Top 10 Best Nike LeBron 10 (LeBron X) Sneakers of All Time

With a career spanning 23 seasons (and counting), the argument for what was LeBron James’ peak is often debated. Was he at his apex during his first run in Cleveland when he jumped so high that his head would clear the rim or during his second run when he could channel that athleticism into something that could translate into winning basketball? Were his skills perfected in Miami or Los Angeles? Barring injury, could we see another variation of peak LeBron now that Luka Doncic will be handling most of the ball-handling responsibilities?

There is no argument about when LeBron’s signature shoe line peaked, because the only acceptable answer is the Miami era. When Jason Petrie took over design duties for the line, a different energy emerged from his partnership with James. After turning some heads with the Nike LeBron 7, things escalated with the Nike LeBron 8. Between James landing in South Beach, the non-stop media coverage of the move, and the emergence of sneaker culture from its niche beginnings, Petrie delivered with the most memorable sneakers in James’ entire line, including the Nike LeBron 10 (also known as the Nike LeBron X).

Playing off the use of diamonds to celebrate a 10th anniversary, the LeBron 10 featured the series’ first full-length visible Nike Zoom unit, Flywire technology, a Hyperfuse upper with cutouts that resembled diamonds, and Nike+ Basketball integration. The sneakers would also mark the series’ expansion to off-the-court endeavors with lifestyle-centric designs that would end up becoming among the most memorable in the series. LeBron’s Miami sneaker era was when everything coalesced into the peak of the series, and while arguments can be made for the LeBron 8 being the best of the bunch, the 10 might have the advantage with its scope and ambition.

10. Nike LeBron 10 Christmas

To nobody’s surprise, LeBron James is the all-time leader in games played on Christmas Day, games won on Christmas Day, and points scored on Christmas Day. That’s what happens when you’re the center of attention for over two decades; opportunities to play on Christmas Day are just going to be a recurring event. One of his memorable performances was in 2012 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a rematch of the previous season’s NBA Finals. With LeBron rocking the Nike LeBron 10 Christmas and Kevin Durant in his own festive Nike KD 5s, James would score 29 and hit some critical shots and dish out some clutch assists en route to a victory. Nike is even celebrating The King’s Christmas achievements with an upcoming Nike LeBron 23 colorway.

9. Nike LeBron 10 Re-Entry

While the nickname of this LeBron 10 is Pure Platinum, the pixelized splash of color throughout the upper actually represents re-entry of an object back into the Earth’s atmosphere. The result is a pair that has a bit more of a pop in comparison to other LeBron 10s that opted for cleaner finishes. The May 2013 release of this colorway was also kind of curious at the time because it was dropping alongside all of the other LeBron 10 variants such as the low-cut version, the lifestyle EXT and NSW editions, and the postseason-ready Elites. Being able to stand out was critical at that time because LeBrons consistently sold out in a way that we haven’t seen since. The Gen-Z and below crowd who have seen LeBrons sit on store shelves all their lives have no clue that it used to be a struggle to even find GRs sometimes

8. Nike LeBron 10 Floridians

During the 2011-12 NBA season, the Miami Heat paid homage to The Floridians franchise that played in the ABA by wearing their classic white, orange, and pink home jerseys. Naturally, Nike had a player-exclusive ready for King James in the form of a Nike LeBron 9 that featured the rare NIKEiD Foamposite option, giving the sneaker a different look from your standard 9s. As for The Floridians tributes that dropped at retail, Nike released a LeBron 10 that was based on the road jersey featuring a black upper with pink and orange accents.

Side note: No disrespect to the Heat’s classic black and red color scheme that’s been around since the franchise’s inception in the late 1980s, but no team in the NBA has more fire alternatives should they ever decide to rebrand. Between the Floridians and the Vice options, they could go either way and people might actually like those better.

7. Nike LeBron 10 Cutting Jade

While it’s not entirely true that the Cutting Jade is a flipped version of Christmas or vice versa, the similarities are hard to deny. What sets them apart is their inspiration. As the name implies, the Nike LeBron X “Cutting Jade” is derived from the process of cutting the gemstone which is a huge part of Chinese culture. Originally believed to be a China-exclusive release, the US audience would also get a chance to pick up the sneaker just a few weeks later.

