The new Nike LeBron 12 has been released in China on October 1 -- 10 days ahead of the rest of the world.
The shoes retail at $200 and are available at Nike.com in China. For the global release, sizes for both adults and children will be available.
Earlier in September 2014, seven colorways of the Nike LeBron 12 were introduced, with the first pair dubbed "NSRL", based on an article by Weartesters.com. "NSRL" stands for Nike Sports Research Lab, which gave the inspiration to come up with the unique cushioning layout. The pair generally refers to Nike lab's approach of converting data into design to create the best-performing shoes in the market.
The inital colorway has generous amounts of turquoise with hints of Hyper Crimson on the insole lining, shank, flywire and front swoosh. The swoosh on the side and crown on the LeBron James logo are also outlined in Hyper Crimson. The outsoles are translucent ice, while the Hyperposite wings are Metallic Cool Grey. The swoosh on the outer wing is black with more black speckles located against the turquoise midsole.
In a report by Pro Basketball Talk, the new basketball shoes are drastically different compared to its predecessor, the Nike LeBron 11. The design team focused on precision to match LeBron's explosive style of play. Some of the key features to expect in the new pair are the Megafuse technology on the upper, Hyperposite wings and five hexagon Nike Zoom Air bags on the soles. Each hexagon features a different color, making the outsole look like a painter's palette.
The cushioning system is one of the most innovative designs by Nike. Taryn Hensley, Director of Cushioning Innovation, discussed the details of the cushioning system, "Zoom Air is one Nike's key cushioning systems. Instead of using the traditional foam, it uses a unique combination of pressurized air and fibers. There are thousands of fibers in each airbag. The fibers are under high tension and this gives them their unique performance characteristics. The fibers give excellent cushioning upon impact, which is followed by a quick snap-back when the foot comes off the ground."
The design is based on the pressure map of a foot. Each of the five air bags was individually engineered depending on the types of impact various regions of the foot experienced during play.
The second colorway in the series, "Heart of a Lion", with red and white tones, are set to launch on October 30, 2014.