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Today is the day. Photos of the LeBron 9 have been floating around for a while now, but today — September 20th, 2011 — Nike officially unveils the Nike LeBron 9 to the world. A continuation of what the LeBron 8 PS started, the newest LeBron is full of all sorts of high-tech goodness to help LeBron James through the 2011-12 NBA season (assuming there is one). Click through to dig in.
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1) SO, THIS IS THE LEBRON 9, HUH? SAME DESIGNER? Yup. Jason Petrie, who's helmed the LeBron line since the 7, did his thing again with the 9. He's come a long way since he was posting on NikeTalk as "AlphaProject." See, dreams CAN come true! YEAH, YEAH. SO WHAT DOES HE HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE SHOE? Funny you should ask — here's his official statement: “From the very beginning of the design process for the LEBRON 9 we wanted to break the mold with a shoe that maximized the strengths of a triple threat player like LeBron. LeBron brings a rare combination of speed, agility and force to the game and my goal is to outfit him in a shoe that lets him do what he does best while maximizing our superior innovations.”
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2) HMMM. SO THEY MUST HAVE HAD A GOOD IDEA GOING IN, RIGHT? Yeah, absolutely. But they were designing the 9 before the 8 even hit shelves, and obviously a lot of thought went into something as basic as the shape of the upper. Check the sketch above and see how many possibilities they went through. Looks like they even went back to the Hyperflight for inspiration. OH GOD, I HOPE IT'S MORE STABLE THAN THAT. It's a LeBron shoe — of course it is.
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3) WOW, LOOKS COMPLICATED. Is that a question? KIND OF. OK, so I can give you a kind-of answer. It is. The toughest thing about designing for LeBron is figuring out how to shed weight and bulk without losing strength. The guy's 6-8, 260 (or 275) and cuts like a point guard — he puts a lot of stress and strain on his shoes. Don't want them to explode.
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4) IT LOOKS REALLY LOW IN THE BACK. It is. The LeBron 8 was like that too, only this is a little more exaggerated. It walks that fine line between ankle support and freedom of motion — they're fighting to find that balance. Not to mention the more material you can remove, the lighter they get. Um, obviously.
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5) THAT TONGUE SURE IS BIG, THOUGH. Well, you need somewhere to put the man's signature, right? I'M THE ONE ASKING THE QUESTIONS, HERE. Oh, right, sorry. Continue. WHAT'S THAT CARBON-LOOKING STUFF ON THE SIDE? Those are "engineered textile wings." Padded ankle support, in other words. They're balanced with some Pro Combat inspired cushioning inside the ankle. Makes sense, seeing that LeBron is basically a linebacker in shorts.
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6) AH YES, IT'S CLEARER NOW. THE HYPERFUSE LOOKS MUCH BETTER THAN IT DID ON THE 8 PS, TOO. Yup. It's more refined this time around. It's three layers of material backed further by a midfoot harness reinforced by Flywire 3.0. Lots of material, but still way less bulky (and more breathable) than standard basketball shoe construction. Not nearly as boot-like as the initial LeBron 8.
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7) SO THIS SHOE DOESN'T UTILIZE ANY LEATHER AT ALL? Nope, pure synthetics. This shoe isn't about retro appeal or any kind of handcrafted luxury. It's luxury still — don't get it twisted — but luxury like a Lamborghini Superleggera. High-tech materials utilized for pure performance. Just look at that heel pulltab. Simple, lightweight, elegant. Just what's needed, nothing more.
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8) DIDN'T WE TALK ABOUT THE TONGUE ALREADY? Yes. But here you can get a better look at the Hyperfuse construction, not to mention the lacing. It actually goes a little higher than the LeBron 8 or even the LeBron 8 PS. And the big tongue must just be something LeBron likes.
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9) AND THE LACING LOOKS A LITTLE ASSYMETRICAL ON THE FOREFOOT, TOO. Yup. All in the interests of a better fit. Trust, Nike's looked into this stuff a little bit. You can also see the reinforcement on the toe, and the nice little touch of the built-in dubray with his new logo. Nice, right? SURE. HEY, NO FULL AIR MAX 360 THIS TIME? Nope, they stayed with the classic Zoom/Max from the 8 PS. The new 180 Air bag is WAY bigger than the old Air Max heel bags, and this way things are a little bit lighter and you get that extra bit of quickness. Every gram counts.
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10) SO WHAT'S THAT PATTERN ON THE OUTSOLE? They haven't really said — just that it's a special pattern with a nod to LeBron. Guess they can't give away everything just yet. But they did use the carbon glass shank plate again for rigidity and a little more weight loss. OK, I'M SOLD. WHEN DO THEY DROP? October 1, but only if you're in China. October 15th for the U.S. of A. This color — the main one — hits on October 25th, the same day it drops on NikeID. WELL JEEZ, THAT'S ONE WAY TO BURY THE LEDE. Right? The 9 is gonna be the first LeBron on ID. You can start previewing color options on October 11th.