LeBron James has had a historic year. He earned his third NBA MVP honors, won his first NBA championship, was named NBA Finals MVP and he helped lead Team USA to another Olympic gold medal (The only other player to do that in a single year was Michael Jordan). It turns out that James is set to make even more history this fall when Nike releases its most expensive sneaker ever: The LeBron X Nike Plus.
According to the Wall Street Journal, not only is the shoe expected to cost $315, but it will be feature "motion sensors that can measure how high players jump." Although WSJ reports that the sneakers will be released in the fall, Nikeblog.com believes the Nike LeBron X release date to be on Jan. 1, 2013.
Nikeblog.com also notes that retail will be set at $180 for a basic version of the LeBron X, with the Plus version exceeding $300. In other words, those motion sensors are going to cost you. SportsOneSource market analyst Matt Powell offers a third price, telling ESPN that he believes the tag will read $290.
According to the Miami New Times, James showed off his tenth Nike shoe during the gold medal match at the London 2012 Olympics.
Here is an image of the shoes he was sporting in London:
The new embedded technology might not be enough to sway some Nike fans, one of whom told WSJ that he is urging others to not buy the pricier sneakers.
While those outside of the sneaker culture, who were more inclined to mock the look of the Nike Foamposite Galaxy than to wait overnight in line for a pair, will continue to wonder what all the fuss is about, Business Insider cites strong sales by Nike's basketball division and the quick sell-outs of other expensive releases in its report on the LeBron X release.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Nike has instituted new rules to keep this on-sale safe and orderly after previous midnight releases created dangerous circumstances , including the LeBron 9 earlier this year.
Will you be looking for a pair? How much is it worth to be like LeBron?