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It’s about that time of year where leaks of next season’s signature shoes start to surface. This morning, two images of what looks to be a sample of the Lebron 12. One photo revealing the outsole and another showing the upper. But before I get into my initial thoughts, do keep in mind that these may not be the final product just yet. Lebron James signature shoes releases in the months of October-November so changes are for sure to be made until final production. Even if we only got two images, there is a ton of tech to cover so let me get right into it.
First off, the outsole. Here we have a translucent finish with what looks to be a Podulon setup with targeted Zoom capsules internally. This is interesting due to the fact that it’s never been done on a Lebron before. The heel features a traditional Nike Zoom bag for responsive heel cushioning. Don’t quote me on this, but the days for interchangeable inserts for the Lebron series are long gone. According to my understanding, Lebron James had a difficult time with the Lebron 11 because of two reasons. The first was the shape of the toe-box being to slim and two, he wasn’t able to use his customized athletic insoles. This is why he wears his secondary sneaker, the Zoom Soldier 7 for almost every game. Don’t believe me, check out this video where Lebron removes his two blue insoles before he gives his Lebron 9’s to Jay-Z’s nephew. 
I can almost guarantee that Lebron will in fact wear the Lebron 12 for the regular season. At least more than the Lebron 11.
The second photo has an aerial view on what looks to be Nike Flyknit, but I wouldn’t count on that yet. Nike has been pushing the Flyknit on many of their products, but this looks to be a standard engineered mesh that is currently used on the Kobe 9 Low. Not sure how a mesh upper will hold down Lebron on court, but i’m sure some solid reinforcement backing is added. The lacing system concerns me as it features Nike Flywire and adaptive fit. Again, this isn’t practical for a player who destroys and dominates the game of basketball like Lebron James. It’ll be interesting to see how Nike incorporates Nike Flyknit if they decide to use the lightweight material.
At this point, it is too early to tell that these are in fact the Lebron 12. What I do know is that these are early samples and many things will and can change from now until the Fall release. Personally, I would love them to improve their traction pattern and enhance the sloppy fit that I experienced in the Lebron 11. I’ll be uploading my Performance Review on the Lebron 11 later this week so stay tuned!
Let us know what you think below in the comment section on this early look at the Lebron 12. Do you like what you see? Sound off below!
Images via instagram.
