – The latest signature shoe in the Nike LeBron line was appropriately unveiled at the NIKE Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon yesterday. King James’ 12th signature shoe, the LeBron 12, is Nike’s first sneaker to incorporate the newly-developed hexagonal Zoom Air bags, which amplify natural motion of the foot. “Besides having my name on the shoe, the hexagonal outsole is my absolute favorite part of the 12,” said a noticeably intrigued LeBron James, who was on hand, along with President of NIKE brand Trevor Edwards, NBA Inside Stuff host Kristen Ledlow and other NIKE representatives. “It’s an extremely cushioned shoe, and I think that’s what most people will love most about it.”
Prior to Ledlow’s discussion with James about the LeBron 12, NIKE invited a number of individuals who helped put James’ basketball greatness in perspective, including John Brenkus, Host and Creator of multi-Emmy award winning Sports Science on ESPN, Ken DeGennaro, the NBA’s Vice President of Statistical Analysis and Matt Nurse, the Head of Research at Nike Sports Research Lab. Details about the actual LeBron 12 design were particularized through Nike Basketball Color Lead Eugene Rogers and Director of Cushioning Innovation Tayrn Hensley.
The latter said this about the hexagonal pattern: “Instead of using the the traditional foam, the new pattern uses a unique combination of pressurized air and fibers. There are thousands of fibers in each air bag. The fibers are under high tension and this gives then their unique performance characteristics. First, the fibers give excellent cushioning upon impact and this is followed by a quick “snap back” when the foot comes off the ground. This “snap back” is one of the characteristics of Zoom Air that athletes focus on the most.”
Multiple colorways of the Nike LeBron 12 ($200) will be released between the months of October and December with the NSRL version being the first to hit shelves on October 1 in China and October 11, globally.
View detailed photos of the LeBron 12 event below. Stay tuned for an exclusive interview with Rogers about the upcoming colorways.
