The Animal Print Nike Free Is Inspired By LeBron James’ Daughter Zhuri

Back in July, images of the Animal Print Nike Free surfaced courtesy of none other than the athlete himself. And following many a subsequent (and likely unsanctioned) leak, the Swoosh is now officially revealing the sneaker, sharing not only what’s under the hood but also that it’ll be available for purchase on September 28th.

Designed for and essentially by the next generation, the Animal Print Nike Free owes its creation to LeBron James’ 8-year-old daughter, Zhuri. Designed to protect the modern player, the shoe takes inspiration from the humble oyster, the venting intentionally striated to appear like the veining of a shell as well as to contain explosive movements. This is further visualized in the construction, which consists of a mono-mesh base that’s layered over top with 360 degrees of zonal cables. Underfoot, the sole unit boasts a Zoom Turbo unit in the forefoot and a bottom-loaded, 13-millimeter Zoom unit for propulsion; a full-length Cushlon 2.0 foam for comfort; and a TPU midfoot shank for stability as well as an extra pop.

“As we took our next steps from the LeBron XX, we were inspired by the way LeBron maintains his body and his game during the offseason,” says Jason Petrie, Lead Designer for the LeBron XXI. “His trainer says it’s like taking care of an F1 car. You tweak the car between each race. You don’t need to rebuild the car completely. We wanted to retain some of the elements we know he loved, like the Zoom Turbo unit, but refine some of the finishes in the upper.”

Releasing in full family sizes, the Animal Print Nike Free “Akoya” will be available globally on September 28th.