Before a shoe enters the production stage, it must pass the Wear Test stage, in which lab rats (athletes) test out the shoes and offer full feedback, both positive and negative, to the designers and engineers. Before the Zoom LeBron III hit production, another version of the shoe was made for LeBron, and clearly some tweaks were made. Here’s a look at the Nike Zoom LeBron III Wear Test Sample; the overall silhouette is very similar to the releaseed version but in terms of similarity, it ends there. The toe box construction has changed, going diagonally on the toe to one that is leather-enforced on the medial side to support LeBron’s weight.
Another major difference is the absence of the Pebax ‘foot bucket’ – which considerably alters the rear end of the shoe – as well as the visible Pebax shell on the large-volume Zoom Air cushioning unit. The swoosh on the heel has also changed direction, as the Wear Test sample shows one in retrograde direction. The released version of the LeBron III has been compared to a soldier combat boot, but the sloping lines and stability straps seen on the Wear Test version give off almost an Japanese-inspired appearance (of course, opinions may differ on that notion). Take a look at this rare Wear Test sample after the jump and let us know which version you like better. via CK.
