Welcome to my Ultimate Signature Line Spotlight series! The first part is LeBron James best shoes.
Here I will be featuring the best basketball shoes from various NBA player signature lines. We’ll start off with the most famous and legendary and end it by more of the underdogs. This is a great way to inform people that are confused, because there many shoes released by the same player.
Let’s start off with a bang. LeBron. From one of the most crazy and famous sneaker lines, it could be very demanding to choose the best performer. In this spotlight, I will pick five LeBron James best shoes that are, in my opinion, most balanced basketball shoes with a bang for your buck in mind.
Like I always do, I will try to focus more on the newer models. Ranging from around 2010 to 2015. This is simply because it’s hard to get old shoes now, they’re usually very pricy, people still look for newer ones more and they now have better developed technology.
Without waiting, let’s roll!
1. LeBron Soldier IX
This is the big one. If you really want to hear it – yes, this would be my #1 recommendation. It’s definitely not a looker (at least in my opinion), but the performance of it more than makes up for it. After all, we are looking at basketball performance, not style.
So let’s briefly cover the Soldier 9 since I have a full review that you can check out. The shoe has an upper made mostly of mesh and Fuse for extra reinforcement. A very balanced setup because you’re getting comfort and durability, so it’s the best of both worlds. It feels great when you put the shoe on, it just sucks to PUT THE SHOE ON. Damn, I hate those freakin’ loose ankle collars that don’t stretch and don’t want you to put the shoe on your foot. But other than that, the shoe is comfortable.
The shoe features ZOOM AIR for the cushion setup and FLYWIRE, which is an exra layer under the visible upper. You got those ZOOM AIR units in the heel and forefoot areas, which are really soft and bouncy. FLYWIRE is there to enhance foot lockdown and prevent sliding. It does its job well.
Traction of the shoe is solid and durable, a great cushion setup and AMAZING support. Seriously, those straps will lock your foot in amazingly along with a snug fit, a TPU heel counter and a wide sole base. Even the biggest and heaviest players will find the support to be enough.
2. LeBron XI
A bit a dated model, but still DEFINITELY worth looking into. This is more expensive than the Soldier 9, but I’m not the one who should judge what’s expensive and what’s not for you. However looking into LeBron’s shoes, most of them cost $200+, so I guess it’s still a good deal. With that said, the shoe is an awesome performer despite the age.
The upper is an extremely sturdy one. It’s made of HyperPosite, which is a durable and supportive material. Soft upper fans will not like this shoe. This is where comfort/fit lack a bit. The fit is really tight and all that HyperPosite is a bit annoying to the foot.
Traction is solid, you could even take these outdoors. Cushioning is I think one of the most badass setups ever created – you have a Lunarlon midsole with full-length ZOOM AIR in it. It’s really really bouncy, responsive, BUT you still get a bit of court feel. Again, the shoe is made for LeBron, so bigger players will really appreciate this one.
3. LeBron X P.S Elite
Yeah, Elite signature models are expensive, really expensive. But there’s a reason I picked this one despite the price tag. It doesn’t fall behind the XI much, which already means it’s pretty awesome. The upgrades from the standard X are also appreciated.
So the upper of the LeBron X P.S Elite is mesh with Carbon Fiber to reinforce the shoe. I guess that’s why it costs that much. So obviously durability is amazing, but thanks to mesh the upper still streches and provides some freedom to your foot. I think the comfort of this shoe should be better than the XI since there’s no crazy HyperPosite touching the feet.
You have solid traction (not the best outdoors) and solid cushioning, which is Max Zoom. It’s responsive and could fit a guard. But it also has some good impact protection, so bigs will like this one as well. Max Zoom is definitely an outdated technology, but it still works well, especially on this model. Support is awesome because of the Carbon Fiber sides, a snug fit and a pretty wide sole base. This is probably one of those shoes that could fit a guard. And there’s not a lot of LeBron’s shoes to do that.
4. LeBron XIII
This is the newest shoe in the list and, surprisingly, not the best. But, all the latest technologies and tweaks will definitely suit most players, including guards. One note – there’s also a low version that released not long ago, so check it out if you’re interested!
The upper is made of mesh with HyperPosite to reinforce the shoe. Again, an excellent setup in my opinion. This time comfort/fit are proper because of that awesome one piece sleve inside the shoe.
Traction is great as long as you stay indoors, cushioning is ZOOM AIR on the forefoot and heel areas. And they’re really good as well, though not on the bouncier side. Support is I think plenty because of HyperPoste and just generally they feel great and tight. All in all, not a lot to complain here, besides a couple of nitpicks. If you want detailed info, I have a full review of these.
5. LeBron Soldier VIII
One of the more older shoes in the list, but still pretty killer. It’s obviously not as developed as the IX is, but it’s pretty damn close.
The upper is a very flexible and light synthetic, so guards will LOVE this setup. Fit is very snug and it has no dead space inside. This truly feels like a modern shoe from 2015 – light, flexible, compact.
Traction is good indoors and PROBABLY solid outdoors, cushioning is pretty much a guard’s setup (low-profile) and support is decent. It does not have many features on its plate but the shoe is solid, even though it doesn’t really shine in any of the aspects.
So there you go – my picks for the LeBron James best shoes. I only picked five, but you only really need one pair to start with, so let’s be practical 😀
I have more signature shoe line articles for you all, so stay tuned! I am aware that I’m not putting up a lot of posts, but I got a lot of stuff on my plate at the moment 😀 But anyway, what do you think about these sneakers? Have a question?
Have no idea what all those tech names mean? Check out my SHOE TECH section where I explain it all!