John Kim 
In 2003, High School basketball phenom LeBron James was selected first overall in the 2003 NBA Draft, chosen ahead of proven collegiate-level players like Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade. Nike Basketball recognized the explosive potential bottled in the teenager, which is why a $90 million contract offer to make LeBron James the next great Nike athlete seemed like a shrewd move. The Nike LeBron legacy began with the Air Zoom Generation and has continued forward to eight outstanding installments, with each edition being a proud owner of state-of-the-art technology and avant garde design – a simple formula that has powered Nike to the uppermost tier in athletic outfitting. Of course, there is indeed a price to pay if you wish to lace up your feet with sneakers engineered to the exact specifications of one of the greatest athletes in the world, and the Nike LeBron 9 P.S. Elite is about to stretch the limits of what we simply call ‘kicks’ into the realm of high-end performance footwear.
The Nike LeBron 9 P.S. Elite is currently slated to release during the Summer 2012 season with a whopping $250 MSRP. Boasting the best of what Nike Basketball has to offer, the P.S. Elite will be powered by a combination of Hyperfuse with low-stretch Flywire cables, carbon fiber reinforcements, and a meticulously engineered Max Air/Zoom Air cushioning unit. The Nike LeBron signature line is recognized as the most advanced Nike Basketball shoe on the market, and with the $250 price-tag being more than a 50% increase in price of the most expensive LeBron sneaker ever created, should we expect a proportional increase in performance upgrades? This isn’t the first instance in which Nike has priced an everyday-wearable sneaker so high, and if history does have the pesky tendency to repeat itself, will the P.S. Elite flop, just like the Air Pressure (with inflation, a lot more than $250), Air Foamposite One, and even the recent ACG Bakin’ Posite Boot?
Aside from the $250 price-tag set for the LeBron 9 P.S. Elite, take note of the $10 hike implemented on the Nike LeBron 9. This was expected as Nike had plans to increase prices across the board as a means to reach its ambitious goal of becoming a $27 billion company by 2015, so consumers didn’t expect much more in terms of design and performance from a $10 bump. So what can one expect from a $250 performance basketball shoe? A sneaker can only help you jump higher and run faster only to a certain degree. Unfortunately, that won’t be determined until we get full information on the big picture of the Nike LeBron 9 P.S. Elite, but let’s hear your opinions. Is a $250 Nike Basketball shoe a sign of greater things to come from the world’s greatest athletic performance brand? via CK.
Official Nike LeBron 9 P.S. Elite colorways & technical specs:
– White/Metallic Gold (516958-100)
– Varsity Maize/Black/White (516958-700)
– Wolf Grey/New Green/Mint Candy (516958-001)
– Black/Metallic Gold (516958-002)
UPPER: Combination of Hyperfuse construction with reinforced low stretch Flywire cables and laces. Carbon fiber reinforced in mid-foot and heel.
OUTSOLE: Solid rubber outsole with modified herringbone traction pattern. Exaggerated flex grooves with exposed heel midsole and a forefoot outrigger.
The LeBron P.S. Elite is the pinnacle high-end performance shoe with the style and premium quality expected in LeBron’s signature footwear.
MIDSOLE: Cushlon midsole coupled with 180 Max Air unit in heel and Nike Zoom unit in forefoot. Modified exposed carbon fiber mid-foot shank.
SUMMER 2012 LAUNCH
RETAIL: $250
