Lebron James needs no introduction. But that didn't stop Nike from an all-out marketing blitz. The Generations have been heavily promoted by Nike on TV, posters, billboards and online ads. The lines between Lebron James the reality and King James the fiction suddenly blurred beyond the point of recognition. Where does hype end and substance begin? To answer this question, we took the Air Zoom Generation to the courts for a month long testing to find out just what exactly this shoe is all about.

      Design wise, the Generation is some what of a disappointment to sneakerheads. Considering Nike has moved its top 3 designers on to the AZG, the end result should be nothing short of spectacular. Yet the first impression on the Hummer H2 inspired shoe has been quite controversial. Comments ranged some where between, "Uh, it's... interesting." to "Is this some sort of a joke by the Nike ACG hiking boots division?" The mutual consensus after initial impression was that the shoe's design felt rushed. Too much of the inspiration on the shoe has been based on the Hummer H2 incident where Lebron received the SUV as a birthday gift from his mother. Unless you are a fan or an owner of the H2 - the resemblance between the shoe and the machine is not exactly obvious. These inspirations includes the Hummer's metallic tinted windows at the heel area of the shoe. The plastic tongue-guard is made with embossed LEBRON lettering that is inspired by the H2's taillights. Meta-eyelets and lace-rails that anchor the lacing system are derived from the H2's rims and rail guards.