John Kim 
There are some great scenarios that could play out from LeBron’s heroic return to Cleveland. The city could possibly win a Championship while making the Cavaliers the trendy team for serviceable veterans to join, and the homegrown superstar would finally be able to shed any sort of lingering hate that may have stuck around since he first left the franchise in the Summer of 2010. On a sneaker standpoint, this means a lot as a well. While the majority of the Nike LeBron line existed in Wine Red/Gold colorways, the buzz around those LeBrons was never anything close to what it was in Miami.
Things are much different now, and even though LeBron is still numero uno at Nike Basketball, it can capitalize on Cleveland Part II in quite a number of ways because there’s something magical about an athlete playing for the “home” team. Some of what we’ve come up with may already be in the works, while others could be pipe dreams, but they’re all in the realm of realism (so let’s hope Nike is keeping an ear to the ground). Check out some of what we’ve come up with below, and stay tuned for what’s to come for the Nike LeBron series in this third chapter of his career.
1. Send Off “South Beach”.
LeBron James no longer has any professional basketball ties to the South Beach area, and considering the entire industry followed suit with a slew of teal and pink, the South Beach tunnel is undoubtedly clogged. It was a good and memorable run, but it’s time to move on to bigger and better things, and there’s no better place for early retirement than in Miami, right?
2. Start the LeBron Retro
The idea of the LeBron Retro has been swimming around for a couple of years now, but with the star’s return to Cleveland, it’s time that Nike return to the original models that started with the superstar’s career. The Air Zoom Generation would be a great start to bring back the early designs, and there’s no doubt that the Retro phase would be a hit on store shelves. Anyone remember this original ad?
3. Bring Back the original LeBron square logo.
When LBJ moved to Miami, Nike re-branded LeBron with the new crown logo. Although the returning star has yet to select a jersey number, that square logo was a great artifact from the Cleveland Era, and it certainly would add to the nostalgic effect. Right now, it’s a battle between returning to 23 and keeping the 6, but there’s no telling what LeBron will don come November.
4. “Chalk”
This pre-game ritual was a key visual in much of Nike’s ad push for LeBron James, but we haven’t seen it much in the form of a sneaker. In today’s era of kicks, it’s vital to have an anchoring concept – just look at the energy that surrounds “Dunkman”, “South Beach”, and the other colorway traditions that have made Nike LeBrons so newsworthy. We’ll leave it up to the team at Nike to bring Chalk to life.
5. Look Back At The Chamber of Fear
In LeBron’s second season, Nike unveiled the Chamber of Fear campaign. It’s a certain fact that LeBron has overcome Hype, Temptation, Hater, Complacency, and Self-Doubt since the campaign first aired, so why not revisit those fears not as obstacles in front of him, but ones that he has overcome over the last decade?
6. Team Up With Fellow Nike Athlete Johnny Manziel
Not that Manziel nor LeBron need any more hype around them, but some sort of collaboration, perhaps on a Nike LeBron 12 release (LeBrowns, perhaps?), has the potential to send waves through the sneaker community like the original South Beach joints did.
7. Put Akron on the Map
It was a bit awkward when LeBron pledged allegiance to Akron, not Cleveland, when he departed the Cavaliers franchise in 2010. But Akron is his true home, so it’s time to give the city the attention it deserves. The city of Miami became a hotbed for sneakers during his tenure with the Heat, and while Ohio city is nowhere near the great draw like the Floridian attraction, LeBron’s the type of player to bring it to life.
