LeBron James Makes Major Move for Ohio State Basketball Team

LeBron James has lived in California for a while now, but he still offers the occasional reminder of where he’s from. 

That happened again this week when he took the court for the Los Angels Lakers in a pair of shoes that definitely did not match the his purple uniform. 

The reason was no mystery to those who have followed his career from the beginning in Akron, Ohio.

Repping his home state’s flagship university

James laced up a scarlet and gray version of his latest shoe — the LeBron 23 PE — in continuation of his association with the Ohio State Buckeyes. 

If the Block ‘O’ on the back didn’t give it away, yes, the color scheme was no coincidence. He removed any doubt in a video posted to social media before the game. 

⭕️ @KingJames reppin ’ @OhioState on his Nike LeBron 23 @OhioStateHoops PE tonight! pic.twitter.com/W644p7ikha

— NBA KICKS (@NBAKicks) February 13, 2026

Then the 41-year-old James went out and made history by becoming the oldest NBA player to record a triple double in a win over the Dallas Mavericks. 

LeBron James has loved Ohio State for a long time

Although he did not play college basketball, the northeast Ohio native has maintained a relationship with the biggest school in his home state nearly as long as he has been in the spotlight. 

He has been spotted at many Ohio State games over the years, and many of Ohio State athletes play with LeBron’s logo on their gear. 

Just last fall the top-ranked football team took the field against Penn State in new cleats from James, and he surprised the Ohio State women’s basketball team with some swag a couple of seasons ago. 

Now he’s back to support the Ohio State men’s basketball team, which could use a boost if we’re being honest. 

Special new kicks for the squad ????‍????

The Ohio State Lebron 23 PE’s ???? pic.twitter.com/qYqCc3RtHp

— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) February 13, 2026

The 2025-26 Buckeyes got thumped at home by No. 2 Michigan on Sunday then struggled to beat USC at home Wednesday night. 

The win over the Trojans improved Ohio State to 16-8 overall. The Buckeyes are 8-6 in the Big Ten, which ties them for ninth in the conference. 

They enter the middle of February decidedly on the NCAA Tournament bubble, but maybe some new kicks will help them kick it into gear. 

Then again, a fan on social media had a suggestion for another way LeBron could help the Buckeyes win: Donating to the NIL fund for bringing in more good players.

Would be nice if he would donate some money to their NIL also.

— Ohio State Fanatic (@OhioStateFan92) February 13, 2026

More on the LeBron 23s 

The 23rd edition of LeBron’s signature shoe made its debut last fall. 

It came in 23 different colors, and it reflects the connection between the company and player since he was a teenager making headlines in northeast Ohio. 

It has a full-length ZoomX drop-in midsole constructed from Nike’s lightest foam to improve on-court feel and comes with the “Crown Containment System” to deliver stability for high-force movements.