James will wear new shoes tonight in NBA debut

CLEVELAND (AP) -- LeBron James' new sneakers should help him drive to the basket.
After all, they're modeled after the Cleveland Cavaliers rookie's infamous Hummer.
Tonight, James will make his NBA debut in Sacramento wearing his signature Nikes, dubbed the "Zoom Generation." The shoes, which will retail for $160 per pair, are the first of six models James will wear as part of the $90 million sports apparel deal he signed with Nike in May.
The design was inspired by James' Hummer H2 sports utility vehicle, which made headlines earlier this year when the Ohio High School Athletic Association investigated how his unemployed mother bought it for her son's 18th birthday.
James said the shoes will be in stores on Dec. 20.
"They look good," said James, who has been wearing them in practice lately.
Collaboration
James said the design of the shoes, they have a metallic band across the heel, was a collaboration of his ideas along with those of his agent, Aaron Goodwin, and Nike representatives.
Earlier this week, the Nike TV commercial featuring James made its debut. James appears with teammates DeSagana Diop, DaJuan Wagner and Carlos Boozer in a game against the Kings. The commercial was filmed a few weeks ago in Sacramento.
Diop was amazed by the finished product.
"I saw it last night," Diop said. "I thought it looked really cool. We spent 10 hours making it. I was tired, but it was a cool thing. I'd do it again."
Plans for sneakers
James said he expects to go through "40 or 50" pairs of his new sneakers this season, and plans to give them to kids once he's done wearing them.
That's unless Cleveland coach Paul Silas gets his hands on them first.
Silas joked that he won't pay a premium for a pair of his star rookie's new shoes.
"I'll take his," Silas said. "If you see me walking around in LeBron's shoes, you'll know why. We both wear size 15."