LeBron James has been a member of the Los Angeles Lakers since 2018 but he’s still got plenty of affection for his time with the Miami Heat, the franchise with whom he won his first two NBA Championship trophies while playing alongside good friends Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Besides his on-court success, James’ time with the Heat was equally fruitful on the footwear front as his signature Nike line produced several championship-worthy models and colorways — one of the most notable of which was the Miami Vice-esque “South Beach” palette that was first seen on the LeBron 8, an ever-shifting mixture of bright, ’80s-esque aqua and pink highlighter tones.
Even though that era of King James’ career is well in the books, he’s been known to keep the “South Beach” vibes alive and pay tribute to the ‘Yams through his PE (player edition) sneakers, the latest of which is a LeBron 22 “South Beach” that he donned for the Lakers’ recent contest against the Utah Jazz. Where most “South Beach” releases focus heavily on aqua tones and use pink as an accent color, the LeBron 22 goes for more of a flamingo vibe with a heavy dose of pink across its patent leather upper that’s offset by aqua accents on the underlaid Swoosh, heel and perforated tongue. Hits of yellow also get in the mix on the midsole’s Swoosh and tongue’s badge.
It’s unlikely that this pair will ever see a retail release, but you can check it out above and, of course, expect James to break out several more homage models over the course of the season. For the record, the style enjoyed a successful on-court debut as well: the Lakers downed the Jazz 124-118, with James contributing 26 points and 12 assists while his rookie teammate Dalton Knecht — who wouldn’t even have been old enough to see an R-rated movie in theaters when James started his time in Miami — scored 37 points while tying a rookie record with nine made three-pointers.
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