LeBron James has been followed by the media since his high school days at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. This men among boys has proven that one day he will be worthy of the title King among his basketball peers (at least when he gets his first ring). Custom shoe fans and basketball lovers alike will enjoy the Nike Air Force Ones displayed in this post.

The customizer has utilized the simple elegance of the Air Force Ones to create a shoe worthy of a King. The word “King” is emblazoned on the left heel while the word “James” completes the thought on the right heel. Gold paint is utilized within the confines of the Nike swoosh to give an exclamation point to the early success of LeBron James.

This pair of customs is completed with the use of paint to cover bumps with black and gold color to accent the rest of the shoe. I am a big fan of this design and I hope that some lucky fan elevates their game by channeling the power of LeBron James.

Diehard Adidas basketball fans will enjoy the custom kicks pictured above. The plain white Adidas high tops that the sneaker artist used as a canvas is standard fare in the basketball sneaker market. A few flourishes by the artist turned a plain white sneaker into a good addition to any sneaker fan’s collection.

The purple laces provide an easy touch of color for basketball players in need of a little flare. While purple and yellow may not seem like the best color combination, the use of yellow with black spots along the outside ridges of the shoe makes this an interesting custom sneaker. I am not a huge fan of that color combination especially with a white shoe but I know the community of sneaker fans that read this website will appreciate such a bold effort.

The Nike Madiera Pack offers three distinct looks for the discerning female sneaker fan. The opening salvo of the pack is the Nike Air Max 90 in basic colorways that will go with casual and athletic clothing. The Air Max 90 is followed up by the Dunk High for women ballers that want to change out of their Air Max 90s into a matching shoe. The Dunk High is pictured above and provides sufficient ankle support to break ankles on the basketball court.

The third member of the Nike Madiera Pack is the most disturbing in my view. The Nike Greco High is included with this set of three Nike shoes and doesn’t seem to belong. I would have put an ACG style or a classic running style in with the modern Air Max 90 and the stylish Nike Dunk High. If you feel compelled to purchase a pack under the “two out of three ain’t bad” philosophy, you should go with the Madiera Pack. I would encourage you to make your own set or wait until Nike realizes its mistake before shelling out the money for something you have serious questions about.

This pair of Nike Air Max Stats leaves the original version of these basketball shoes in the dust. The Air Max Stat is the signature shoe of Phoenix forward Amare Stoudemire but the simple high top with black/white accents does not befit a player of his stature. The custom Air Stats pictured above offer a flashy royal purple/orange that would fit well with the Phoenix Suns’ color scheme.

The NBA and other professional leagues are only interested in the flash of players, not the flash of the apparel. These shoes would not get past the puritanical censors that watch for baggy shorts, non-sanctioned socks and other NBA fashion faux pas. The promise of a player like Stoudemire lifting off from the middle of the lane to dunk over Dirk Nowitzki in these shoes will have to stay in the mind of custom shoe lovers. If nothing else, Prince could use these custom Nike Air Max Stats if he ever plays “Purple Rain” at the NBA All Star Weekend.

I borrowed this template from here.

This continues the special tradition of commemorating the anniversaries of Air Force One (AF1). Charles Barkley was a great basketball player and Force was created just for him. He played with all his resources, fighting hard to score with every ball. He needed the best pair of basketball shoes to help him move with athletic ease. Air Force 1 was created especially for him.

This year’s commemorative set of Air Force 1 shoes has two designs; Air Force 1 Supreme and Air Force 1 Supreme Max. These are made from premium leather. There are two color combinations. The black design is entirely black, while maintaining the detailed workmanship of the traditional Nike shoe pattern. The joints at the seams are meant to allow flexibility of the shoe to accommodate the feet.The thick soles will cushion the feet while running and jumping. The bottom sole has a fine, ridged surface. This enables grip on the basketball court surface.

I prefer the other color combination of black, white and green.The green layer on the sole provides a dash of relief from the sober black and white shoe upper. However, I dislike the white bottom sole. I think white will be easily stained with use. Anyway, these are basketball sneakers and should be worn only for that purpose. I wouldn’t worry too much about sole discoloration and dirt when the basketball courts are relatively devoid of dirt.

These shoes will be available for sale on October 1st at Nike.