To describe Nike‘s new LeBron James facility anything other than awe-inspiring would be selling the 84,000-square-foot space short. The LeBron James Innovation Center is a living memorial to King James’ long-term connection with Nike, one that will continue to flourish as the Lakers star sets the pace.
The new facility, constructed by Olson Kundig principal Tom Kundig, houses a number of attractions, some of which may be seen before entering. A covered plaza and a LeBron logo sculpture preclude a 500-foot climb to the top floor.
One entrance leads to Glo’s Cafe, which is named for James’ mother and features a painting commemorating his love for her. Another first-floor entrance leads through a shoebox-shaped vestibule, which houses some incredibly rare LeBron sneakers. A display on the floor behind the LeBron-branded doors exposes a computer-generated matrix of every shot LeBron has ever taken at the hoop, which is kind of ridiculous.
Look up: the indented roof was specifically designed to recall Bill Bowerman’s original waffle sole design.
Following your visit to the Sandy Bodecker lounge, travel upstairs to a series of cubicles and shoe molds, the latter of which includes the bespoke forms used to produce the shoes of stars such as Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka. LeBron’s size 15s are gilded, of course.
Nike’s Innovation Kitchen gets a new home on the third level, complete with a replica of the previous outpost’s Winnebago. Nike refused to take images of the facility, citing trade secrets, but there’s lots of fabrication, production, knitting, sewing, and computer modeling going on.
The people who work on floor three are incredibly talented, much like everyone else at Nike: they constructed an unique freestanding meeting “room” out of curved pieces of wood, complete with open slats for plant display, and gave us homemade LeBron tags fashioned out of sneaker scraps.
Finally, the magic happens on the fourth floor. This is the home of Nike’s Sport Research Lab (NSRL), where Dr. Matthew Nurse, vice president of the Nike Explore Team Sport Research Lab, and a team of specialized scientists, engineers, and sports experts collaborate with Nike athletes — both pro and amateur — to develop sneaker technology and improve athletes’ game.
And, even though the Innovation Center has been completed (and partially occupied in accordance with the COVID-19 pandemic) since November 2020, it will continue to evolve. As I mentioned earlier, the structure was built to grow indefinitely – LeBron’s career is continuing, as is the development of his eponymous structure, which will be updated as he continues to break records.
The LeBron James Innovation Center is a living memorial to King James, similar to the Egyptian pyramids, which were built during the pharaohs’ lifetimes. Unlike the pyramids, however, the Innovation Center is a beacon, a symbol of human ingenuity much like its namesake.
