Back in 2023, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James debuted his LeBron NXXT Gen line of sneakers for Nike. This particular line is geared more towards younger basketball players with features designed to better support them on the court.
James is obviously one of the biggest stars the game of basketball has ever seen, but there are some younger players coming up who look to be transcendent as well and one of those on the women’s side is USC star JuJu Watkins. Though Watkins is still recovering from a torn ACL she suffered in March of 2025, she remains one of the most popular collegiate athletes.
And now Watkins has linked up with James as she is collaborating with the Lakers star, co-designing her own version shoe, known as the “Silver Lining” Nike LeBron NXXT Gen by JuJu:
USC superstar JuJu Watkins is collaborating on a new Nike sneaker – the NXXT Genisus – with LeBron James 🌟 pic.twitter.com/pcvt6Uyccp
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) February 11, 2026
LeBron James on collaborating with JuJu Watkins for the new Nike LeBron NXXT Gen:
“𝗝𝘂𝗝𝘂 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗫𝗫𝗧 𝗚𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝘂𝗝𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗲… https://t.co/QdW3j0FyZG pic.twitter.com/irF74h8ULB
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) February 11, 2026
JuJu Watkins on collaborating with LeBron James:
“𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗟𝗲𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼-𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗱. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆. 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁… https://t.co/QdW3j0FyZG pic.twitter.com/WYo4ati00y
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) February 11, 2026
LeBron James recently debuted the JuJu Watkins x Nike LeBron NXXT Genisus against the Warriors https://t.co/QdW3j0FyZG pic.twitter.com/zKIrNEzvCP
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) February 11, 2026
Watkins is the first athlete to co-design the shoe which features a mesh and leather construction on the upper, combined with a full-length React foam midsole that’s equipped with a Zoom Air unit at the forefoot. The “Silver Lining” colorway is meant to represent the idea of growth taking place when no one is watching.
LeBron linking with the biggest and most popular young athlete in L.A. is the perfect idea and something Watkins is deserving of as she is sure to hit the ground running once she’s healthy. The sneaker will be released this summer at Nike.com and at select Nike retailers.
Lakers’ LeBron James ineligible for NBA regular season awards
LeBron James has put together the greatest career in NBA history, but one of his historic runs will come to an end this season as the Lakers superstar has officially missed too many games this season to qualify for NBA regular season awards.
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