Nike is committed to leading the charge when it comes to the intersections of sports, technology and science.

The company has announced its new LeBron James Innovation Center, where athletes of every background can become better through the understanding of bodies, genders, backgrounds and various ability levels. From there, Nike will create products tailored to the specific needs of the individual.

“Over the course of my career and my time here at Nike, for all of this to come together is surreal,” said LeBron James in an official statement on the news of the center. “Sometimes it doesn’t make sense to me, but I’m definitely honored. Having my name on the Innovation building feels very fitting because I’m always trying to figure out ways I can continue to innovate and continue to break the timeline of what they say is your prime.”

At Nike, the decision to name the center after the NBA superstar was really a no-brainer.

“When [LeBron] first came to Nike way back when he was coming out of high school and starting to become a household name, he came to the sports research lab of the time. Even then, he was already an incredible athlete for his age, but we were showing him things that he didn’t know about himself,” said Matthew Nurse, Vice President of Nike Sport Research Lab, in an exclusive interview with AfroTech. “He’s an exceptional basketball player, but he’s also an exceptional athlete, and being an exceptional athlete means you have to look at things holistically.”

Nurse took time to walk AfroTech through the highly anticipated LeBron James Innovation Center via Zoom. Here’s all that you need to know about the new facility opening its doors to all in Beaverton, OR.

Matthew Nurse

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