LeBron’s Soldier line is almost always re-upped for the NBA Playoffs. Now that they’re underway, Nike has unveiled the LeBron Soldier 12.
According to Nike, LeBron has a tradition of “going dark” before the Playoffs. Thus, the Soldier 12 is debuting in a triple black ‘Dark 23’ colorway (formerly reported as the Soldier 12 ‘Zero Dark Thirty’).
“The Soldier was always meant to be stripped down in the best possible way,” said Jason Petrie, Senior Footwear Designer at Nike, in a statement. “Even early on, LeBron’s insight was that the playoffs and the regular season are different. The Soldier has always been about toughness and connecting to the playoffs, in particular.”
The LeBron Soldier 12 was developed using athlete insights, from high schoolers to LeBron, according to Nike. That feedback included a simplified strap — which has gone from four Velcro straps in the Soldier 11 to just one in the Solider 12 — and a lower collar. The laceless build is inspired by Italian military backpacks and pants, but the tech specs make no mention of carbon fiber so assume that that detailing is purely aesthetic.
The circular knit upper used on the LeBron Soldier 12 comes from the thick Battleknit used on the LeBron 15. The forefoot features a nubuck toe while the heel offers additional Velcro for strap modification. For cushioning, the shoe uses “enlarged” heel and forefoot Zoom units in new shapes (we’ll confirm that when FastPass chops the shoe in half).
“When you think of the LeBron Soldier, you think of lockdown and cushioning,” added Petrie in a statement. “This time, we focused on circular knit, an adaptive strap, and overall aesthetic changes. Everything the consumer knows about the Soldier gets better with each update, and the ‘Dark 23’ colorway is a reminder of LeBron’s focus and dedication during this part of the season.”
The LeBron Soldier 12 ‘Dark 23’ features the SFG designation, meaning it’s a premium build, so it will retail for $140, $10 more than the standard LeBron Soldier 12. Expect the Soldier 12 to hit Nike SNKRS on April 25 and Eastbay.com on April 26.
What do you think about the LeBron Soldier 12? Now that you know Jason Petrie is behind it, are you excited for the shoe? Let us know.
If you’re interested in LeBron’s latest sneaker check out our detailed look at the upcoming LeBron Soldier 12 ‘Camo’.
Source: Nike SNKRS
It’s interesting to see LeBron, always go to his soldier line during playoffs. Makes me wonder, if it’s just a marketing tool they use knowing playoffs are viewed more than regular season games. But I will say this shoe I’ll cop due to it will be his last year in Cleveland if they don’t win it this year.
The way you see the stitching there, very unlikely to be CF indeed — but interestingly the Wade 6 does have some stitching along the strap near the lateral base.
personally, this shoe is turning out to be the typical premium grade Soldier of past than the recent Soldiers that look atrocious and dumbdown. I could cop these now, but unfortunately, they only have kids sizes. what’s up with that.
Always though the soldier line was a takedown line. Specially when we had the elites for so many years.