6. Nike LeBron 10 All-Star Area 72 (Extraterrestrial)

Just like Christmas Day, LeBron James owns the NBA All-Star Game record books as he holds the top spot for most appearances, points scored, and several other benchmarks. While there’s no official record for most All-Star Game-themed signature sneakers to appear in the contest, James’ only competition for that would likely be the Air Jordan line. As for the Nike LeBron 10 Extraterrestrial, which is a follow-up to 2012’s epic Galaxy theme, the purple hue served as a contrast to the sea of bright yellow and slimy green player-exclusive kicks that were worn by Nike and Jordan Brand non-signature athletes like Steph Curry (in his pre-Under Armour days) and Blake Griffin, respectively.

5. Nike LeBron 10 EXT Denim

It really shouldn’t work. Midnight Navy Denim upper. Hazelnut leather tongue. Fireberry (read: hot pink) midsole. You could get away with maybe two of those pieces on a sneaker. But all three? Unhinged is too tame a word for the team that pitched this concept. Out of the four pairs in the Nike LeBron 10 EXT series that transformed the sneaker into a lifestyle piece, the mishmashed Denim felt like an outlier. And yet, social media at the time had plenty of #OOTD pics of people rocking them with khakis, joggers, matching jeans, and no-show socks. Even LeBron tried to put something together with the Denims and… well, you can’t always win them all.

4. Nike LeBron 10+ Sport Pack Crown Jewel

Housed in packaging that looked less like a sneaker box and more like an Infinity Stone, the debut colorway of the Nike LeBron 10 was indeed Nike’s Crown Jewel. Featuring the Swoosh’s aspirational Nike+ technology at the time, this was their play into premium footwear with premium technology and premium pricing. Pair that up with a luxurious deep purple Hyperfuse upper with a crown and scepter image on one of the diamond-shaped panels on the medial side, this was a heat check by Nike to see just how far they charge their consumers. Unfortunately for them, Nike+ did not catch on and fans balked at the sneaker’s $270 price point, ensuring no sneakers new or retro would ever be priced at over $200 again…

3. Nike LeBron 10 Championship Pack

Continuing the trend that started a year prior, the Nike LeBron 10 Championship Pack was in celebration of James' second NBA Finals win, a hard-fought seven-game series against the San Antonio Spurs. Featuring the Nike LeBron 10 Elite that were on James' feet for Game 7 and a special floral-themed LeBron 10 Low, the 2-pack came with special packaging and was available in extremely limited quantities. Unfortunately for LeBron and Nike, there would be no three-peat a year later as the Heat lost to the Spurs, although the sneakers - a red and gold LeBron 11 Elite and a multicolor LeBron 11 Low - that were supposed to be included in the Championship Pack was quietly relabeled as special editions and “un-packed.”

2. Nike LeBron 10 EXT Cork

In 2012, yours truly was invited to a special event at the Nike Los Angeles office. With invites limited to “friends of the program,” it was not meant for public consumption. No one told me about this beforehand, so of course when Gentry Humphrey unveiled the Nike LeBron 10 EXT Cork - something that had only been seen in blurry photos and spoken in hushed tones at the time - I took pictures of the sneakers like everybody else. Unlike everybody else, I posted the pictures at the outlet I used to work for. Needless to say, wires were crossed, feathers were ruffled, and pictures were taken down and put back up.

That was an example of how Nike viewed LeBron’s push into the lifestyle and sportswear space at the time. There was special edition packaging, GQ cover features, and photoshoots of LeBron with a clearly scripted outfit to pair nicely with the Corks. Nike treated it like a big deal, sneakerheads reacted in kind, and the result was arguably their biggest release since the South Beach Nike LeBron 8.

1. Nike LeBron 10 What The MVP

Inspired by the original What The Nike SB Dunk, Nike Basketball used the “WTF” theme as a way to bookend a signature shoe entry’s run through the early to mid-2010. Mashing together different colorways like Cutting Jade and Area 72 has the potential for pure mess (negative), but thankfully, the LeBron 10 avoids those traps and the result is one of the best examples of What The theme executed correctly*. Revealed alongside the announcement of LeBron James’ fourth MVP award, he famously truck-sticked Nate Robinson while wearing them during Game 1 of the Heat’s Eastern Conference Semifinal series against the Chicago Bulls.

*For an example of the What The theme executed incorrectly, see the Nike Kobe 9 Elite What The, which looks like every other multicolor Kobe 9 Elite.

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. After recently getting into Formula 1, he now has hot takes about who the greatest driver of all time is. Email: juan@soleretriever.com