In celebration of LeBron James’ 20th year with Nike and his 20th year in the NBA, Nike has unveiled his highly anticipated LeBron XX shoe.

The LeBron XX are the first performance shoe in James' signature line to debut as a low-top. The shoe’s "intricate designs on the lateral guardrail" highlight some of the special moments in his illustrious career. And though the sneaker honors some of his past achievements, the LeBron XX was designed for the next generation of hoopers.

The low-top kicks features a Zoom Air in the forefoot and the heel, and on the underfoot cushioning, the forefoot has a top-loaded Air Zoom Turbo unit and the heel features a larger 13 mm Zoom Air unit, to help with impact protection.

For the first time since the Zoom LeBron 5, It also features a carbon fiber midfoot shank—which hasn't been seen since the Zopom LeBron 5—which provides energy return and torsional rigidity for explosive movements. Also, the Dunkman logo, which last appeared in the LeBron 16, returns to the outsole.

Basketball players wearing the new anniversary colorway of Lebron James's collaborative shoe with Nike. Image: courtesy of Nike

Jason Petrie, Senior Footwear Designer for Men’s Basketball and lead designer of the LeBron line since the Zoom LeBron VII, noted that the LeBron XX was designed to be a shoe of the future.

“We saw the XX as a chance to celebrate the next 20 years for LeBron,” shared Petrie. “The stitched tag inside the tongue says, ‘Designed and Engineered to the Exact Specifications of the Next Generation.’ We took that line seriously as we designed the shoe. We had players like LeBron’s sons Bronny and Bryce in mind. We wanted to get in their heads and learn about what young players were looking for.”

Not only is James looking forward to playing in his 20th season with his latest signature shoe but his two sons, Bronny and Bryce, are future NBA prospects. In an interview, James expressed his desire to play with his sons in the NBA. 

“I’ll definitely be looking at who got first-round picks in 2024, 2025, things of that nature; 2026, ’27. I pay attention to that type of stuff. I do the math—2027? " he said. “I feel like I could play for quite a while. So it’s all up to my body, but more importantly, my mind. If my mind can stay sharp and fresh and motivated, then the sky’s not even a limit for me. I can go beyond that. But we shall see.”

“I put it in the air because I like to talk to the basketball gods out there and see if things can come to fruition,” he added. “I’ve always set out goals in my career, talked to the basketball gods, and they’ve listened to all of them. Hopefully, they can listen to this last one, too.”

The Time Machine colorway of the LeBron XX will be released on September 29, 2022. Look for additional hues during the holiday season.