LeBron James is a powerful man with three championship rings, and this spring surpassed Michael Jordan’s scoring record for consecutive games. And he just opened up his own public school in Akron, Ohio.
James may be a glorified and well decorated figure in the sports world, but he is also a man who knows a woman’s worth. His latest venture has nothing to do with his godliness on the court, but instead serves as a tribute to the powerful females who raised him, and who still inspire him to be his best self. Tonight, James revealed the HFR x LeBron 16, his first women’s basketball shoe, launching this month and designed in collaboration with Nike and Harlem’s Fashion Row, an organization that helps promote and nurture multicultural designers.
As James puts it, he HFR x LeBron 16 was a deeply personal passion project. “I believe that African-American women are some of the strongest people on earth,” he was quoted by Vogue. “I grew up around incredibly strong women and continue to be inspired by the female strength I see around me, mainly in my mom, wife, and daughter. I thought it was important to recognize that strength through this shoe.”