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LeBron James and Nike Basketball are switching sneakers from the Nike LeBron 9 series to the Nike Lunar Hyperdunk+.  For the summer Olympics, expect LeBron James to rock the Nike Lunar Hyperdunk+ instead of his own signature line.  At first this was a head scratcher but then I had to step back see this from Nike’s perspective.  Once I put some thought behind this switch, it made sense.

LeBron James is busy defending the Oklahoma City Thunder off from grabbing the NBA Championship from this month.  With so much pressure on King James to obtain a NBA Championship ring, it only seems right that this year is his year to do so.  I am not a Miami Heat fan but I do want to see LeBron James get a ring to press the silent button on the haters.  If LeBron James were to win the championship this month and then rock the Hyperdunk+ for the Olympics, Nike Basketball will have struck gold in the marketing department.

In addition to Nike’s Marketing Department striking gold if LBJ wins a title this, what other player has a bigger name than LeBron James right now?  Kevin Durant?  I don’t think so.  I think KD is a great player but just doesn’t have the influence King James does in the sneaker community.  Both athletes have signature sneakers with Nike Basketball which is great but the LeBron series is the strongest at retailers in comparison to the KD series.  So if the LeBron series is as strong as we think, we can only conclude that switching to the Hyperdunk+ for the Olympics is a good move because the transference of influence should follow.

I just can’t see why Nike Basketball would have picked anyone else to help push Nike’s latest technology.  I think having LeBron James wear the Nike Lunar Hyperdunk+ during the Olympics will produce positive results for Nike.  I am not forecasting record breaking sales but I am saying this will be a great launching pad for the Hyperdunk+.  Depends on what my summer will look like I may just purchase a pair to get back on the court. I may have to remind people why they call me Sha-Kobe.  Ok, maybe not Sha-Kobe but you know what I mean.