On Sunday evening, LeBron James made his 21st appearance at the NBA All-Star Game, sporting a unique pair of Nike LeBron 21 sneakers inspired by a signature shoe worn by Deion Sanders in the 90s. The sneakers featured claw mark stripes similar to the ones found on the Air DT Max ’96, also known as the Air Diamond Turf 3. In addition, the design of the sneakers had a white and black color scheme with gold accents, which just so happens to match the colors of Sanders’ alma mater, the Colorado Buffaloes.
Nike recently released Deion Sanders’ third signature sneaker featuring his logo for the first time, as well as a new version of the shoe. While Sanders had previous releases of his shoes, they did not include his logo due to his lack of association with the brand after leaving in 2024. Sanders, who was previously signed with Under Armour, made it clear he had no intention of returning to Nike.
On a different note, Nike has also unveiled three new basketball shoes inspired by classic models for this year’s NBA All-Star Game. The GT Hustle 2 draws from the Air More Uptempo, the GT Jump 2 is inspired by the Total Foamposite Max, and the GT Cut 3 takes cues from the Zoom Flight 5. LeBron James is set to make his 21st consecutive all-star appearance, breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s previous record of 19.
It is unclear whether the Nike LeBron 21 “DT Max ’96” will be available to the public or exclusively for players. Footwear News has reached out to Nike for further details, and this post will be updated accordingly.