Nike Air Max LeBron VII - Artist Series - Akron Edition by James Hayden

As LeBron’s More Than A Game World Tour moves from city to city, we’ve been giving you a look at the artist series editions of the Air Max LeBron VII from each stop on the tour. By now, you’ve already seen the 1 of 1 customs from Chicago and Washington D.C. and now it’s time to check out a version that should be more near and dear to LeBron’s heart. Today, the More Than A Game tour makes its way to Akron, Ohio where LeBron grew up and first gained national attention as a high school phenom.

Local Akron tattoo artist, James Hayden, who has actually had the pleasure of inking up LeBron in the past, was enlisted to create the Akron installment of the artist series. Being that Akron is where LeBron called home for so long, the theme of this custom Air Max LeBron VII is “family,” which is written in script across the side of the right shoe. “Loyalty” is scrawled across the left shoe, with additional touches like a lion’s head and a crown on the toe areas and a nod to the 330 area code on the inner half of the left shoe.

When asked about the chance to create this special tribute to LeBron and the city of Akron, Hayden had this to say. “My inspiration to design these shoes was driven by LeBron’s tattoos. As a tattoo artist, it’s such an honor to tattoo an individual like LeBron. He’s a very focused person on and off the court — his love for family and his loyalty to his city are shown repeatedly in his tattoos. I wanted to replicate his dedication within the design on the shoes.”