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LeBron James wears leaked special edition Liverpool kit on arrival for Los Angeles Lakers match

Jan. 26, 2023
LeBron James wears leaked special edition Liverpool kit on arrival for Los Angeles Lakers match

LeBron James has all but confirmed an upcoming clothing range with Liverpool after being pictured arriving at a Los Angeles Lakers NBA game sporting a special edition shirt. 

The top matches images leaked from a Liverpool fan account on Twitter earlier this month.

James arrived for the Lakers game against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday wearing a special edition kit, which is expected to be released as part of the LeBron and Liverpool collection.

The shirt features his logo in the centre and is black with red pin stripes.

Liverpool and Nike logos are also featured, while the letters YNWA (You'll Never Walk Alone) are included as part of of the design.

James also wore Nike Air Max 1 trainers on Wednesday, which features his insignia on the heel, as well as the Liverpool logo.

The 38-year-old star shared images on social media following the Lakers' 113-104 win over the San Antonio Spurs, showing his support for Jurgen Klopp's side.

An upcoming release of Nike LeBron 20 Liverpool trainers has also been teased, with Liverpool's red colours central to the design of the latest collaboration.

The release of a clothing range between James and Liverpool would build on their existing relationship, with footwear having been produced since the basketball legend took a minority stake in the Premier League club back in 2011.

The four-time NBA champion first bought a two per cent stake in Liverpool in 2011 for £4.7million with business partner Maverick Carter, the same year FSG bought Liverpool for £300m.

The Premier League team's value has since soared to what Forbes estimates to be worth £3.6bn.

This followed Liverpool's Champions League triumph in 2019 and Premier League title win in 2020, as well as renovation and expansion of the club's historic Anfield stadium and a rise in the top-flight's lucrative TV deals.

James converted his stake in Liverpool to a one per cent share in FSG's global empire in March 2021.

As well as Liverpool and the Red Sox, FSG also owns the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team, 80 per cent of New England Sports Network and half of Roush Fenway Racing. 

Forbes last year estimated James's FSG take to be worth £74m.

Both James and Liverpool have long-standing agreements with Nike.

The basketball great first signed a deal with the sportswear giant in 2003 at age 18, before penning a lifetime deal in 2015, which is claimed to be worth 'tens of millions' a year.

In June 2022, Forbes named James as the first active NBA player to become a billionaire.

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner had told the Boston Globe in 2021 that a product line with James had been planned, with seven or eight products being produced by Nike.

The collaboration was likened to Michael Jordan's historic deal with Nike, which began with the launch of Air Jordans in 1985 and has become a vastly successful brand.

FSG announced last November that they were considering new stakeholders at Liverpool.


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