Nike Officially Unveils the Nike LeBron 21

This article was originally published on July 28, 2023.

Update September 14, 2023: After some teasing from the King himself, Nike has officially unveiled the Nike LeBron 21.

Taking inspiration from an oyster shell, the upper features veining similarly seen on a shell and is made up of a lightweight mesh with zonal cables securing the foot from all angles. The midsole is comprised of full-length Cushlon 2.0 foam that encapsulates a Zoom Turbo unit in the forefoot and a large 13mm bottom loaded Zoom unit in the heel.

‘As we took our next steps from the LeBron XX, we were inspired by the way LeBron maintains his body and his game during the offseason,’ says Jason Petrie, Lead Designer for the LeBron 21. ‘His trainer says it's like taking care of an F1 car. You tweak the car between each race. You don’t need to rebuild the car completely. We wanted to retain some of the elements we know he loved, like the Zoom Turbo unit, but refine some of the finishes in the upper.’

The Nike LeBron 21 'Akoya' is set to debut on September 28, 2023 via Nike’s channels and at select retailers for $200.

As LeBron James is getting ready for his 21st season in the NBA, it looks like he’s getting some work in with his younger son Bryce and has debuted the Nike LeBron 21.

The sneaker is seen in a cream and gold colourway, taking on a sleeker take compared to its predecessor and giving off Nike Mercurial Vapor/Kobe vibes. Gone are the double Swooshes from the Nike LeBron 20, and an embossed Swoosh is seen on the lateral side with the medial side featuring a printed gold Swoosh.

Gold is seen again on the external heel counter and the midsole features cutouts to make the sneaker look more sleek and aerodynamic. The cushioning setup is unknown, but it looks to be similar to the LeBron 20, with Cushlon featured on the midsole with a large Zoom unit in the heel and a Zoom Turbo unit in the forefoot.

The Nike LeBron 21 is expected to drop sometime in the latter half of 2023 via Nike’s channels and at select retailers. Keep it locked to Sneaker Freaker as we wait for more details.