The Shoe Surgeon. Enough said. Dominic Ciambrone might very well be the Hephaestus of the sneaker world. But you already know that. From one-on-one requests from high-profile names to exclusive collaborations with apparel giants, the Shoe Surgeon has turned himself into the quintessential sneaker artist. And in the middle of a $60 million lawsuit, the courtesy of Nike.

Given that the Shoe Surgeon is a well-known figure with an elite global clientele and the fact that he has worked with Nike on past projects, this certainly came as a shock. Just last year, they sought Ciambrone’s help in creating a customized sneaker to celebrate James becoming the NBA’s all-time scorer. Before that, the Shoe Surgeon had created a $100,000 custom gold sneaker to commemorate LeBron’s 30,000 career points.

So, where exactly did things go wrong? Apparently, the California native has been making counterfeit products and using Nike’s trademarks without authorization for their brand, ‘The Shoe Surgeon’. Or that is what the Oregon-headquartered organization alleged in the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

“They enter into Nike-focused collaborations with other rights holders using Nike’s intellectual property,” the lawsuit read. But things didn’t end there. Nike further accused the Shoe Surgeon of using these trademarks to conduct classes “that cost hundreds of dollars, and in-person seminars held in this jurisdiction that cost thousands of dollars to attend.” 

In addition, Nike continues, that Ciambrone has used his past collaborations with the brand to lend legitimacy to his unauthorized activities. Some of the notable instances are, obviously, the LeBron James collabs, and in 2017, the footwear giant commissioned him to create a limited run of 36 custom pairs of Jordan 13s. Either way, things are not looking good for the Shoe Surgeon.

On a different note, though, shall we take a detailed look at the luxurious 2018 custom sneakers of Bron?

The finer details of the customized $100,000 sneaker tribute to LeBron James

A special edition of the Nike LeBron 15, the Shoe Surgeon transformed the humble kicks into a work of art. Without further ado, let’s get into the key details.

The most obvious aspect of the ‘Diamond and Gold LeBron 15’ is the solid gold accents. Made out of genuine crocodile skin dipped in 24-karat gold, each medial side has an 18-karat zipper pull tabs. The heel and lace tips are also solid gold, encrusted with diamonds. But that wasn’t all. The tips have the words “World” and “Champion” on opposite sides.

Perhaps to give it that extra special boost, Dominic Ciambrone also included a custom 18-karat gold pendant with 238 diamonds! The pendant was shaped like a lion’s head, with “30 K” written behind it. It hung from a handmade diamond cut link gold chain.

What about the 2023 custom sneakers?

The Nike LeBron 20: “The Moment” – a one-of-a-kind homage to the NBA’s All-Time scorer

The ‘Kid From Akron’ has come a very long way. LeBron James has achieved unbelievable milestones. But being the NBA’s all-time scorer was something else entirely! And Nike celebrated the master stroke in the way they knew best – create an extraordinary sneaker. And who else but the Shoe Surgeon could’ve been the man for the job?

This time, Ciambrone decided to keep it clean, chic, and, of course, outstanding. Aptly named the Nike LeBron 20: “The Moment”, the one-of-a-kind iteration has white crocodile skin as its base material. Giving it more character, metallic gold finishes with more crocodile textures were designed on the Swooshes and interior liners.

The heels have carbon fiber midfoot shanks that balance white to gold gradients in the heels while a collection of images and numbers – milestone markings in gold were also added. The special delivery came in a custom marble box that had LeBron’s signature crown logo debossed.

Say what you will, but the man has the ‘Hand of God’ when it comes to designing shoes! Hopefully, the legal battles soon come to an amicable end, as well.