During the Lakers' blowout victory over the Brooklyn Nets, LeBron James elected to rep HBCUs. James wore a Florida A&M-branded LeBron 23 player edition, a nod to the institution he’s partnered with over the past few years.
In 2021, James and Nike forged a six-year partnership with the institution, and it was the first university to have a partnership with James and Nike apparel line. The move was also significant as it happened on the heels of Florida A&M’s move from the MEAC to the SWAC. Per reporting by HBCU Gameday at the time, the Rattlers' connection with James happened after Florida A&M was poised to leave Nike, a partnership that they had had since 2016 following the expiration of the MEAC’s conference-wide deal with Russell.
Florida A&M was preparing to go to Adidas, which would give Florida A&M a $125,000 signing bonus in free products as well as several significant performance initiatives. With Nike and LeBron James, they inked a deal with Florida A&M, and he was seen on March 3rd, 2021, rocking FAMU-themed LeBron 18 player editions.
He’s been supportive of the university ever since, including shouting out the football team in 2024 after they received their rings for winning the Celebration Bowl over Howard University. Under the partnership with LeBron James and Nike, all 14 of Florida A&M’s athletic programs, as well as the Marching 100, are outfitted in LeBron James signature uniforms and apparel.
The university also benefits from the publicity James garners when he wears the special player-edition shoes, as he did last night. The Lakers are set to play the 76ers tomorrow at 10 p.m.
