04-12-2013

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James Isn’t Wearing the Nike LeBron 11, But It’s a Hot Seller! »

Nothing has been officially confirmed, but LeBron James is still searching for the right fit with the Nike LeBron XI. It’s no secret he’s a huge fan of the Zoom Max cushioning setup used in the LEBRON X PS, which combined with his custom orthotics is far more challenging to get with the Lunarlon & Zoom Air tooling. It’s good to know he’s chosen comfort over marketing. That’s a smart play especially with the three-peat on the horizon. Last year’s LEBRON 10 was a big hit on and off the courts helping Nike Basketball reach the $300 million mark in sales for 2012, which was attributed to a huge sales boost for the LeBron X. Has James’ decision to play in “old shoes” negatively affected sales of the LEBRON 11? No! According to Matt Powell of SportsOneSource there’s a 35% increase in revenue and 18% increase in units sold in comparison to the LEBRON 10 during the same time period last year. The price difference ($200 vs. $180) explains the large money differential, but the units increase is far more impressive piece of news. About 150k units have been sold thus far and the Parachute Gold version was the largest release to date.