So after wearing these particular sneakers for a week straight now (seen on the most recent The Fit Break Down), especially when some of those days consisted over 20,000 steps at the Vatican… I think it’s only right I share my honest review, so here we go.

The Story

As always for my reviews, I feel it is important to start with the story and the concept behind the sneaker. You can watch the video above first to get a better glimpse and idea of the concept of the shoe from the designer himself, John Elliott.

LeBron James is arguably one of the greatest basketball players of all time, but he has such a big presence and impacts off the court as well. Whether it is through his business ventures, his social and philanthropic contributions, his interest in fashion and pop culture; LeBron makes an impact and solidifies himself as an Icon.

For those of you who don’t know, John Elliott is a high-end fashion designer who is also an avid sports fan. He is known for his very simplistic but high-quality clothing which you can see here. He’s also seen to be in the same circle as Ronnie Fieg, Vic Cruz and that crew and his take on the Nike Vandals were very sought after, you can cop for a good price now here.

Therefore, it was only right that these two icons in their own respective fields come together for a special capsule that unites demographics and strengthen each other’s brand awareness. The final products definitely did not disappoint (in my opinion) and it did sell out (we will get more into detail about that later on).

The Aesthetic & Technology 

I am starting with this section after the story and concept because the aesthetic of this shoe is what really created such a big buzz for the shoe along with one particular element related to the technology featured.

With respect to aesthetics, you can clearly see why it got sneaker enthusiasts excited for this drop. Starting with the colourway, you can see that the sneaker features a clean monochromatic colourway which is so versatile and ready to wear. However, unlike other white and black sneakers, the colour blocking and positioning are so intricate and unique with the different materials being used and details all over. My favoutite detail and what really drew me into this shoe was the sheer/transparent toe box. It helps show off my strong sock game (which King James has been trying to flex recently as well).

With respect to the technology used, it’s nothing state of the art or necessarily innovative but as mentioned in the video John got the go-ahead from Nike to incorporate the same tooling from a beloved LeBron James sneaker, the LeBron 8,  which generated a lot of hype.

The Fit & Comfort 

When it comes to sizing, I went true to size and that’s what I do recommend for you if you decide to purchase these kicks. I find true to size fits well but the only thing that I found weird was that in the transparent toe box area it looked like I had a lot more room which can throw people off. In my opinion, I don’t find it a big deal but that is something to consider if you would be bothered by that.

As mentioned, I have been wearing these kicks for a good week now, 7 days straight. With the different conditions, whether it is cement, pebbles, whatever it may be… these are solid. You can’t expect the same level of comfort as an Ultraboost, React or even a Huarache or Presto… but I would still consider it comfortable. Why? Because when walking around in Rome, especially the Vatican, you are exposed to rough walking conditions and on top of that you need to stand for a long period of time yet my feet really didn’t ache that much.

The Price & Where to Buy

Since this was such a hyped and anticipated release that featured a collaboration between two big names, John Elliott and LeBron James respectively, this was definitely retailed at a high amount. It was priced at $250 USD, which is high but made sense since LeBron is Nike’s number one athlete and John Elliott is a high-end designer.

I am actually surprised that resale value is still high even though there was some negative reception of the sneakers, including from Sneaker Youtuber Richie Le, who expressed a lot of regret for purchasing these. You can place a bid on StockX here or get the black version for retail or under retail.

Overall

All in all, these are definitely one of my favourite shoes in my collection. I knew it was going to be the moment the images were released and I am really happy that these did not disappoint. I am also happy that I got lucky with these because this was my first ever win on the frenzy app after numerous failed attempts on Yeezy’s prior to getting the Beluga 2.0s.

I definitely like this shoe and I feel like it is such a clean, versatile and a great representation of all brands involved. Based on my last IG post that featured these, others liked it too. Let me know if you cop, have a pair or have any questions in the comments below.