There was no rollout. You had to be a sneakerhead of sorts, the kind of person who pays close attention to footwear, to even notice the subtle addition to the heel of Bronny James’ Nike LeBron Witness 9 Player Edition shoe.
Bronny has his own logo. On a shoe.
The logo: a lowercase B with a “9” — James’ jersey number — in the middle. It was on the shoes he wore Wednesday night when the Los Angeles Lakers visited Cleveland to play the Cavaliers.
Any other night, there wouldn’t be much talk about the shoes Bronny wears — or Bronny in general, now that he’s no longer a rookie. Lakers chatter usually involves LeBron, or Luka Dončić, or whether the game will be a blowout so Bronny, a guard deep on the Lakers’ bench, can get some time on the court.
The game was a blowout. And on an emotional night for his father, Bronny and his shoes made it on the court.
Cameras picked up on the shoe and the Bronny logo before and during the game. There were high expectations that Wednesday’s game would ignite conversation because Bronny and LeBron have an imprint on the shoe.
Not just about the logo, but as to why a player not in a regular NBA rotation is rocking a specialized shoe.
You’d have to be naive to think a Bronny logo wasn’t possible. LeBron is one of the biggest stars in Nike’s history and sports history. If his son has a logo and wants it on a shoe, Bronny is getting a logo. LeBron has his own building on the Nike campus, so Bronny playing in Player Edition shoes should be somewhat expected.
So what if Bronny has played in only 25 games with the Lakers and seven in the G League. He’s going to have access to whatever shoe he wants.
There’s also confusion among those not immersed in the sneaker world. Bronny was not wearing a signature shoe; he was wearing a custom version of a shoe that’s already out.
LeBron James (23) greets his son, Bronny, as he enters the game during the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ blowout win against the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 13. (Kiyoshi Mio / Imagn Images)
A player who’s wearing a Player Edition shoe often features a personalized logo, part of what makes it a “player edition.” I’ve seen plenty of logos on shoes that you won’t find in stores. Many athletes have logos, but not as many have signature shoes, and you won’t find gear with those logos in stores.
If Nike wanted to see how the public would respond to this version of the Witness 9 and Bronny’s logo, Wednesday was an ideal time.
The logo itself is smart in that it’s nothing like LeBron’s, which features “LJ” and a crown. Adding the nine gives Bronny some individuality, too. LeBron wore No. 9 during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, but plenty of Bronny’s peers are too young to remember that year. Bronny himself was born in October 2004.
Bronny was back in Cleveland, where his father played his first seven NBA seasons and then returned for four more years after a four-year stint with the Miami Heat. Entering the game, there would be plenty of cameras on father and son, so it was smart marketing to break out this particular shoe on Wednesday.
There’s also a lot of interest and money to be made with the Bronny brand. Bronny’s NBA Summer League jersey sold at auction for $38,400 in 2024. And Nike sold Bronny’s jersey with his name during his lone college season at USC, making him the first men’s basketball player to have his jersey for sale as part of the NIL era.
And guess what? Several people will be looking at Bronny’s shoes for the next Lakers game.
No rollout needed — because his logo and shoes still might be the talk of sneakerheads.