LeBron James Goes Down the ‘Michael Jordan Route’ to Praise Saquon Barkley on His Incredible Feat

Aakash Nair | 04/11/2024
LeBron James (L) and Saquon Barkley (R)

The Sixers may not be a winning team in the first two weeks of the season, but the Philadelphia Eagles are certainly keeping the fanfare alive in the City of Brotherly Love. Their 28-23 win over Jacksonville featured a highlight from Saquon Barkley that had LeBron James cheering as well.

The King was proud to be involved in the moment as Barkley was rocking a custom pair of the “Metallic Silver” Nike LeBron IV Menace 3 cleats when he hurdled backwards over a defender in Philly last night.

James channeled his inner Michael Jordan as he shared an image of the play on his Instagram stories with the caption, “Must be the shoes!!…@saquon you’re insane!! [emojis]”

In the 1989 Nike commercials directed by Spike Lee, the acclaimed director played Mars Blackmon and questioned Michael Jordan as to what makes him the best player in the universe. He asked in the ads if it’s his haircut, his shorts and finally, his shoes. The commercial ends with Blackmon affirming, “It’s gotta be the shoes!”

Seeing Saquon Barkley jump over a defender with his back turned had LeBron James thinking about the same exact marketing technique. As a long-time Nike faithful, the King knows how to sell shoes.

To be fair, Barkley’s incredible play had fans around the country wondering how he pulled it off as well.

The running back caught a pass from Jalen Hurts and beat two defenders, pulling off an impressive spin move at the line. But as he landed from the spin, his back was turned towards the Jaguars’ cornerback, Jarrian Jones. Jones attempted to take advantage of the situation by charging at Saquon, but Barkley’s incredible instincts helped him hurdle the defender and reach the next yard line.

His teammates were in disbelief, admitting that they had never seen a play like this from their star RB or any other player in football history. “It was the best play I’ve ever seen,” Philly’s coach Nick Sirianni concluded.

LeBron James must feel thrilled to be part of such an iconic move.

The NFL loves wearing LeBron James’ cleats

The “Metallic Silver” Nike LeBron IV Menace 3 cleats have become a popular choice among NFL players. New York Jets’ RB Breece Hall has also shown favor to the shoes since they became available in March, 2024.

However, since November of last year, LeBron James has been sharing exclusive cleats with the best players in the league. Ja’Marr Chase and Kyler Murray received a fruity pebbles inspired design with custom cereal boxes to match.

Even Saquon Barkley has a history of donning footwear that is inspired by the King. During last season’s playoffs, Barkley ran over 100 yards and secured a touchdown in Nike Zoom Generation cleats that had hints of the Nike Air Zoom Generation; LeBron James’ first signature shoe.

The partnership between LeBron James and Saquon Barkley continues to bear fruit ten months later. What did you think about the Eagles’ RB’s incredible backwards hurdle?

Post Edited By: Satagni Sikder
LeBron James Michael Jordan Saquon Barkley

About the author

Aakash Nair

Aakash Nair

NBA journalist Aakash Nair has followed the game for nearly a decade. He believes that basketball today is just as alive during the off-season with podcasts, interviews, articles and YouTube videos constantly providing fans with new insights. Aakash closely follows the game of narratives, of who will have a breakout year and who might be on the slump. As a fan, he is interested in all the context and behind-the-scenes moves that go into making a championship contender. As a writer, he intends to bring that same context to the forefront.

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