10 Nike LeBrons That Need to Retro Right Now

Original Release: 2004
Arguably one of the most popular pairs in the entire Nike LeBron archive, the "Wheat" Air Zoom Generation is begging to be retroed. James rocked this pair in the 2004 Rookie Challenge game as he put up 33 points. Nike dropped a similar vachetta tan leather variation for All Star Weekend this year, but it hardly satisfied collectors who wanted the real thing.

Original Release: N/A
LeBron James is practically a walking triple double these days (28.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 7.9 APG are his season averages as of the time of writing this). However, all the greats started somewhere. James was wearing this LeBron 2 PE when he scored the first triple double of his career on Jan. 19, 2005 with a stat line of 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.  Having never previously released, this pair would be a great way to celebrate one of the many milestones in King James' career.

Original Release: N/A
Over the course of LeBron's signature line, the "Dunkman" theme has popped up many times after first appearing on James' second signature model. While some pairs are more memorable than others, there is no denying that the "Dunkman" colorway of the Zoom LeBron 3 is among the very best. A combination of grey nubuck and white, perforated leather make up the upper, but what makes the "Dunkman" colorway stand out is its neon green accents, which the 3 best accentuated by using it on the entire sole. 

Original Release: N/A
Inspired by James' favorite cereal, Fruity Pebbles, this friends and family exclusive opted to put a literal Fruity Pebbles print on the shoe's midsole, and utilized a multi-colored translucent outsole as well. Having never released to the public, this pair would certainly cause a stir if Nike were to finally drop it years later, even if the times of wildly bright sneakers have seemingly ended.

Original Release: 2008
You cannot tell the story of LeBron James without mentioning his high school years at St. Vincent-St. Mary. LeBron was a sports phenomenon before he could even legally drive, famously donning the cover of Sports Illustrated as a junior in high school, and even having his games televised on ESPN. Throughout his pro career, LeBron has always kept his former high school laced up in exclusive pairs of his latest models, and one of the best iterations of the "SVSM" color scheme was actually released to the public. This pair of the Zoom LeBron 5 was a House of Hoops exclusive back in 2008, and limited to only 42 pairs. It's only right that we celebrate one of the last greatest players to be drafted straight out of high school to the NBA with a wider release.

Original Release: 2008
LeBron's pregame chalk toss during his first stint in Cleveland was a spectacle. By his final season with the Cavs in 2009-2010, the entire crowd at Quicken Loans Arena was even joining in with King James, tossing confetti in unison as he tossed up powder in front of the scorer's table before tip-off. While the LeBron 6 is one of the lesser appreciated signatures from the LeBron line, this sneaker deserves a retro release on theme and execution alone. Details like the white powder graphic on the inner bootie, LeBron's silhouette doing the toss on the tongue, and a bottle of powder hidden on the inner side of the "L23" logo tab all help tell this story.

Original Release: 2010
Honoring LeBron's second consecutive regular season MVP award, Nike released this extremely rare version of the Air Max LeBron 7. The standard Flywire was replaced with grey fleece panels, and a wine and gold chenille Swoosh was added along with a gold-speckled midsole and an "MVP" graphic on the medial side of each shoe. The LeBron 7 has a ton of retro options that could be brought back, like the "Red Carpet" and "China Moon" colorways, but Nike choosing to celebrate one of the best seasons of LeBron's career by dropping this pair tops our wish list.

Original Release: 2010
The Nike LeBron 8 was the first signature of the Miami Heat era. While LeBron was vilified by many at this point, it did bring about one of the most popular models and accompanying Nike ad campaigns of his career. This Jason Petrie-designed silhouette would go on to release in two other more technical versions (the 8 V2 and PS) throughout the season as well, but nothing compares to the original. It might seem like an easy choice to bring back the highly-coveted "South Beach" look, but that colorway has been overdone to the point we're happy to let it remain a representative of the past. The launch colorway offers a much more timeless option.

Original Release: 2012
If there is a shoe on this list that deserves a retro more than any other, it would be the "Home" colorway of the LeBron 9 Elite P.S. Much like the Air Jordan 6 will always be tied to Michael Jordan's first NBA title, this model will forever be remembered as the shoe on LeBron's feet when he finally acquired what had been haunting him for his first eight years of his career: an NBA Championship. There is no telling how many titles James will have when it is all said and done, but there is no doubt Nike should honor his first. 

Original Release: 2013
LeBron James may have been wearing the Elite edition of the LeBron 9 for his first NBA Championship, but that title was celebrated with a special version of his next signature model. To honor the victory, Nike released a LeBron 10 with a cork upper to symbolize the infamous celebratory popping of champagne in the locker room. Thanks to the shoe's excellent execution and the accomplishment they represented, it was one of the most popular iterations of the newer entries to the line.