Last year, during the regular season alone, LeBron James wore the Nike Soldiers 21 times (16 different colorways). The main reason was the postponed launch of the LeBron 14. However, when the 14s arrived he didn’t switch kicks at all, basically, until the very end when he laced up the Soldier 11 in the NBA Finals.
This season after kicking off in the LeBron 15, James decided to wear the Soldiers again in 3 of the last 4 games. Many speculate about the improved ankle support in the Soldiers and its 4-strap lockdown system compared to the 15s, which in the end are built with flyknit. Even the much improved Battleknit is no match for more structural materials. Others claim it’s purely for promotional reasons with better sales in mind.
Whatever the real reason might be… it’s too soon to speculate and let’s face it… Nike is never in a hurry to clear up such situations. If it’s indeed for support let’s hope the strapped version of the LEBRON XV will resolve it once and for good… whenever that’s coming out.