[Update 3 Aug 2023] The Nike Air Zoom Generation “Debut”, LeBron James’ very first signature shoe is available now. Find them on Nike’s brick-and-click stores for US$190. Alternatively, find more Nike LeBrons on the SNKRDUNK App, from his first to his 20th!

[Update 19 Jun 2023] Official images of the Nike Air Zoom Generation “Debut” have finally emerged. For what it’s worth, it could be an indication of the pair’s imminent arrival. There’s no firm release date yet but they’re expected to be released sometime in the summer—and it is the summer! Stay tuned!

Here’s a pair that’s now as storied as its namesake’s career has come to be, 20 years later. Not even His Airness himself wore his signature shoes on his debut, but the King did. No rookie in the NBA has ever bore (or will ever have to bear) the weight of expectation that LeBron James has back in 2003. But in his first game on 29 October in Sacramento Kings home ground, as he carried all of it on his shoulders, the titular Nike Air Zoom Generation carried him.

The H2 Hummer-inspired shoe was seen once more in August 2017, but many things have happened since that elevates its place in the market. For nostalgia, it’s been 20 years; 20 years later LeBron stands alone at the peak of the basketball mountain having broken the all-time scoring record; and with the release of the 20th shoe—the LeBron XX—traces a path down memory lane.

While the Black/White “Debut” colorway will be highly-anticipated and coveted, its release will be preceded by the Red/White “First Game”, returning for the first time since the King’s rookie season.

It returns with its original specifications: flat white leather on the forefoot, complemented by the luxurious cracked leather design on the mudguard; the Cavalier-colored Varsity Crimson jacquard mesh at the rear profiles; and the metallic blue accents highlighting the trim of the Swoosh, eyelets, tongue, and heel counter. Most importantly however, the hallmark Zoom cushioning system underfoot. In addition to the above, the date of his first home game in Cleveland is embroidered in gold in the interior along the sock liner.

Expect the “First Game” colorway on SNKRS on 21 March with a price tag of US$180. Other retailers like Social Status, Feature, Extra Butter, and Sneaker Politics will sell the pair via raffle at 10am, ET. 

And sometime in the summer, the “Debut” will follow. Stay tuned for an update!

There will eventually be a LeBron 38, but till that day comes, find out more about the rumored Nike Air Jordan 38.