LeBron James' First NBA Game Wasn't in the "First Game": The Air Zoom Generation Story

23 years ago, on October 29, 2003, LeBron James played his first NBA game at Arco Arena against my Sacramento Kings, and he wasn't wearing the shoe Nike calls the "First Game." In this episode, Nick Engvall tells the real story of the Nike Air Zoom Generation: the $90 million rookie deal, Aaron Cooper and the design team, the Hummer H2 theory, the colorway that actually debuted on his feet, and why the "First Game" pair is really from his first home game a week later. Plus a sidebar from my own career: in 2017 at StockX we partnered with Nike to bring back the very first Air Zoom Generation retro, boxed in pieces of the Cavaliers' 2016 championship court. Watch the video version with the photos, the design sketches and the game footage: https://youtu.be/iv4Eis0cZeg Rocky Widner's photo from that night: https://www.instagram.com/p/CzAwplHOYgM/ Nike Air Zoom Generation, the complete history: https://sneakerhistory.com/nike-air-zoom-generation-complete-history/ 15 Nike Air Zoom Generation facts you didn't know: https://sneakerhistory.com/nike-air-zoom-generation-facts/ The Sneaker Newsletter: https://www.thesneakernewsletter.com/ My book, Small Luxuries: Sneakers: https://bookshop.org/a/122044/9798317900854 Everything Sneaker History in one place: https://sneakerhistory.com/links Tell someone you like their kicks today. You never know how far a compliment will take you. And we all know how good it feels to be on the receiving end of some appreciation. SUPPORT THE SHOW: Donate Through Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/sneakerhistory Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/nickengvall Patreon: https://patreon.com/sneakerhistory If you are interested in advertising to our audience, contact us: podcast@sneakerhistory.com CHECK OUT OUR OTHER SHOWS: For the Formula 1 Fans - Exhaust Notes: https://exhaustnotes.fm For the Fitted Hat Fans - Crown and Stitch: https://crownandstitch.com For the Cars & Sneakers Fans - Cars & Kicks: https://carsxkicks.com For the Creators & Creatives - Outside The Box: https://podcasts.apple.com/id/podcast/outside-the-box-convos-with-creators/id1050172106 [Links contain affiliate links; we may receive a small commission if you purchase after clicking a link. A great way to support the pod!] Our podcast is proudly... Recorded on Riverside: http://www.riverside.fm/?via=sneakerhistory Hosted & Distributed By Captivate: <a href="https://bit.