Why was LeBron James wearing Kentucky basketball-themed sneakers?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James wore UK basketball-themed shoes during a recent game.
- The sneakers were a Kentucky edition of the Nike LeBron 23 PE basketball sneakers.
- James has also worn Duke, Florida A&M and Southern California versions of the shoes.
Fans tuning in for the Los Angeles Lakers’ Thursday night home win over the Philadelphia 76ers were greeted to a surprise visual on the Crypto.com Arena court.
There was Lakers’ star LeBron James — a four-time NBA champion and 22-time league All-Star selection — rocking Kentucky-basketball themed shoes on his feet.
James was wearing a UK basketball-themed version of his Nike LeBron 23 PE shoes. The Kentucky-blue-coated shoes featured the white interlocking UK logo on the back heel.
James — who didn’t play college basketball, but is a supporter of the Ohio State athletics program — has worn several different college versions of the LeBron 23 PE shoes. Earlier this year, James wore versions of the shoe bearing the colors and logos of Duke, Florida A&M, Oregon and Southern California.
All of those schools are outfitted by Nike, and Florida A&M holds an exclusive shoe partnership with James.
One of James’ sons, Bronny, attended Southern Cal before being selected by the Lakers in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft. Another son, Bryce, is currently redshirting his freshman season at Arizona.
Independent of James, the UK basketball program has made some major sneaker news of its own this week in concert with a current NBA star.
Ex-Cat Devin Booker unveiled the new Nike Book Chapter 2 “Must Be the Denim” kicks ahead of Kentucky’s Saturday night home game against Tennessee, which will see the Wildcats sport special throwback denim uniforms as the school’s 1996 NCAA Tournament-winning team is honored.
An exclusive launch of the “Must Be the Denim” shoes will take place Saturday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at UK’s Downtown Studio near Rupp Arena. The Downtown Studio is located at 410 W. Vine Street.
UK basketball players were given the new shoes from Booker’s line with Nike on Thursday.
On Friday, UK revealed a first look at the throwback denim uniforms the Wildcats will wear against the Volunteers.
This story was originally published February 6, 2026 at 11:06 AM.
