If the seven-year, $90 million endorsement contract weren’t a good enough hint, the initial name of LeBron James’ first Nike sneaker – 2003’s Air Zoom Generation – was at its core a declaration.

“We think he’s the athlete that will define the next generation,” a Nike spokesman said more than 13 years ago.

Throughout James’ career there’s been a discussion at Nike of when the brand would re-issue some of his earliest signature shoes. As his sneaker series continued to expand, the brand’s mission was to eventually emulate the retro-heavy business plan that has framed Michael Jordan’s post-career success with the Jordan Brand.

That time is here with Nike recently rolling out a limited 500-pair run of the original white and crimson Air Zoom Generation that James wore in his first Cleveland home game. A new version made of premium tan leather is slated to launch this month as part of Nike’s “Five Decades Pack,” representing the 2000s and giving some updated casual appeal to the silhouette.

The Air Zoom Generation retro (Nick DePaula/The Vertical) More

“For an 18-year-old kid to be able to see his name and his likeness on his first signature shoe, it’s an emotional feeling and it’s exciting,” James said in a recent online video.

Nike’s ongoing “retro” discussions of the last five years often focused on finding a defining moment of James’ career.

Many thought it would be when James was on the brink of winning his first championship in 2012 after his ninth sneaker and as James was heading toward the start of his 10th season. Executives in the sports marketing arm of the brand felt it was too soon, that the re-release might cannibalize the sales and attention of the current models. But once James returned to Cleveland and carried his hometown Cavaliers to the franchise’s first championship this past spring, Nike was ready to proceed.

“It’s time. I think the moment is right and it’s perfect timing,” James said in the clip.

In order to have a signature sneaker ready for James’ first NBA game, the design process started long before the summer of 2003. It was no secret that brands had been hovering around the teen phenom for some time, and Nike accelerated the process of developing a relationship with the high school senior.

A concept sketch of the Air Zoom Generation. (Nick DePaula) More

“We started getting close to LeBron a year before signing him, looking to understand what he would want in a potential signature product,” a former Nike Basketball employee said.

Looking to utilize all of its design resources, Nike assigned three of its top designers to the project. Tinker Hatfield, Eric Avar and Aaron Cooper had each designed the industry’s most innovative signature shoes for Jordan, Penny Hardaway, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen and others in the 1990s.

Those early conversations with James helped to shape the general look and stance of his debut sneaker. He mentioned that the Air Jordan IX and XI were some of his favorite sneaker designs and also shared a glimpse into his “soldier” mentality on the court as he was playing on an AAU team of the same name.

“The overall aesthetic of the shoe is like a futuristic special forces boot for the court. The height of it, the collar line and the angularity of the color blocking,” Cooper said.

Cars have also played a heavy role in sneaker design. It was James’ much-publicized 18th birthday gift, a chrome Hummer H2, that would most directly impact the shoe design, from the metallic accenting to the finer details. The “NIKE” stamp font along the shoe takes inspiration from the hulking car’s font types, and the lacing piece drafts off the H2’s wheel-locking hubs.

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