Jason Petrie has been LeBron James’ sneaker designer for about a decade.
From a sneaker standpoint, Petrie’s been by LeBron’s side through everything from “The Decision” to his return to Cleveland to his latest decision to leave Cleveland again. Petrie has witnessed LeBron mature not only as a basketball player, but also as a person.
“Now that we have been working together for so long we can talk pretty freely,” Petrie said. “He can tell me this sucks or we can give him an idea or challenge him.”
At this stage in LeBron’s career, he’s still pushing the design team to uncharted waters as well. In this current political climate, using sneakers to also make a statement is something Petrie and LeBron are exploring and want to do more of. A game-worn pair of the LeBron 15 “Equality” is now sitting in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture.
“That’s one of the single most amazing highlights of my career. It’s something I have never even dreamed of,” Petire said. “That’s incredible and I want to help amplify that.”
Nike and Petrie will certainly have a lot of opportunities to do that this NBA season as the league opened up its rules regarding sneaker colorways. Upcoming colorways and makeups of the LeBron 16 between fall and Christmas will center around key touchpoints in LeBron’s life and career.
Here, Petrie breaks down the technical aspects found on the LeBron 16. Hover over the dots to see what the designer has to say about the latest edition to the line.
