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Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James will have a new team and shoe to start the season. On Wednesday morning, James debuted the unreleased Nike LeBron 24 on social media. James' 24th signature Nike basketball shoe will feature a sleek new design and introduce innovative performance technology.

James shared seven high-quality pictures of the Nike LeBron 24. He captioned the Instagram post, "THE WORK NEVER STOPS! It's simply not in my nature to not do so. LFG!!! . Oh and yeah The 24s on the way! The Lightest LeBron's EVER ."

Performance Technology

The silhouette is another low-top, which has been an ongoing trend since the Nike LeBron 20. In addition to being the lightest Nike LeBron shoe ever, it is visibly much lower to the ground than previous models. Best of all, it introduces the new "KingKnit" upper material.

Small Nike Swooshes appear on the lateral heels, while James' "LJ" logo graces the tongues. The translucent rubber outsole carries over the crown logo that helped shape the lateral sides of the Nike LeBron 23.

Colorway Details

As for the colorway, we do not yet know its name. It sports a bright blue upper with black detailing and gold accents. The word "KingKnit" appears on the ankle collar, highlighting the new performance technology.

Nike has not yet officially unveiled the shoe, but that announcement should be coming very soon. At that time, we will learn more about the tech specs, pricing, colorways, and release dates. James always debuts his latest signature shoe late in the summer, ahead of its fall launch date, so we are right on time.

James' Lifetime Nike Contract

Just as James has been a fixture in the NBA for almost a quarter century, he has been just as omnipresent in the footwear industry over that time. In May 2003, James signed a seven-year, $87 million contract with Nike before ever playing his first NBA game.

In 2010, James signed a nine-year contract extension. Before the contract extension ended, James and Nike agreed to a lifetime partnership worth $1 billion. That massive contract inspired the Nike LeBron 23 "Shoe Bag" colorway. It has also been a constant topic of discussion in the media.

Future Announcements

With the NBA preseason tipping off next month, fans can expect more colorways of the Nike LeBron 24 to appear online. The Nike LeBron 23 focused on telling older stories from James' legendary career, so the Nike LeBron 24 will likely introduce new designs.

It is sure to be another historic season for James and Nike. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Kicks On SI for all your footwear news from the sports world and beyond.


This article first appeared on Kicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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