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LeBron had adopted the King James nickname quickly into his young career, so for the fifth installment of the Nike LeBron saga, Nike had decided to design a shoe fit for royalty. While the LeBron IV was a huge hit given its sleek design and use of the ever-popular Foamposite upper material, the LeBron V again broke the seam and went along on its own hem using royal textures and designs.

A number of LeBron’s personal accents were implemented into the design of the LeBron V. LeBron undoubtedly takes huge pride in his signature shoes so in addition to the luxurious design, the LeBron V is the most “personal” shoe of the entire LeBron line. The ankle strap design took after a milk crate which LeBron used to practice with during his younger days, and street maps of his hometown were placed on the bottom sole and behind the tongue, while the golden square emblem on the side and diamond-quilted tongue gave the shoe a regal tone fit for King James.

Under the hood, the LeBron V shed the Foamposite of the LeBron IV and instead went with a Phyposite endoskeleton, a material composed of Phylon and Foamposite. The V built on the “foot-bucket” idea from the LeBron III and introduced the Phyposite bucket, which used Foamposite on the lower and Phylon for the upper in an effort to further stabilize LeBron James’ large frame. The traction given by the intersecting grooves on the sole deemed the LeBron V the most “gripping” LeBron shoe to date. This combination of high-tech materials and deliberate structure is completely hidden by the exterior, but like any high-tech spy-mobile, its about what you can’t see.

The LeBron V was the first signature LeBron shoe that featured special colourways for schools other than his alma mater of St. Vincent-St. Mary. A special colourway was made for Christ The King High School, a high-school located in the borough of Queens in New York City, with another made for the Ohio State University, a school LeBron James might’ve ended up at had he not gone straight to the NBA from High School.

General Information:

Name: Nike Zoom LeBron V

Broad Launch Date: October 10th, 2007

Retail Price: $140

Product Specs:

• Phyposite endoskeleton for lockdown of forefoot and heel
• Intersecting sole grooves for optimal side-to-side and forward-backward traction
• Use of LeBron’s personal accents such as the removable  ’milk-crate’ strap and maps of his hometown
• Full length Zoom Air cushioning Unit – double-stacked at the hell

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“China Edition” Release Date: 10/16/2007 Color: Varsity Crimson/White-Metallic Gold Style: 317253-611

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Release Date: 11/15/2007 Color: White/Midnight Navy-Metallic Gold Style: 317253-141

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Release Date: 12/13/2007 Color: Black/Black-Varsity Crimson-Metallic Gold Style: 317253-001

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“” Release Date: 12/13/2007 Color: White/White/Varsity Crimson-Metallic Gold Style: 317253-171

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Release Date: 12/30/2007 Color: Gorge Green/White-Metallic Gold Style: 317253-311

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Release Date: 02/08/2008 Color: Black/White-Varsity Crimson-Black Style: 317253-011

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“All-Star Game” Release Date: 02/12/2008 Color: Metallic Silver/Metallic Silver-Varsity Red Style: 317253-003

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“Dunkman” Release Date: 03/14/2008 Color: Medium Grey/Medium Grey-Mean Green-White Style: 317253-002

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LOWS

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Release Date: 04/01/2008 Color: Midnight Navy/Varsity Crimson-White Style: 318696-461

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Release Date: 04/05/2008 Color: Black/Black/Mean Green Style: 318696-001

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Release Date: 05/01/2008 Color: Stealth/University Blue-White Style: 318696-041

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Release Date: 06/01/2008 Color: White/White-Metallic Silver-Engine 1 Style: 318696-111

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Release Date: 06/30/2008 Color: Black/Black/Anthracite Style: 318696-002

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“Remix” Release Date: 06/30/2008 Color: White/Metallic Gold-Black-Varsity Red Style: 318696-171

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Release Date: 07/07/2008 Color: White/University Blue-Dark Obsidian-Sport Style: 318696-141

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EXCLUSIVES

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“Mr. Basketball” Release Date: 02/22/2008 Color: White/Black-Metallic Gold Style: 317253-101

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“New York Yankees” Release Date: 03/05/2008 Color: Midnight Navy/White-Midnight Navy Style: 317253-441

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“Christ The King – Home – Patent” Release Date: 03/24/2008 Color: White/White-Metallic Gold-Deep Maroon Style: 317253-111

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“Ohio State” Release Date: 03/25/2008 Color: White/Varsity Red-Metallic Silver Style: 317253-163

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“St. Vincent-St. Mary” Release Date: 03/25/2008 Color: White/White-Metallic Gold-Deep Forest Style: 317253-112

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“Christ The King – Away – Suede” Release Date: 03/28/2008 Color: Deep Maroon/White-Metallic Gold Style: 317253-612

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Release Date: 06/10/2008 Color: Black/Army Olive-Fire Style: 317253-031

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“Dunkman” Release Date: 06/17/2008 Color: White/Medium Grey-Mean Green Style: 318696-101

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