LeBron James Debuts Nike Shoe Collab With JuJu Watkins

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors 105-99 on Saturday night. Lakers forward LeBron James provided 20 points and 10 assists, while also debuting a new sneaker collaboration.

James debuted the Nike LeBron NXT Gen "JW" colorway. The unreleased shoe is part of a collaboration with USC Trojans women's basketball star JuJu Watkins.

Nike LeBron NXT Gen "JW"

👀 @KingJames debuts his Nike NXXT GEN collab with @Jujubballin! #NBAKicks pic.twitter.com/E7cKi9a2dn
— NBA KICKS (@NBAKicks) February 8, 2026

The Nike LeBron NXT Gen "JW" colorway features a monochromatic design with shades of grey and silver. The Nike Swoosh logo pops off the sides with a glossy metallic finish.

Currently, there is no release information for the shoes, as they had a surprise debut last night. However, it is safe to expect the performance basketball shoes to hit shelves eventually. The Nike LeBron NXT Gen is one of James' multiple budget-friendly sneaker lines.

JuJu Watkins

LeBron James debuts the Nike LeBron NXT Gen JW, his collab with JuJu Watkins 👑 @KingJames @Jujubballin

📷 @NBAKicks pic.twitter.com/i4jfm0WHGz
— Sole Retriever (@SoleRetriever) February 8, 2026

Unfortunately, Watkins will miss this entire NCAA season after tearing her ACL late last year. However, the future first-round pick has played a major role for Nike Basketball. She has had the rare honor of having her player-exclusive designs released to the public.

While fans wait for the Nike LeBron NXT Gen "JW" to hit shelves, they can shop James' signature sneaker collection at Nike.com. That includes the Nike LeBron 23, which James also debuted a new colorway of last night beginning in the second quarter of the nationally-televised game.

Nike LeBron 23 "Fairfax"

LeBron changed into a Fairfax High School LeBron 23 PE 🦁 @KingJames pic.twitter.com/ogXSu4VXtl
— Sole Retriever (@SoleRetriever) February 8, 2026

James switched into the Nike LeBron 23 "Fairfax" colorway during Saturday night's game. It was a never-before-seen design inspired by Fairfax High School, which has a long history of working with James and Nike.

The "Fairfaix" colorway featured a red-and-yellow design with the Lion mascot on the heels. Unlike many of the shoes James has worn this year, the "Fairfax" colorway is a player-exclusive that will never be released to the public.

Nike LeBron 23

LeBron James debuts a "Fairfax High School" LeBron 23 PE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SVjRRLSEyl
— Complex Sneakers (@ComplexSneakers) February 8, 2026

It was also a highlight for the Nike LeBron 23, which has not lived up to the hype entering the season. Nike is in the process of rolling out 23 colorways that tell stories from James' historic career, but many of the designs have been either head-scratching or forgettable.

Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Kicks On SI for all your footwear news from the NBA and beyond.

More Basketball Shoe News

Caitlin Clark debuted a new Nike Kobe 6 Protro colorway, and offered to give it to fans.

Kentucky unveils the Nike Book 2 "Must Be The Denim" colorway.

The Nike Kobe 6 Protro '3D' returns after 15 years to celebrate NBA All-Star Weekend.

The Nike Book 2 "Spiridon" drops this week.

The Duke Blue Devils swapped Nikes for Jordan Brand shoes.