The time has finally come.
July 1, 2010.
The official start of NBA free agency.
It’s a somewhat surreal circumstance, with even the athletes involved, like Chris Bosh, anxiously freaking out and counting down to midnight, and everyone else closely following every rumor, lead and “source.” If you search “LeBron James” on Twitter, you’ll even find out that he’s confirmed by Stephen A. Smith to play for the Miami Heat and a “done deal,” according to an unnamed executive, to play for the Chicago Bulls next season. These are the times we live in. The truth is, nobody but LeBron himself has an idea of what will happen.
Whether or not he ends up with either of those rumored teams, for sneaker collectors and fans of Nike’s signature LeBron James series, the free agency decision that James lands on will have zero impact. Of the potential suitors that he’ll be meeting with over the next three days, said to be the Chicago Bulls, New Jersey Nets, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers, no one team’s uniform colors would appear to shift the current formula that Nike Basketball has been using the past few years.
You can likely count the Clippers out for as long as Donald Sterling is the team’s owner, and only the Knicks would offer a unique color palette among his options, though the colors would be the same as Cleveland’s Retro Nights jerseys that we’ve come to know over the past few seasons. The Bulls and Heat both would call for Black/White/Red colorways at retail, and the Nets and Cavs would seemingly result in more of the same from Nike Basketball. Black/ White/ Red on the road, and White/ Navy at home or with navy road uniforms.
Regardless of which team he signs with, though Chicago seems to be the destination all of our contacts are pointing to, the plan is still for a Black/ White/ Red launch colorway, followed by a triple black holiday release, a White/ Black/ Sport Red January release, and a Cool Grey February release. Outside of the core GR versions that he’ll wear on-court, expect the expected SVSM, CTK and predictably themed colorways as usual that will be coming to House Of Hoops.
As big of a decision as it is for LeBron James, I also truly believe Nike Basketball’s continued stance on their preferred team. They have none. They don’t care what team he ends up on, as long as he joins a roster that gives him the best chance to win multiple NBA championships. “I think where LeBron winds up is totally up to LeBron. We’ll all support him,” Nike Brand President Charlie Denson said at last month’s World Basketball Festival press conference. “He wants to put himself in the best position to win. That’s the most important part. LeBron will try to pick the best place where he can win. Wherever that is, we’re OK with that.” Nike Inc. already can claim well over 93% market share in the US, and the growth opportunity for the Basketball category is in China.
For LeBron James to truly become a “global icon” and have long-term success in China, where he is exponentially overshadowed by Kobe Bryant, the King will need multiple rings. He hasn’t yet earned the respect of the region simply with his play. “The most important thing for LeBron and the most important thing for us is that he go to a place where he can win titles,” continues Denson. “He’s clearly a personality that people are interested in, but he ultimately needs to win championships.”
Does LeBron’s decision matter at all to you? Would you be more likely to buy his shoes based on the team he’s playing for next season? Most likely, the colorways will stay the same, and the only difference will be the end of his ‘LJ23′ logo as he plans to wear #6 next season and beyond.
Source ; http://solecollector.com/live/all/opinion-for-sneaker-collectors-lebrons-decision-has-zero-impact/
