LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers take the court for their first meaningful game Thursday night as they open the 2018-19 NBA season on the road with a matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers.
To little surprise, James is expected to be outfitted with a shoe befitting of the game’s best player. Taking advantage of the NBA’s relaxed rules on footwear, James is due to wear the Nike LeBron 16 “King.”
Sporting a burgundy Battleknit 2.0 upper, the shoe is accompanied by a cheetah-print design on the heel. The model is inspired by the African meaning of James’ name and his first poster with Nike that saw him sitting on a throne surrounded by lion heads.