Nike Gets In the Holiday Spirit With LeBron VII "Christmas" Retro

Nike is giving basketball fans quite the gift this holiday season by re-releasing LeBron James‘ LeBron VII “Christmas.” A silhouette that the King debuted on-court as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers during a 2009 Christmas Day game, the “Christmas” is a relic of another era in the NBA. It’s also a timely follow-up to the LeBron VII “Red Carpet,” which released in October to salute the 2019-20 season’s tip-off.

From a design standpoint, this “Christmas” makeup of the LeBron VII offers plenty of seasonally appropriate cheer. The upper features a jolly gradient fade, starting with black on the collar and synthetic panels before shifting to an elegant red on the leather overlays and midsole. Visible red Flywire — a technology that had just debuted the year before on the Hyperdunk — is woven through the upper to provide both textured style and then-futuristic support.

Bold branded accents cover the base, with the lateral side taking on a large silver Swoosh and the medial side offering a smaller Swoosh graphic that’s etched out of the high-cut leather overlays. Jeweled badges are present on the lateral heels, while LeBron’s signature L23 logo appears on the medial heel, complete with a green crown for a little bit of Santa-style contrast. “L” and “J” in a cursive font graces the left and right heels respectively, and the insoles boast a printed photo of a young King James on Christmas Day. A full-foot red Air Max cushioning unit completing the look.

Interestingly enough, the Cavs’ opponents in that Christmas Day tilt was none other than the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant — who debuted the Kobe 5 “Chaos” during the game, a memorable shoe that’ll reportedly retro later in the month. For the record, Bryant and the Lake Show were bested by the Cavs 102-87 on that Christmas afternoon, although they did go on to secure the NBA Championship over the Boston Celtics.

The Nike LeBron VII “Christmas” releases at retailers like 43einhalb on December 19 for $200 USD.

In other crossover Christmas/NBA news, the league just released a festive ‘Ballin’ In A Christmas Wonderland’ tv spot.