Image via Complex Original
Colorways can make or break a sneaker but in recent years, the fate of a good colorway is more in the hands of the consumer than ever before. With sites like New Balance Customs, miadidas and NIKEiD, the possibilities are seemingly endless. You can take your favorite colorway from any shoe and recreate a similar "inspired" colorway on just about anything.
That said, the two biggest signature athletes in the NBA, LeBron James and Derrick Rose both were recently recipients of new signature sneakers, the Nike LeBron XI and adidas Rose 4, respectively. Not long after the news of the latest signature sneakers for King James and D-Rose were announced, they landed on the custom sites, NIKEiD.com and miadidas.com. We decided to take a closer look at the options and possibilities with each of these superstar sneakers and compare them. After choosing 15 famous colorways, we got to creating and with both the LeBron XI and Rose 4 having premium options available, the battle to see who's signature came out on top was about as close as you can get.
Click through Choose Your Weapon: NIKEiD LeBron XI vs. miadidas Rose 4 to see which NBA MVP has gets the crown for the best custom options.
RELATED: Concept Colorways: The Air Jordan XX8 Re-Imagined
RELATED: 10 Colorways of LeBron James' Nike Air Zoom Generation We'd Like to See Retro
RELATED: 25 Iconic Sneakers Done in Rival Brand Colorways
"Defining Moments Pack"
Better Options: miadidas Rose 4
Inspired By: Air Jordan VI
The Defining Moments Pack that Jordan Brand released in 2006 was one of the first overly hyped releases. Going on 8 years since, the black and gold color combos are still just as rare when it comes to releasing but this year the miadidas Rose 4 gets a special "Gold Package" that gives it the upper hand over the LeBron XI when it comes to this colorway.
"What the"
Better Options: NIKEiD LeBron XI
Inspired By: Nike Dunk
To be honest, this one could have gone either way. However, we leaned more toward the LeBron XI because of the larger number of color options. The Rose 4 does look good with the "What The" theme as far as colors go, but the LeBron XI takes the cake because of the sheer number of options you have to switch it up.
"Chuck Taylor"
Better Options: miadidas Rose 4
Inspired By: Converse All-Star
The Chuck Taylor stands as one of the most iconic shoes to ever hit the feet of a sneakerhead. True, there are much more comfortable kicks around these days, but the style of a Chuck Taylor is unbeatable. Both the LeBron 11 and the Rose 4 made for some great options when it came to duplicating the classic Chuck Taylor style, the Rose 4 edged the LeBron out on the strength of the overlays. It adds a nice touch and in our eyes, looks more like the Chuck Taylor.
"Orca"
Better Options: NIKEiD LeBron XI
Inspired By: Nike "Orca" Pack
The black and white "Orca" Pack dropped in 2004 but really, the simple combo never goes out of style. While the Rose 4 offers some unique combinations in black and white, we have to give the nod to the LeBron XI due to the "Chroma" and "Glow In The Dark" options. Points to King James.
"Old Love"
Better Options: NIKEiD LeBron XI
Inspired By: Air Jordan I
The Jordan "Old Love" colorway hasn't been repeated much despite the black and yellow being a solid color combo. It's tough to decide whether the D-Rose joints or King James' signature shoe looks better with the Wiz Khalifa treatment but after a flip of the coin, we decided to give the nod to King James.
"Breast Cancer Awareness"
Better Options: NIKEiD LeBron XI
Inspired By: Nike Hyperdunk
The Kay Yow breast cancer awareness colorway has become a colorway Nike 'heads look forward to year after year. No surprise to see that the Lebron XI has better pink options than Derrick Rose's adidas model. Though, we certainly can't knock the options available, if you're going all in for pink, the LeBron XI is the way to go.
"49ers"
Better Options: miadidas Rose 4
Inspired By: Nike Diamond Turf
Deion Sanders may be the reason 49ers colors are so popular on Nikes but with the "Gold Package" option on the Rose 4, miadidas is singing to the fans of San Francisco. The Gold heel details and red upper look like they were meant for the sidelines of Candlestick Park.
"Cool Grey"
Better Options: NIKEiD LeBron XI
Inspired By: Air Jordan IX
"Cool Grey" or tonal grey colorways have been a major part of sneakers since Jordan dropped the Retro IX in 2001. Both D-Rose and LeBron have had their own grey signatures but when it comes to the custom options, LeBron's XI gets the slight edge.
"Nightmare Before Christmas"
Better Options: NIKEiD LeBron XI
Inspired By: adidas Rose 3
Derrick Rose may have owned the Nightmare Before Christmas theme, but the LeBron XI takes the crown when it comes to NIKEiD and miadidas. We wanted to keep it all black and purple, and the Rose quarter panel and logo don't really give us that option.
"South Beach"
Better Options: miadidas Rose 4
Inspired By: Nike LeBron 8
The South Beach colorway will go down as one of the most imitated colorways in recent memory. For our little exercise in imitation, we played with the colors on both the Rose and the LeBron, and felt like the touch of gold on the Rose 4 made it the better choice.
"Volt"
Better Options: NIKEiD LeBron XI
Inspired By: Various Nikes
It should come as no suprise that the "Volt" colorway is a better choice on the LeBron XI. While adidas does have its own amazingly bright yellow color in "Electricity," the fully over-the-top-nobody-will-forget-seeing-these-on-your-feet option is only available on the LeBron XI. The adidas Electricity option is not available on the entire upper. Plus one for the LeBron XI.
"Bred"
Better Options: miadidas Rose 4
Inspired By: Air Jordan I
Considering the ties to MJ and the Bulls, the "Bred" colorway is about as Chi-town as Derrick Rose himself. Chi-city, stand up.
"Yeezy"
Better Options: NIKEiD LeBron XI
Inspired By: Nike Air Yeezy
King James' Lebron XI looks like it may be a better choice for the "Yeezy" colorway than Yeezys themeselves. Someone needs to order these ASAP and send us some pics.
"Hornets"
Better Options: miadidas Rose 4
Inspired By: Various
The Charlotte Hornets colorway has been a staple in the sneaker world since the team began in 1988. While the team has been moved around, and renamed, the colorway is a true classic. When it comes to the Rose 4 or LeBron XI, the miadidas options to create a "Hornets" colorway seems to be much smoother and cleaner than the LeBron options. One up for D-Rose.
"Lakers"
Better Options: NIKEiD LeBron XI
Inspired By: Converse Weapon
Purple and Gold are hard to match unless you are wearing a Laker jersey, and in this case, LeBron is the better choice. The Hyperposite looks great with the gold, and purple base really adds to the flavor of the colorway. As for the Rose 4, we didn't have a purple or gold option for the quarter panel which made it easy to pick the LeBron XI. Final score, LeBron 8. Rose 7.