Whether its footballers loving hoops or the other way around, the two sports have become more and more intertwined as time moves on. We take a look at the latest installment of the football-basketball crossover — Nike’s LeBron James x Liverpool FC collection.
LeBron James has been a stakeholder of Liverpool FC since 2011, and his involvement with the club has varied over the years. From rocking Liverpool kits as part of his pregame ‘fits to shouting them out in interviews (albeit not always in the most convincing manner), he’s outwardly shown support consistently since becoming involved with the club.
In February 2023, the partnership went to another level, as Nike introduced an official Liverpool x LeBron James collection, which was well-received by football and basketball fans alike. The black and red color scheme featured the LeBron logo and subtle nods to the Merseyside club’s iconic anthem woven between the pinstripes. There wasn’t really much to complain about.
Just over a year on, the long-awaited sequel of this collaboration was revealed with a new colorway and more than a few articles to choose from across both sports. Here’s the rundown:
The Jerseys
The most notable difference between parts one and two of the drop comes with the jerseys. Where the first drop contained just one, this edition features both a football and basketball jersey.
The colorway has switched to highlight the teal in Liverpool’s crest instead of the club’s signature red. The football shirt features a black base with hints of teal and gold to go along with both the LeBron and Liverpool logos. Details make this jersey stand out, from the pattern across the body to the trims on the neck collar and sleeve cuffs.
The basketball jersey goes for the inverse, with a teal base coupled with gold and black trims. The bold “YNWA” across the chest in gold is a lovely choice. and again if you look closely the finer details show both Liverpool’s anthem and James’ tagline, “Strive for greatness.” Both jerseys are executed very well.
The Sportswear
The expanded drop provides some other gear for fans of both sports. An all-black football jacket is coupled with an off-white basketball tracksuit, with both sporting that subtle gold trim on the logos. Additionally, there are more casual tops. A quarter-zip basketball top and a graphic black football tee serve as more affordable options.
There is also an assortment of branded tracksuit bottoms, sweatshirts, and tees that are shown in the initial reveal, all of which have the same colorway.
The Kicks
The final major plus this time around was the inclusion of shoes.
The LFC x LeBron Nike NXXT Gen Amplified Trainers look stunning and, as with all the clothing, sport subtle odes to both the origins of James and Liverpool. A second shoe option is also available in the LFC x LeBron Air Max 1s. Black, white, and dark teal serve as the main colors with Liverpool red accents on the interior, which gives this shoe more streetwear appeal, but you’ll see a lot of both shoes in the future.
Far From the Only Footy x Hoops Collab
LeBron x Liverpool is certainly one of the most significant footy-hoops linkup out there, but regarding other collaborations between two of the biggest sports in the world, perhaps the most prominent one that comes to mind is Paris Saint-Germain and their long-standing deal with Air Jordan. This relationship has put itself at the forefront of the football/fashion genre this decade, and their kit drops are always a hot commodity. It also puts an additional wrinkle, although trivial, into the basketball GOAT debate that has been simmering for years. Forget who has more rings, whose footy collab is better, MJ or LBJ?
There have certainly been other football-basketball crossovers in recent memory as well, although at a much smaller scale than the LeBron-Liverpool or Jordan-PSG lines. Perhaps the one that stands out most also happens to feature James alongside perhaps the biggest current star in football, Kylian Mbappe.
The two icons, both Nike athletes, came together for a pack aptly dubbed “The Chosen 2,” which saw special editions of each other’s signature shoe, in this case the LeBron 18 and Mercurial Mbappe. Mbappe has never hidden his admiration for James or the sport of basketball, with his now-famous interview at the NBA draft pointing out the fact.
Just as there are plenty of footballers who are certified hoops heads, more NBA players are beginning to become invested — both financially and emotionally — in the beautiful game, and don’t be surprised if we see more crossovers between the two sports and their biggest stars in the future. Get on the train now before it gets too crowded.
