First look: LeBron James unveils Nike LeBron 22 Olympic edition during Team USA practice in Paris

Team USA flagbearer LeBron James recently debuted an unreleased pair of his signature Nike shoes this week in Paris ahead of the start of the Olympic Group Phase. With Olympic basketball action slated to start on Saturday, James and Team USA are already in Paris practicing for their opening game against Serbia on Sunday.

During Team USA's Thursday practice, LeBron James showed off his unrelesed signature Nike 22 shoe in Team USA colors. The colorway, which at this time is a Player Edition exclusively designed for James, isn't available for purchase.

The shoes feature a white upper that wraps all the way around the low-top design, while a navy-blue tongue and black laces complete the sneaker. The colorway also features red Team USA colored trim, with a dark blue midsole dividing the white outer-sole and white upper.

Various outlets began to share photos of the sneakers on X, formerly known as Twitter. Check out some photos below, as well as a clip of James wearing the shoes in practice on Friday, where he can be seen feeding Steph Curry on the perimeter for a three-pointer.

Later on in the video, James can again be seen wearing the shoes as he drives to the hoop and draws a foul for an and-1.

Looking at LeBron James' previous shoe releases, and the expected release of the Nike LeBron 22

LeBron James and Nike have yet to provide a release date for James' signature LeBron 22 shoe seen in Thursday's Team USA practice. Given the previous release dates of James' signature shoes over the years, however, the expectation is that the shoes will be released in September.

Despite wearing the shoes in practice, LeBron James is unlikely to wear the shoes in the Olympics given that in order to do so, the shoes must be available for purchase. While there's a chance that Nike could do a surprise drop, it seems highly unlikely that the company will do so as opposed to a full rollout in Sep.

Because of the rule that shoes worn by players at the Olympics must be available for purchase, Under Armour has decided to release Steph Curry's Curry 12 several months early to ensure the four-time NBA champ can wear the sneakers at the Olympics.

Looking ahead at LeBron James and Team USA's schedule for the 2024 Paris Olympics

While Olympic basketball will tip off on Saturday, LeBron James and Team USA won't play their first game until Sunday. The betting favorites will be competing in Group C, alongside Serbia, who finished second in the FIBA World Cup last summer, South Sudan, and Puerto Rico.

The team will play its first game on Sunday against Serbia, before then playing South Sudan on Wednesday in a highly-anticipated rematch. Last, but certainly not least, the team will face Puerto Rico on Aug. 3, before the start of the knockout phase on Aug. 6.