Lauri Markkanen continues to impress the king of the NBA with his skills and his kicks.
During Friday's one-point loss to the Kings, the Bulls rookie caught LeBron James' eye -- at least on Twitter -- when he laced up a pair of the superstar's signature shoes:
That retweet is a hat tip of sorts to the 20-year-old from Finland, who has slipped on other LeBrons in the past.
Oddly enough, though, when it comes to the "Phantom" LeBron 7s, King James and Markkanen have now worn the edition the same amount of times in NBA action. According to Comples, James rocked the sneaker -- which was released in 2010 -- only once, even though the design was praised for its classy and clean appearance. Markkanen shot only 5-for-13 while sporting them, so he may want to put the pair into early retirement, too.
But this weekend wasn't the first time James acknowledged Markkanen. After a matchup early in the season, the three-time champ noticed something besides what was on the rookie's feet:
“Very confident. Very confident. Watched him a lot at Arizona, Had to stay up very late to watch those Arizona games,” James said to reporters after the Cavs beat the Bulls on Oct. 24. “But very confident kid. Can shoot the heck out of the ball. He's going to continue to get better.”
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Jokes aside, with the Cavs coming to the United Center on Monday for what will almost certainly be a blowout, the shoe storyline is something to watch.
Will Markkanen pay homage with LeBrons or opt for another pair from his closet?