Nike Pays Tribute to the Lakers 2020 Chip with LeBron 23 Bubble Boy Colorway

The 2020 NBA season was a beautiful mess. Designed as a way to finish the 2019-2020 NBA season after the pandemic shut down the sporting world, the NBA built a bubble at Disney World, brought in Zoom-streamed fans, and saw Jack Harlow accidentally snitch on Lou Williams for breaking quarantine to eat wings at an Atlanta strip club. As summer turned to fall, the Lakers exited the bubble with the hardware, taking home the Mickey Mouse title and the 2020 Larry O’Brien trophy.

To celebrate the most unique season in recent NBA history and its completion with LeBron’s fourth title, Nike is dropping a Bubble Boy colorway of the LeBron 23. Starting with an upper in iridescent silver to represent an actual bubble, an embroidered purple line snaking across the upper represents the Lakers, while a bejeweled Swoosh logo is a reference to the championship rings. Whether you think the bubble season was an easier or harder road to a title than a normal NBA playoff is still up for debate, but more importantly, the Bubble Boy colorway has us firing up a rewatch of the 2001 Jake Gyllenhaal comedy by the same name.

As the NBA season gets set to start next week, LeBron is back on the court with his son Bronny, and rumors are still spreading about his potential retirement. For his 23rd shoe, Nike is using the opportunity to tell 23 stories about King James’ career and legacy, and the Bubble Boy colorway is a perfect way to remember just how weird the 2020 NBA season was.

The Nike LeBron 23 Bubble Boy will be released Holiday 2025 through Nike and select retailers in-store and online. Available in men’s and grade school sizing, the retail prices are set at $210 for adult sizes and $160 for GS. Download the Sole Retriever mobile app for all the latest LeBron 23 release info and news.