During his historic 21st NBA All-Star Game appearance on Sunday night, LeBron James wore Nike LeBron 21 sneakers, which were based on a 1990s trademark shoe by Deion Sanders.

The Air DT Max ’96, also called the Air Diamond Turf 3, had the same claw mark striping as the limited-edition shoes. Additionally, it was created using the same black and white color scheme with gold accents—colors that also happen to match those of Sanders’ alma mater, the Colorado Buffaloes.

This month, in addition to launching a new version, Nike relaunched Sanders’ third signature sneaker including his emblem for the first time. Sanders’ shoes have been reintroduced multiple times after their original release, but the brand has not included the insignia on them because of his prolonged disassociation with the brand, which ended with his departure in 2024 (hence the unique name). Sanders, who was then signed to Under Armour, made it clear that he would never go back to Nike.

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On the other hand, Nike has created three more contemporary basketball shoes that are based on vintage styles for this year’s NBA All-Star Game. The Air More Uptempo served as the basis for the GT Hustle 2, and the Total Foamposite Max served as the model for the GT Jump 2. The Zoom Flight 5 served as the model for the GT Cut 3. James is setting records by making his 21st consecutive appearance and by being named an all-star. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar used to hold the record for both with 19.

Whether the Nike LeBron 21 “DT Max ’96” will be made available to the general public or just athletes is still up in the air. This article will be updated if new information becomes available. Footwear News has reached out to Nike for comment.