4. What do you think is the impact of LeBron James not wearing his signature Nike LeBron 11?
Pollakoff: Strangely enough, I don’t think the impact will end up being that far-reaching in terms of sales or interest from the public. The design is flawless, and the fit is extremely comfortable, though different from the pillowy feel of the Xs. It would be nice to see him wearing some PEs in games like he did recently with the Fairfax edition in Los Angeles, and maybe we’ll get that more in the second half of the season. But other players are wearing them, and as long as they’re seen on court consistently the interest level will remain high because it’s such a great-looking shoe.
Schwadron: We had a lot of discussions in the SLAM offices about what was going on with LeBron’s kicks early in the season, and many of us were curious why people weren’t making a bigger deal about it. But the crazy thing is, I don’t think it had any impact on the 11’s impact in the minds—and more importantly, wallets—of consumers. A lot of kids who walk into a store looking for the new LeBrons aren’t necessarily so in tune with what he wears each and every game (or every half). I remember walking into a Foot Locker in Manhattan in the first month of the season. One of my buddies was considering copping some LeBrons. Anyway, we got to talking with one of the sales dudes there and when I brought up the fact that LeBron hadn’t been wearing these on-court, he was like, “What?” Not saying he should have known that, I just think that LeBron’s shoe and logo are going to sell no matter what, and priority No. 1 for him as a basketball player is feeling comfortable, obviously.
Holdahl: Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems like there are far more colorway options available for this year’s LeBrons than in previous years, which might be one of the impacts of James not wearing them on court as often as Nike would probably like. As in, if LeBron isn’t wearing them on court, maybe Nike puts out more colorways than they would have otherwise to give people a reason to purchase? That’s just a theory.
Another impact is it probably changes the way Nike approaches their design process with James for the LeBron XII. One would assume they’ll want to take extra care to make sure the next model is better suited to what LeBron needs from an on-court perspective going forward.
Kiel: I don’t think the impact is that significant. Sure, you wonder why he’s not wearing the shoe Nike created for him to wear throughout the season, but from what I’m hearing, it’s not effecting sales and the interest level is still high. Plus, you have a number of players – DeMarcus Cousins, Derrick Williams and Draymond Green – that consistently wear it, enjoy it and bring out some intriguing colorways. Gone are the days in which the athlete wearing his latest shoe is the determining factor for someone buying the shoe in my opinion. It would be nice to see the athlete in the shoe that created exclusively for him, but a striking design, aesthetically, will sell itself.
Cason: The impact hasn’t hurt sales. It just shows that, sometimes, any publicity is good publicity. Anytime you have ESPN writing on LeBron’s frustrations with the shoe, it definitely does some good because now there’s even more of a microscope on what he’s wearing, which has to help sales of the Zoom Soldier VII as well. While LeBron hasn’t worn it much this season, others have had the chance to shine in PE versions of the shoe, like DeMarcus Cousins, P.J. Tucker, Terrence Ross, etc.
DePaula: I initially thought it would be a HUGE deal, but him not co-signing the shoe hasn’t meant much in terms of sales, and sales are actually up over last year. I guess that just goes to show how amazing of a design it is. I actually got hurt in them the first time I played in a pair and haven’t hooped in 3 months (which is killing me), but I also think the Black/Red 11 is one of the best shoes I’ve ever seen. People seem to be buying them regardless of whether or not they’re on court, which is definitely a surprise.
