LeBron James recently visited his son Bronny James’ USC game on Wednesday night. After a highly contested first half, the Washington State Cougars defeated the USC Trojans 72-64 in the game. But in the second, the Cougars overcame the Trojans with a 43-36 score.

NBA fans were more interested in LeBron James’ fit than in the thrilling game itself. The four-time NBA champion pulled out a rare pair of Solar Red Nike Air Yeezy 2s while seated courtside. The renowned Kanye West sneakers date back to a period when the performer was signed to Nike before switching to Adidas.

After the Red October Yeezy 2s, the Solar Red colorway is one of the most sought-after pairs of Nike Yeezys; pairs are selling for several thousand dollars on the internet. A pair of Nike Air Yeezy 2s is being listed on the StockX sneaker marketplace for an incredible $7,777.

LeBron James showed off the uncommon sneakers and a Nike take on the iconic throwback Starter Jacket in a casual manner. The future Hall of Famer may be seen wearing the shoes in a brief video that was posted on social media.

Remembering the time when it was rumored that the NBA was going to outlaw Yeezy sneakers similar to the ones that LeBron James wore

Allegedly, the NBA wasn’t sold, despite the great popularity of Kanye West’s Nike Air Yeezys. Following the success of LeBron James’s Nike Air Yeezy 2 sneakers and the Nike Air Yeezy shoes themselves, renowned rapper Kanye West was scheduled to launch a basketball shoe brand.

Adidas and Kanye West collaborated to create the shoes, which were anticipated to be among the hottest releases. Even still, there was one particular aspect that raised questions within the league and resulted in rumors that the shoe would be prohibited.

The reflective patch on the heel of the shoe, as seen in early images, raised concerns with the NBA. Prior to the NBA issuing a formal statement on the subject, ESPN published a story citing the league’s official footwear policy, which states:

“Shoes containing flashing lights or similar types of adornments (e.g., metallic or reflective) are not considered appropriate basketball footwear.”
Fans were alerted to the news, and the NBA community debated whether or not the circumstances were similar to the early Jordan 1 ban that baffled supporters. The fact that Kanye West hadn’t submitted the shoe for evaluation to the NBA further complicated things.

Fortunately for Kanye, and for NBA players like Montrezl Harrell and Andre Iguodala who elected to wear the shoe, a revised colorway didn’t have the patch. The NBA permitted players to wear the shoe without the bright heel, but the style never really took off.