48 Hours Before Its Release, NBA “Villain” Along With $36.2 Billion Worth German Brand Set to Hijack LeBron James’ “21” Hype

Aug 1, 2023 | 2:04 PM EDT

48 Hours Before Its Release, NBA “Villain” Along With $36.2 Billion Worth German Brand Set to Hijack LeBron James’ “21” Hype

Aug 1, 2023 | 2:04 PM EDT

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James will be entering his 21st season in the NBA in a few months’ time. To celebrate this brilliant achievement, the four-time NBA champion will be releasing a special edition sneaker under his signature line with Nike. Over the past few days, James has been teasing the exciting new sneakers, and he finally revealed the shoe on Instagram a few hours ago.

With the whole NBA and sneaker world talking about James’ latest sneaker, it looks like Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young is here to ruin the party. He shared an interesting picture on Instagram which rivals James.

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NBA villain takes the sneaker fight to LeBron James

Trae Young is no stranger to controversies and fights. Widely regarded as the NBA ‘villain’ by fans, Ice Trae has faced a lot of negativity and hate even before making it to the NBA. Safe to say, he handles all of that very well.

It looks like Young has taken up another fight and it is not on the basketball court. Hours after James revealed the look of his much-anticipated “21” sneakers on Instagram, Trae Young put up a story of his own.

He revealed his own sneaker, which will drop 48 hours later, on the 3rd of August. Sharing a post of the latest sneakers on his Instagram story, Young also revealed that the sneakers will be called ‘Trae 3’.

Unlike James and many other stars in the league, Young is signed to Nike’s direct rival, Adidas. The German company is valued at $36 billion and has some big names in its lineup, with the Hawks’ star among them.

James’ next sneaker follows a similar pattern

Sneakers are a huge part of NBA history. From Michael Jordan to LeBron James, almost every popular NBA superstar has their own signature shoe. Interestingly, Jordan’s trainer criticized James recently while referencing his popular sneakers.

James’ 20 sneakers took the NBA world by storm when it dropped last year. It was the first low-top silhouette to drop under James’ signature shoe line.

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It looks like the 21 sneakers will follow the same line as its predecessors. Moreover, the sneaker also seemingly draws inspiration from the Nike Kobe 4 and Kobe AD. Although the official date has not been revealed, James’ next sneaker is expected to be released this fall.

Are you excited about LeBron James’ next sneaker? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by

Abhinava Ghosh

1,823 Articles

Abhinava Ghosh is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports with a wealth of experience covering the league. He has written over 1400 articles for EssentiallySports, showcasing his expertise in analyzing and reporting on NBA trade rumors, injury updates, and the ever-changing dynamics of the league. He had successfully covered the entire Kevin Durant trade saga at Brooklyn, which led to the basketball legend’s move to the Desert. He also kept our readers updated on the Brittney Griner situation throughout her exile in Russia. One of Abhinava's proudest moments came in 2015 when the Golden State Warriors won the NBA title after 40 years. As a lifelong fan of the Dubs, Abhinava was thrilled to see his team reach the pinnacle of the sport, but he remained objective and professional in his reporting.

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Edited by

Sharan Nair