Nike celebrates LeBron James and new-look Sixers with Air Force 1 '01 'Philly' shoes
The shoes include several Philly-coded touches, such as the "215" on the left shoe. It joins LeBron's own 'Philly' shoe, alongside drops from fellow Sixers stars Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey.
Nike has been active around Philly recently, from commissioning a new mural at Garage Fishtown to a commercial highlighting its “Chosen 2One5″ campaign.
Now, it’s adding Philly-inspired sneakers to the mix.
Nike is celebrating LeBron James’ arrival to the city with Air Force 1 ’01 shoes, in a colorway matching the 76ers’ colors. The low-top shoe has a white leather base color, white shoelaces, blue on the toe box and side panels, and a red Nike swoosh.
There are several details paying homage to the city. The right shoe has “PHL,” lettering outlined in blue, while the left shoe has “215,″ the area code for the city. On the back heel, “Phila” is displayed, just like the Sixers’ primary home and away jerseys.
A presale for the shoe, which is $140, was held Thursday through the Nike SNKRS app and local retailer Lapstone & Hammer. The shoes are expected to ship by February.
James debuts LeBron 24 ‘Philly’ shoes
Speaking of James, he has wearing some special, limited-edition shoes in his Sixers debut on Thursday night. Earlier this year, he announced the release of his 24th signature shoe with Nike in his 24th NBA season.
He debuted the Nike LeBron 24 “Philly” shoes, and only 76 pairs were released as a nod to his new team. Each shoe had a monochromatic theme, with the Sixers’ blue on his right foot and their red on his left. The LeBron 24s have a “KingKnit” material, which looks like a mesh fishing net, along with the outline of a crown on the shoe’s outsole. The shoe dropped earlier this week at Nike’s pop-up at the Fashion District.
The shoe release is the latest event by a Sixers star. Jaylen Brown partnered with A Bathing Ape through his streetwear brand, 7UICE, for a limited-time shoe collaboration unveiled last weekend at Lapstone & Hammer.
The shoe, called 7UICE x BAPE STA, released online on Oct. 18, a day after the Lapstone & Hammer drop, and has a black leather upper silhouetting the entire shoe, with the Bathing Ape white star and 7UICE written in green accents near the heel, similar to the colors of his former team, the Boston Celtics. Brown also has his “NOT from HERE” signature shoe through his brand, 741 Performance, releasing in November.
Tyrese Maxey released his new signature shoe earlier this month, the New Balance Maxey v1s. Ahead of his shoe release, he stopped at local spots, including Foot Locker, Ishkabibble’s, and Faheem’s Hand of Precision.
Beat reporters Gina Mizell and Chris Hine break down their most intriguing quotes from LeBron James and Tyrese Maxey during the preseason, along with what they most hope to learn about this revamped roster during the first month of the season. Watch here.
Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Sixers Extra podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
