First Impression of the Nike LeBron 15 and Release Dates

In the 15th iteration of the LeBron signature line, Nike and LeBron James unveiled the most technically advanced shoe of the NBA star's career.

"This is my favorite shoe to date," James said, per Nike.com.

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Nike held a weartest for the LeBron 15 at the University of Southern California at the weekend. Kevin Dodson, VP Design for Nike Basketball, introduced the shoe to myself and other members of the media.

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Here are my initial thoughts:

My first impression is the LeBron 15 is a performance monster with off-court style.

The LeBron 15 is stripped of its previous Foamposite layers and stiff hexagonal cushioning in what is the sleekest LeBron to date.

The shoe's key innovation features a fully knitted upper known as Nike Flyknit Battle that provides a durable-yet-stretchy fit.

The shoe is light, but Flyknit Battle just feels strategically thick. Just as the Flyknit Battle resembled scales on a beast, the LeBron 15 upper felt like a one-to-one true fit like the skin on the human body. Less is more!

The cushion features Max Air Zoom which brings together Max Air and Zoom Air.

The LeBron 15 is flatout bouncy. The three-part outsole is flexible unlike any other LeBron shoe thanks to the articulated Zoom Air units in the forefoot, middle, and heel.

As for traction, I didn't run into any issues on the pristine Galen Center floors. Keep in mind, we only played two or three games during this session.

Yes, KITH is involved with alternate versions of the Nike LeBron 15. A zipper and straps are coming.

Dodson said: "It was pretty early on, and we gave them an early look at the 15, and they said, 'That's the one. That's the one we want to work on.'

"They came out to Beaverton to the campus a couple times, we flew out to New York a couple times. It was a great working process, and they come at it from a different lens than we do."

"There's a lot of shared crossover. It was fun, creative and a lot of dreaming between the design guys that they have, our guys and Jason [Petrie]."

The Nike LeBron 15 "Ghost" releases October 14, and LeBron 15 "Ashes" launches October 28.

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All images and video courtesy of Nike.