As we type this up, LeBron James is in the midst of his latest trip to China, the Forever King Tour. He touched down in the country last night, and to coincide with the start of his 15th China tour, Nike officially unveiled his next signature sneaker, the LeBron 23, revealing three debut colorways. Alongside the pair inspired by him and his son Bronny playing as the first NBA father-son duo, his achievement of scoring 40,000 points, and his back-to-back NBA championships with the Miami Heat, the LeBron 23 now recalls the first sneaker LeBron wore in the NBA.
Even if you’re not a fan of LeBron James, you probably know the story of his first sneaker, the Nike Air Zoom Generation. Nike created the sneaker for James before he even set foot onto a professional basketball court, and one of the first colorways he wore on the NBA floor became known as the Nike Air Zoom Generation First Game. Technically, this white, red, and navy color scheme was the pair he wore during the Cavs' first home game on November 5, 2003, with the away game against Sacramento (his NBA debut) on October 29, 2025, being dubbed the Debut colorway.
Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. When not writing for Sole Retriever, I enjoy attending concerts and catching the latest movies. Email: nick@soleretriever.com
