Pro Basketball Talk was in Miami for the release of the Nike LeBron 8 PS, the playoff series edition of LeBron James’ signature shoe. In Part One of our three-part profile, we look at the concept behind designing a signature shoe series for one of the game’s top players.
If you’re at all into sneaker culture, or maybe just curious about the creative and technical aspects of what goes into designing performance footwear for the game’s elite athletes, then the presentation given by Nike footwear designer Jason Petrie on the LeBron 8 PS is something you’re likely to find extremely interesting.
Addressing a select group of media that Nike flew into town for the occasion, Petrie began by talking about the creative process, and the concept behind designing the three very different editions of the shoes that James has worn over the course of the season.
The PS is the final release of the LeBron 8s, and instead of merely changing colorways or making minor aesthetic tweaks to the shoe as the series went on, the plan was to evolve the line for the different performance needs that a player has as the season progresses. The word Petrie used to describe it was “transformation,” and there’s no doubt that the sneakers have undergone exactly that from the first to the third editions.
Petrie’s discussion of the creative process can be seen in the video clip below.