- May 22, 2009
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Clear pics would be even better
Somebody please hurry up and leak some more pics of the 13's
THE LEBRON 13 THREAD *Elites released**Command Force 6/11/16
- Thread in 'Nike' Thread starter Started by mister friendly,
- Start date
- May 19, 2004
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They dropped in '07 but there were no 'sneakerheads' or overall sneaker hype in general. The IVs themselves were not great performers on the court - quite heavy and off court they were somewhat awkward looking. The limited pairs did well (as expected) but most of the GRs had to be liquidated. The White/White and Black/Red pairs were RTVed - so Nike actually lost money on those pairs.
- May 19, 2004
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I'll add to this as I have some experience working Nike retail. The key thing is margins and no surprise but Nike/JB footwear have fantastic margins.
The $200 LBJ XIIs are sold to most retailers for $100 a pop, while higher volume retailers like Footlocker, Champs, Eastbay get gem for about $85 as they tend to order thousands of pairs of Nike/JB product overall. You guys may also find this interesting but Nike retail - flagship stores, outlets, employee stores, online pay $85-$100 too, they don't get them at Nike's 'true' cost.
A very small portion of the sneaker-buying public will purchase a sneaker at $200 but most will find $140-$160 to be a 'good deal'. With Nike churning out so much product in a very short period of time it doesn't make sense for the retailers to have 10+ colourways of the XII retailing at $200 with the hope that the sneaker-consumer will cave in and shell out full price. Also bear in mind that there are warehousing costs, shelf space, etc... so a smaller retailer will probably hold out longer than a larger one.
Back to the subject of losses and flops - as long as the Nike sells their product at $85-$100 to the respective retailer, said shoe is NOT a flop. However if that shoe is RTVed or returned back to them and it has to be blown out at an outlet for $40 then yes, you can consider it to be a flop.
One thing of note, is that in the past - they were producing fewer colourways in higher quantities, now they produce lesser quantities but in more colourways. The shoes are also not as technically complex to manufacture as they were in the past seeing as everything now is mesh and plastic with seamless, one-piece, modular designs.
Hope this sheds some light on this discussion.
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- Feb 8, 2001
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I'd argue the LeBron IV is one of -- if not the best -- performing shoe in his entire line, and I know others who feel the same. The zoom was crazy responsive, while the shoe was also very low to the ground. No, they weren't exactly light, but most Brons aren't. I also thought it was Nike's best use of posite material outside of Foams themselves. It was a practical use, and not just a shiny, aesthetic choice like we see these days.
I definitely agree the IV had limited off-court appeal though.
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- Jul 9, 2002
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Only iv i have left are the west coast. Love em
- Feb 22, 2007
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Theres always someone defending some poor performing Nike shoes like the Lebron IV or the Kobe VII 
- May 19, 2004
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I'll agree that the Zoom was top notch and the Foamposite was quite solid but LBJ himself was using one of his 'Soldier' sneakers for a good part of the season and playoffs.
- Oct 10, 2013
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The lebron iv's were horrible and I don't know why anyone would claim anything different. It suffered from horrible fit and that foamposite 3 type extra bouncy insole. The shoe also made size 9's look like 13's
The Kobe vii was buns in every way imaginable. Literally not one redeeming quality
The Kobe vii was buns in every way imaginable. Literally not one redeeming quality
- Apr 22, 2002
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woah...wooooooooooah...why all the Lebron IV bashing. Horrible casual shoe but that shoe was a beast on court IMO. Best foam I've ever played in. Still in the rotation to this day.
- Oct 10, 2013
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I can agree with best foam ball shoe but that's absolutely not saying much. Foamposites have to be the top 5 worst ball shoe of all time for fit and performance. They look great though
- Feb 1, 2010
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He didn't wear Soldiers specifically because of performance issues though. They always used to be his regular playoff shoe before Elites came along, and that was the first year they introduced Soldiers. He did wear the 20.5.5 after coming off a toe injury, but besides a handful of games, he still wore the IVs most of the regular season.
http://nikelebron.net/timeline/2006-07/
I personally didn't like playing in the IVs, but they're still one of my favorite Lebron models. I like how they look, and at least for me they're very comfortable
- Sep 24, 2013
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- Apr 22, 2002
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See you young boys not willing to pay the price to break foams in properly, back when foams first dropped...
Seriously though foams are pretty great on court if you commit to break them in. The problem is so many kicks today are ready to go right out of the box its not worth it any more. THE LBJ IV have the shortest break in time of any foam I've worn and they are absolute tanks. I still wear my release day pair to ball in from time to time.
- Jan 4, 2012
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Really looking forward to some more clear or any type of Lebron 13 pics to surface. This thread right now is more like the origins of Lebron or the history of Nike basketball shoes
- Oct 10, 2013
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See you young boys not willing to pay the price to break foams in properly, back when foams first dropped...
Seriously though foams are pretty great on court if you commit to break them in. The problem is so many kicks today are ready to go right out of the box its not worth it any more. THE LBJ IV have the shortest break in time of any foam I've worn and they are absolute tanks. I still wear my release day pair to ball in from time to time.
Bruh I was there when they dropped. I'm not making my feet bleed for 2 weeks in order to break them in. That's a horrible sales pitch by the way
- Feb 22, 2007
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The Lebron IV were literally like bricks on feet
The Lebron VII was a performance clunker too
The Lebron VII was a performance clunker too
flesh prince
Banned
- May 31, 2015
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I actually like the way they look casually. Main appeal of the shoe.
If you can rock Foams you can rock the IV's. But I like different type **** so maybe that's it.
Not me, I wouldn't rock the laces that far out.
If you can rock Foams you can rock the IV's. But I like different type **** so maybe that's it.
Not me, I wouldn't rock the laces that far out.
- Dec 27, 2011
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Let these guys cook till more pics arrive...if not, this thread will be on page 10 in no time flat
jordanstrapda45
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- May 4, 2015
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This thread went to the bushes since I leak them pics idk what yall been talking about for the past three pages
- Jan 4, 2012
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I actually like the way they look casually. Main appeal of the shoe.
If you can rock Foams you can rock the IV's. But I like different type **** so maybe that's it.
Not me, I wouldn't rock the laces that far out.
Nice!!!
- Aug 13, 2013
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I've been eyeing a pair of West Coast 4s for sale in my local area, I love the look of them but my current pair of White/Silvers hardly gets any wear just because of how clunky they are, so having a hard time justifying the purchase.
- Nov 10, 2013
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I remember back in highschool I had the triple blacks west coast and all white 4's people always said you rocking moon boots those are trash now all of them rock foams smh
I love the 4's
I love the 4's
- Oct 10, 2013
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jordanstrapda45
Banned
- May 4, 2015
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bro stop it I jump started this thread when I become the first to notice the shoes. Featured on SC but I'm tired of coming here thinking I'm going to get some new info and yall not talking bout nothing
- Oct 10, 2013
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OMG when's your newyork times best seller award come in? Sit down. Nobody cares about your pics. If we did we'd still be talking about it
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