LeBron James Gifts Ohio State Players Custom Cleats Ahead Of Michigan Game
Plenty of attention is on Saturday's Michigan - Ohio State game. And for good reason, it's a two vs. three game with a likely spot in the College Football Playoffs on the the line. Fortunately for Ohio State players, LeBron James loves him some Buckeyes - and attention.
LeBron's equal love for Ohio State and the spotlight (who are we kidding, he definitely likes the spotlight more) has led to a pregame gift for Ohio State. Just in time for Saturday's Big Ten showdown, James provided the entire team with custom cleats.
On Tuesday night, the Ohio State football Twitter account dropped a reveal of the fancy footwear. The custom cleats have a familiar look. They're a cleated version of LBJ's first signature basketball shoe from 2003, the ‘Nike Air Zoom Generation.'
Buckeyes players will be wearing these kicks along with their traditional silver helmets and pants and home scarlet jerseys.
Michigan has not revealed whether they'll be outfitted in anything other than their standard uniforms and cleats, but they are outfitted by Jordan brand. So, let the Jordan-LeBron debate continue...
James Will Be Elsewhere Saturday
LeBron James has been a frequent guest on the Ohio State sidelines for more than a decade. Earlier this fall he was on hand for the Buckeyes season opener versus Notre Dame. There's been countless other times when he's roamed the OSU sidelines, generally for primetime games or showdowns with Michigan.
But that won't be the case this weekend. Though one would reasonably assume LBJ is avoiding Columbus since OutKick's Clay Travis and Fox's Big Noon Kickoff are coming to town, that's not the reason why. LeBron's Lakers will be in San Antonio for a Saturday evening matchup with the Spurs, meaning he won't be able to make the trip.
Nevertheless, he tweeted his enthusiasm for The Game in a response to OSU's tweet showing off the team's fresh kicks. As is common for anyone from Ohio during the week of Thanksgiving, James made sure to leave out "M's" when tweeting.
No Stranger To Gift Giving
A pre-Saturday gift from James shouldn't come as much of a surprise. He's made a habit of gifting items to the Buckeyes (and promoting his giving along the way). Earlier this fall he gave the squad custom Beats By Dre headphones that mirror the look of a Buckeye helmet. There were also custom cleats before 2017 games versus Penn State and Michigan.
LeBron James regularly attends Ohio State football games. (Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images).
Michigan and Ohio State kickoff at noon EST on Fox.