LeBron James of the Miami Heat returned to Cleveland for a game against the Cavaliers in Quicken Loans Arena and Cavs fans greeted him with an assortment of signs and t-shirts. Posted by Ben Golliver. 
  Here's a slideshow of LeBron James signs and shirts worn and held by Cavs fans at The Q during Thursday night's game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat. This shirt, in Cavs colors, reads: "The Lyin' King. I got a goal, and that's to bring an NBA championship in Cleveland, and I won't stop until I get it. - LeBron James." It features a picture of LeBron James with a mane like Disney's The Lion King. This sign is a play on the Nike marketing slogan, "Witness." The slogan was used to signify those who had seen James' magical play. "Witless," is obviously a stab at James' sloppy handling of The Decision to leave Cleveland for Miami. These fans kept it simple, each wearing a letter on their chest that spelled out, "Betrayed." The City of Cleveland and Cavs fans feel a deep sense of betrayal by James' decision to take his talents to South Beach. Here's a copy of a newspaper sports section that asks, "What should Cleveland do?" It's a play on a recent LeBron James Nike commercial which asked, "What should I do?" There was concern that Cleveland fans would misbehave during the game. The Cavs. vs. Heat game was televised on TNT and this sign is a play on the station's name. It reads, "The Traitor is in Town Tonight." Here's another play on the "Witness" marketing campaign by Nike, this time the shirt reads, "Victim." This shirt commemorates some of Cleveland's biggest sports disappointments and reads, "The Drive. The Fumble. The Shot. The Move. The Decision." The last one is a reference to LeBron James' television special in which he announced he was leaving to join Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in Miami. Here's another play on the "Witness" marketing campaign that reads, "Quitness." Some NBA observers believe James quit on the Cavaliers during their 2010 NBA playoff series against the Boston Celtics. There's a whole bunch of signs in this shot, but the best is "WWMJD." An obvious reference to "What Would Michael Jordan Do?" Jordan has stated he wouldn't have teamed up with fellow stars like James did in teaming up with Wade and Bosh. This sign reads "Feel the Chill," a reference to comments made recently by Bosh, who said the Heat players wanted to "chill" despite coach Erik Spoelstra wanted them to practice hard. Here are some Cleveland street vendors selling shirts that read "Queen James" and "Le-Quitter." LeBron has been dubbed "King James," so this is a pretty uncreative play on that nickname. Via Getty Images.  Here's an entire stand in Cleveland set up to sell shirts that read, "Kiss my [expletive] LeBron." Via Getty Images. Shredders were set up so that fans could shred all of their old LeBron James memorabilia. Via AP wire. This collage of signs read: "You're only a prince in Wade's country," "Like Father, Like Son," "Akron hates you, too, LeBron," "Liar Baby Jerk," and "11-8?? Looks like you left your talents in Cleveland. Via AP wire. These signs read, "LeQuit and the Cheat" with a picture of LeBron James and Heat President Pat Riley, as well as "Punk Move 'Bron," with a picture of Charles Barkley. Via US Presswire. This last one is pretty crude, reading: "LeBron James. Queen James." 

Nike has revealed pictures of Kevin Durant's latest signature shoe and they include video game buttons on the heel. Posted by Ben Golliver.  

This post is for you, sneakerheads. Nike has released images of the third iteration of Oklahoma City all star forward Kevin Durant's signature shoe, the KD III. The KD III's styling and colors follow in the tradition of the KD I and the KD II and the first colorway released online is a familiar black/blue/orange. Durant's official website notes that these shoes are the "road colorway." Take a look, courtesy of KevinDurant35.com. Durant wore the white version in a home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night. Here's a look via Getty Images. On the heel, you'll notice an offset square of four circles. Durant, an avid video gamer, said recently on Twitter that the design is meant to represent a video game controller. "Y'all realize my KD III's have video game buttons on the back of them? Y'all can't hang," Durant tweeted.

Posted by Royce Young



I mean, this here, I mean... wow. Nike's new LeBron James commercial - much in the same vein as the controversial Tiger Woods commercial following his scandal - is pretty much perfect.

There are so many layers to how good this is to LeBron saying, "Hi Chuck" to him speaking directly about ruining his legacy to him saying "Should I be who YOU want me to be?" Obviously it's an advertisement and LeBron is trying to help restore his brand here, but put it this way: Mission Accomplished. It may be an ad, but this is the best post-Decision PR move yet by the LeBron Camp.

It's scripted, yes, but it's candid and LeBron directly tackles all the criticisms he's heard over the last three months. For the first time since July, we get to see the human side to LeBron and a glimpse into the player we all admired so much. Even if a copywriter is the one who chose the words. LeBron still had to say them.

Again, like the Woods commercial, Nike's marketing deparment has taken a unique approach to controversy by capitalizing on it instead of worrying about it ruining their athletes' brands. They embrace the chatter and cash in. It's pretty brilliant, really. Don't run from the noise. Make more of it.

All of this animosity towards James will eventually subside and this commercial is a good start to making it happen. I guess maybe we know why LeBron was taking those mental notes now.

Miami Heat star LeBron James will unveil a new "South Beach" themed Nike sneaker this weekend.
Posted by Ben Golliver

The Associated Press reports that Miami Heat star LeBron James and Nike are set to release the "LeBron 8 South Beach" sneaker on Saturday. The sneakers are designed as an ode to Miami's original sports franchises and culture.

The shoe shown Saturday have a turquoise and black scheme, similar to Dolphins and Marlins colors—a “pre-Heat” version, James said, noting that the design is based around Miami themes. James said “shoeheads will definitely love it” and that the initial response to the sneaker has been overwhelmingly positive.

It retails for $160.

So what does $160 get you these days? Aron Phillips over at Dimemag.com has pictures of the new South Beach sneakers ; I would recommend putting on sunglasses before clicking. Phillips gives his approval to the ostentatious colorway, calling the shoe a "must-have" and noting that the color scheme is "inspired by Miami’s Art Deco District (marked by the pastel-hued buildings that line South Beach and Miami Beach) and the hit 80s crime drama Miami Vice."

The South Beach sneaker is actually a special edition version of James's new Nike Air Max LEBRON 8, set to be released later this month in black and red to match Miami's jerseys. SunSentinel.com's Business of Sports blog has this sneak peek at the LEBRON 8s .

Last but not least, here's a video tour of the new shoe from Nike designer Jason Petrie.