LeBron's Supermans

Before LeBron James joined up to form the Three AmEGOs for the Miami Heat, he played for Cleveland Cavaliers. For 8 years, LeBron wore #23 while playing for the Cavs, unlike the now familiar #6 jersey he wears for the Heat. While playing for the Cavs, in 2009, the Nike Zoom LeBron VI - Superman colour scheme was released. Unlike Dwight Howard's Superman Beasts, there is no official branding or affiliation with the Superman logo - only the same colour scheme that makes up the comic book character's costume (a fuller range of colours of the LeBron VIs can be seen on the sneakernews.com site - originally I was looking for the "Chalk" shoe, but was happy to get this one instead).

The packaging is not the traditional box with a lid, but it comes as a drawer - similar to the other pair of LeBron shoes I have - the LeBron VIII V2 Christmas edition. This is where the similarities end with the VI and the VIII. The shoes are constructed differently as well as having a different feel. Where the VIII feels lighter and allows for more ventilation of the foot, the VI feels heavier, and lacks the same breathability. The VI does feel more solid and stable on feet, and this is due to the internal Zoom Air cushioning, as opposed to the use of the 360 degree Air Max full length bag used in the VIII. The shoe feels like it was made for a person playing a heel-to-toe transition, as opposed to a person running on the balls of their feet. Due to the construction, it feels sluggish when trying to change direction quickly.

The VI does not feel as flimsy or as delicate as the VIII, and in a way, this reflects LeBron's physical build. While he has not recently become more delicate or flmisy, he has added more techniques to his game, making him evolve to a more rounded player. It has a definite feel that the shoe was built to last a long time.

Visually, the VI encompasses much detail. The upper of the shoe has 3M reflective materials on it, which was a concept that was originally pioneered on the Air Jordan V - the idea being it would light up when people took pictures with a camera flash. To illustrate the 3M concept, I have attempted to take the same angle of the shoe's cuff L23 symbol, one with flash, and one without:

The other details on the shoe include lion heads on the tongues, LeBron's signature and initials on the side and the heel, 2 on the toe of the right foot and 3 on the toe of the left foot, the word "UNSTOPPABLE" on the outer of each sole, as well as the word "ZOOM X2" on the heel of the sole.

Without further delay, here are the rest of the images:

My thanks for these sneakers goes to Footage by Thecoolshoeshine. Those guys have fast shipping, and a good range of shoes that stretch back a few years. Contact them, and ask them for their "best price", especially when shipping to a foreign country (like Australia) is involved. As time goes on, these shoes are harder to get, as there has been no indication from Nike that they will start reto'ing them, like they have with other shoes like the Jordan range, or even CB34s - so companies like Thecoolshoeshine are providing a much appreciated service.