LeBron James will reportedly lace up a wine and gold, animal-printed version of the Nike LeBron 16 when the Lakers take the court against the Portland Trail Blazers for Game 1 of the 2018-19 NBA season. Those special edition kicks will also be available for purchase on October 18, the same day as the Lakers' season-opener, for the retail price of $185.
Dubbed the "King" LeBron 16, the kicks are inspired by the African meaning of his name and his first ever poster. The insoles feature an image of LeBron sitting on a throne wearing his first Nike signature, the Nike Air Zoom Generation. According to Nike, the "King" colorway is a tribute to LeBron's legacy and dominance on the court.
The colorway is obviously much more in line with LeBron's former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the NBA's new sneaker policy allows for players to wear such nonconforming colorways without risk of being fined.
Nike will surely be rolling out plenty of purple and gold colorways of LeBron James' signature sneakers in the near future now that he's a member of the Los Angeles Lakers - but there haven't been any signs of a Lakers-friendly LeBron 16 thus far.