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LeBron James has recently been reminiscing. After throwing it back and randomly wearing his first signature shoe, the Nike Air Zoom Generation, King James then gave us a history lesson on his past models. To go along with his Zoom Generation #todayskicks post, LBJ asked a question: “Retro time people?”
As we near the 10-year anniversary of LeBron’s NBA and signature shoe debut, the question is valid (Air Jordans only took nine years to retro). One of the most coveted King James silhouettes is the only one without his name on the box, and the shoe that he recently foreshadowed. The Nike Generation was recently labeled one of the 20 designs that changed the game, and is primed to come back. Click through the following pages to see 15 Nike Air Zoom Generations that we’d like to see retro, and let us know which ones you’d prefer to see on shelves in the comment section.
Nike Air Zoom Generation OG Test Sample
Before Nike’s new King had his own signature sneaker, he donned the Nike Zoom Flight 2K3 in the NBA Summer League. While LeBron James was getting acclimated to the league in a practice jersey, the design team in Beaverton was working to perfect the debut signature for their new poster boy. Before the Nike Air Zoom Generation became what it is, there was a multitude of wear-test samples that were being evaluated. This particular all-black OG Test Sample was far different from the final product. An ultra-high design, along with a resized and relocated swoosh and missing Nike outsole stamp, was eventually scrapped and remodeled into the sleek silhouette that turned out to ultimately be the Zoom Generation, but this OG sample would make for an intriguing retro.
LeBron James in the Nike Zoom Air 2K3 (photo via Bleacher Report)
