Brendan Dunne 
Our 11 Days of Nike LeBron series is back, this time touching on one of the most visually striking sneakers in James’ long history of Swoosh shoes. That would be the Nike Zoom LeBron IV that first released in the Fall of 2006. The design was bold and bulky, weighing in at a whopping 21 ounces – easily taking the title as the heaviest LeBron shoe in history. As referenced by the official name of the shoes, there was indeed full-length Zoom Air on the cushioning tip within the no-midsole construction and instead utilized a Foamposite shell that implemented a flex pattern similar to the Nike Free. The wavy upper proved that the Nike Basketball team was more than willing to switch up the shape of his shoes on a yearly basis rather than try to establish a concrete “LeBron look”, but it was clear the boot-styling was a theme that the team honed in on once again. The Nike Zoom LeBron IV was successful both in doing that and in helping inject a little bit more off-court appeal into his lineup – but is it the best LeBron shoe in history?
Read: 11 Days of Nike LeBron
That appeal was no doubt helped by the usage of Nike’s Foamposite technology. The application of that beloved material – the first time it had been used on a Nike Basketball silhouette since 2003 – gave plenty of shoe enthusiasts the sweet memories of the Air Penny . It didn’t hurt that the shoe came in some blistering colorways that finally started to apply a graphic touch; Amongst those were the two “Graffiti” versions of the shoe and the “Fruity Pebbles” version that sported a uniquely colored outsole to match its cereal speckled upper. Of course all those details leave out the fact that LeBron was leading his Cavaliers squad like never before, having actually taken them all the way to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history with this design on feet. Get a look at some of the more celebrated Nike Zoom LeBron IV editions down below and give us a heads up in the comments if you’ve got any pairs in your personal collection.
