In the history of basketball, no player has made the jump from high school to the NBA with more media hype and eager anticipation than LeBron James. When he was just a junior at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s in Akron, Ohio, Sports Illustrated put LeBron on the cover and called him “The Chosen One.” Drafted #1 overall by his native Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James easily took home Rookie of the Year honors in 2003-04 joining Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan as the only rookies ever to average at least 20 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds. But it was his sophomore season in 2004-05 when LeBron elevated his game to another level. The multi-talented 6’9” locomotive made huge strides in points (27.2), rebounds (7.4), assists (7.2) and steals (2.2) to earn a starting spot in the All-Star game and lead the Cavs to their first winning record in seven years. Featured here are LeBron’s game-worn Nike “LeBron II” signature model shoes from the 2004-05 season, which have been photo-matched and team-sourced to a road game on January 19, 2005 against the Portland Trailblazers. This was a very special game for LeBron as he became the youngest in NBA history (20 years and 20 days) to record a triple double. LeBron tallied 27 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and 4 steals in Cleveland’s 107-101 victory at Rose Garden Arena.
How did the consignor come to own such important milestone sneakers from the greatest player on the planet today? Apparently, he has an angry Cavs fan to thank. In the summer of 2010, shortly after James “took his talents to South Beach” and put a dagger in the hearts of so many Ohioans, these very sneakers surfaced at a thrift store in Youngstown, Ohio. They were not prominently displayed, and when the consignor examined them more thoroughly he realized that he may have hit the jackpot. “1/19 Port” was marked in black Sharpie inside both tongues. Deep inside the toes of one he found a crumpled piece of paper with the following message: “You wore these during the Portland game on January 19, 2005, your first career triple double. I put the date on the inside of the tongue.” While these notations may seem awfully convenient, they are consistent to how LeBron’s early game-worn shoes were tracked and documented by the Cavs equipment department.
In 2003, Nike signed LeBron to a $90 million endorsement contract before he even set foot in the NBA, and they have continued to design masterful shoes for their basketball spokesman. These Nike Zoom LeBron II’s come in a Cavs-themed white and wine colorway with a gold pattern design around the upper ankle. The interior tagging indicates his size 16 and “SP05” season code to verify that these are player-issued, which is further confirmed by the aforementioned Cavs equipment department notation. LeBron’s unique “L23” Nike gear logo emblazons the lower outside ankle, the white protective Velcro shoelace/ankle strap, the inner side of the gold upper ankle design, and a fourth time on the insoles. “LEBRON” is stamped on the heel, adjacent to the laces and on the insoles as well. His No. “23” is stamped on the heel. The left shoe has “Nike” across the ankle/shoelace strap with the Swoosh logo in the same location on the right shoe. They show excellent wear inside and out, with a very noticeable white scuff mark on the inner side of the right shoe that can easily be photo-matched to several Getty images (such as 52073264) from the 1/19/05 game. Now that LeBron is back in a Cavs uniform with two rings on his finger—gunning to win the first NBA title for his home state—these incredible milestone gamers have an even greater importance to the hobby.
Includes Letter of Provenance from original owner. Includes the Cavs equipment department note stuffed in one shoe.