LeBron James’ latest cleats pay mesmerizing tribute to Saquon Barkley’s iconic hurdle

LeBron James will forever be intertwined with the sport of football, given that he is a huge fan who once considered pursuing an NFL career. Now, one memorable moment involving a Super Bowl champion has been immortalized, thanks to a signature LBJ shoe.

On Sunday, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley posted an Instagram story in which he unboxed a gold set of Nike LeBron 4 cleats. This particular model is special to Barkley, as he was wearing Nike LeBron cleats when he pulled off his jaw-dropping reverse hurdle last season.

In a matchup between the Eagles and the Jacksonville Jaguars last November, Barkley blindly leapfrogged over cornerback Jarrian Jones in a spectacular play that ended up in a 14-yard gain for his team. The Eagles ended up defeating the Jaguars 28-23 on the day that Barkley showed off his reverse hurdle.

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Barkley went on to wear LBJ cleats when Philly played the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship game. The 2024 Offensive Player of the Year finished with 118 yards and three scores as the Eagles pulled off a 55-23 blowout win to book their trip to the Super Bowl.

Aside from Barkley, the Ohio State Buckeyes wore LBJ-inspired cleats last year. Prior to an October 2024 showdown between the Buckeyes and the Oregon Ducks, Ohio State announced that their team would be sporting Vapor Edge Zoom LBJ IVs that were gifted by James himself.

The King may be one of the most iconic names in the sport of basketball, but his love for the gridiron can never be denied.

"GOAT sighting!!!": LeBron James gets hyped over image of former Sugar Bowl MVP

James himself posts his football takes every now and then on his social media accounts. On Sunday, the four-time NBA champion excitedly reposted an image showing a football player who won multiple accolades at the college level.

This player is none other than Peter Warrick, the Florida State superstar who won two All-American selections, three All-ACC nods, and the Sugar Bowl MVP award. James expressed his admiration of Warrick with a simple caption.

"[GOAT] sighting!!! TOOOOOO [hot to handle]," James tweeted.

James, of course, has been considered in the GOAT debate in his own sport. His praise for Warrick, then, is quite apropos.

About the author

Simoun Victor Redoblado is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over 12 years of experience writing for publications such as Collider, ALL-STAR Magazine, and Sir Charles in Charge.

Simoun has a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education, Major in English and Minor in journalism. Thanks to the journalism courses that he took, Simoun understood the fundamentals of journalistic storytelling in the context of sports writing.

Passionate for the UP Fighting Maroons, Simoun is a fan of the NBA, PBA, UAAP, and FIBA.
His childhood team was the Chicago Bulls and Simoun was a longtime supporter of the Houston Rockets because his friends would say he looked like Yao Ming.

Simoun loves the systematic, tactical movement of the ball and the players, the stories behind each individual competing on the hardcourt and most of all, how basketball is a sport for life and all its struggles and lessons.

A father of two, Simoun spends his free time with his kids.

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Edited by Simoun Victor Redoblado