Designer Jason Petrie Talks Working with LeBron James in the New Episode of Nike's Prototype Podcast

"He’s just super intelligent."

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Complex Original

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Picking up where last summer's KD 8 episode left off, Nike has just dropped the latest episode of its Prototype podcast. This time around, the focus shifts to LeBron James and his latest signature sneaker, the LeBron 13.

The episode's filled with a ton of insights, but the best sneaker gems were dropped by designer Jason Petrie, who's been working on the line since the LeBron VII. Petrie says that LeBron's sneaker knowledge runs so deep, working with him is almost like working with a fellow Nike designer. 

"I showed him a version a couple rounds in and he saw something that I did not see at all. I thought it was really cool looking, but he was like, you know, 'You need to lower this line here, and here,'" Petrie said of the LeBron 13 model.

"I took the notes down and kind of reworked the design, along with some other feedback he had. And the shoe came back a couple months later, and it looked so much better. It looked lighter, lower, sleeker — everything. Just really took it to the place I wanted to go and was trying to get there, but just couldn't quite see it the way that he saw it," Petrie said.

Other topics covered in this episode include LeBron's uncanny business savvy, his role in Trainwreck, and much more. Listen to the full clip below.

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