Nike LeBron 23 Point Forward Uses High School Hints to Celebrate the Chosen One

LeBron has been called The Chosen One for decades now, but the nickname goes back to one groundbreaking article. The February 2002 Sports Illustrated cover featuring a 17-year-old James in his St. Vincent-St. Mary’s high school uniform reaching out to the camera with a basketball cocked back in the other hand featured the iconic headline, “The Chosen One,” and from that point forward, the name stuck.

The latest colorway of the Nike LeBron 23 is nicknamed Point Forward for the life-changing SI cover and not for the ball-handling hybrid on-court position that James helped define. Channeling the cover into shoe form, the LeBron 23 Point Forward takes the high school jersey colors James was wearing in the magazine photo shoot, starting with a white upper and adding green and gold accents throughout. The headline from the cover story is added across the heel of the shoes, with “Chosen1” spelled out beneath a crown.

So far, we’ve only seen quick previews of the new colorway, but the story is clear. For LeBron’s 23rd signature Nike shoe, King James and the Swoosh are taking the time to tell 23 individual stories through colorways, highlighting memories and moments from ‘Bron’s incredible career. The last colorway we saw paid tribute to LeBron’s New York City draft day experience, and this one steps back even further to his high school days.

The Nike LeBron 23 Point Forward will be released Holiday 2025 through Nike and select retailers in-store and online. Available in adult and kids sizing, the retail prices are set at $210 for men’s sizes and $160 for GS pairs. Make sure you never miss any LeBron Nike news, download the Sole Retriever mobile app now.