LeBron 21

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Kind of like these.
 
They’re not bad. Just loud.
These prints don't work great on a flat surface material like leather. The Kobe 8/9 had some color ways with loud patterns but those worked well with the textured engineered mesh or flyknit material.
 
Flyknit they couldn’t put a pattern like that on, it’d just be a multi color like the fruity pebbles color ways. That mesh was still a flat surface though. It’s wasn’t extremely textured. They’ve been able to pull off designs on smooth flat surfaces. Not the first time they’ve done stuff like this.

Still want to see more color ways though.
 
Colorways been ok to me so far except the first colorway.

Those were just too boring for me.
least surprising statement lol I know you a big lebron fan


I just want a material that makes sense for performance. just seems like they using some weird solid-plastic type upper to print random designs on it. The knit of the XX's looked much higher quality IMO
 
least surprising statement lol I know you a big lebron fan


I just want a material that makes sense for performance. just seems like they using some weird solid-plastic type upper to print random designs on it. The knit of the XX's looked much higher quality IMO

Yeah just visually the more plastic uppers do appear to be less flexible but I want to see them in hand before I make judgements on them.

Biggest thing for me at this point in my playing career is traction, forefoot zoom and lockdown, and not too heavy.
 
least surprising statement lol I know you a big lebron fan


I just want a material that makes sense for performance. just seems like they using some weird solid-plastic type upper to print random designs on it. The knit of the XX's looked much higher quality IMO
kobe 5s were a full plastic/synthetic upper, almost one piece besides the tongue/heelcup

that doesn't seem meaningfully different from the abalone pair or that shiny orange one
 
kobe 5s were a full plastic/synthetic upper, almost one piece besides the tongue/heelcup

that doesn't seem meaningfully different from the abalone pair or that shiny orange one
But color paneling and overlays give a totally different look and feel

Even this tonal upper has distinctions with eyelet panel, toebox, toe cap etc. Like that more than the perforations on the 21 upper.
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kobe 5s were a full plastic/synthetic upper, almost one piece besides the tongue/heelcup

that doesn't seem meaningfully different from the abalone pair or that shiny orange one

i didn't like the kobe 5 as much as the 4/6 due to that plasticy upper. tore at the flex point on my pairs.
 
But color paneling and overlays give a totally different look and feel

Even this tonal upper has distinctions with eyelet panel, toebox, toe cap etc. Like that more than the perforations on the 21 upper.
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I'm talking purely from a performance perspective, it's superficially the same setup as a shoe that people still rave about the performance of today
 
Lol ok.

Got my pair in and these are nicer than I expected. Definitely would not go a half size down. There’s some space because they’re not knit like last years, but there’s not that kind of space to need to half size down. Would straight up kill my toes if I did that.
 
Second attempt at trying to order a size 13.5 from NDC. Reviews are saying order the same size as you did in the 20s, so we'll see!
 
Those were plasticy also.

The plastic from old Kobe's are cool because they resell for a bunch of money now.

Cmon man you know this.

I grew up hooping in fuse upper shoes so as long as they're not completely unbendable I can work with it.
 
After wearing the 21s casually and in the gym for a day:

forefoot/midfoot width is slightly more forgiving than the 20s in the same size, but not in a way that makes containment sloppy, and not to the extent that it would make me size down. Underfoot feels exactly the same. Upper feels nice from a casual perspective but I'd probably pick a synthetic overlay pair to beat on the court.

I think overall the 21 is what I really wanted from the 20, because it feels the same but has a bit more signature shoe flair in-person/in-hand.
 
But color paneling and overlays give a totally different look and feel

Even this tonal upper has distinctions with eyelet panel, toebox, toe cap etc. Like that more than the perforations on the 21 upper.
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Hoping for normal colorways of the 21 like this
 
The plastic from old Kobe's are cool because they resell for a bunch of money now.

Cmon man you know this.

I grew up hooping in fuse upper shoes so as long as they're not completely unbendable I can work with it.
no because Kobe's were pioneering and a first of their kind.
 
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