Nike Basketball (any brand) Rotation/Performance Reviews

[jiffyl00b]

This year.
1. Kobe 1 protro
2. 2011 Hyperfuse: was able to find a DS pair on Grailed of all places. I still really enjoy these
3. Zoom Rize: Couldn't pass up for $69.99. Really liking these after a couple hours in - forefoot zoom is great and whatever foam is in the heel is so good. Traction is ok so far (dusty court).

Looking to go after the AJ 34's next but I wanted to see how the why not 0.3 performs first.

 

[duke40]

Got the Zoom Heritage N7 at Nike Grapevine today for $71. May be a sleeper this year.

 

[The_Isomotion31]

The Dame 5s for me. always go back to them. I have tried Bron 16s, Whynot 0.2 and Dame 6s. The 6s are working really well for me, but I have always went back to the dame 5s.

 

[shoefreek23]

My favorite hoop shoes are lebron soldier 12s and soldier 9s followed by kyrie 4s. Im sensitive to lace pressure but also have a narrow foot so I like the straps on the soldiers and the cushioned tongue on kyrie 4s to get me the tight fit Im looking for.

 

[streetlights]

i bought the lebron 12 sfgs from hibbet for $65 last summer...im gonna rock them next summer...they look like a great basketball shoe...it always made mw think it was nikes response to the curry shoes

 

[ironhorse75]

Those sales let me bite on the Lebron 17s.

Ranking the LeBron flyknit generation by categories:

Traction: 16, 17, 15. The 17's are sticking for me, but that deep herringbone on the 16 is beast. Fairly wide gap between those two and the 15. Not Jordan 31 terrible, just doesn't stick.

Cushion: 15, 16, 17. 15 most plush. 16 most balance. 17 is very soft and responsie like the 15 but I don't feel like there is a lot of cohesion between the segmented zoom pods and the c unit, feels disjointed. Even so, they will definitely be a part of my #SavetheKnees rotation.

Comfort: 16, 15, 17. I love the tongue on the 16 for accessibility. Reminds me of a pair of bellows. Perfect amount of pressure around my foot and feels premium when sliding them on. 15 sock comfort is a no brainer. 17 isn't bad but I really don't like the lace and tongue design. It doesn't get in the way of the comfort but it's very sloppy. The tongue is a bunched up mess and you're just pulling the two sides of knit over it to cover it up. In motion you have all these weird creases and gaps happening between the tongue and the upper.

Stability: 16, 17, 15. Wide gap between the 16 and the other two.

Lockdown: 17, 16, 15. I leave the top two rows on the 17 more loose than usual because it's too much otherwise. 16 initially had some heel slippage. Breakin and relacing helped that. Not a fan of how hard it is to crank the laces on the 16, not much give on the battleknit 2.0. 15 isn't nearly as sloppy as the KD 11, but it's still a sock upper.

I think 3 years is enough and it's time for a generational change. Would be nice to see the top dog of Nike Basketball lead the way but it was KD that started the flyknit max zoom era. And it's KD that has given us zoom strobel.

 

[streetlights]

do the 17s feel heavy?

 

[jaynev]

Loving these Clyde hardwood. They’re SO GOOD - the fit for sure.little hwavy but my size 13 it’s whatever for a low top. Don’t even notice em on my feet. KD 12 as backup / recovery day.

 

[ForNarnia]

Been wanting a new low to add to my rotation. It was between the Greek Freaks and Kyrie low 2. Glad I waited to cop this Sunset pair cause I got it for $65 shipped.
Zoom in the forefoot AND the heel? Loved the traction on the Kobe Exodus although it wore down fast this seem to be more thicker. Can’t wait to put them to work

 

[si3n4]

Hope those Kyrie 2s work out for you. Love that colorway in person. Was going to grab them with 20% off on NDC, but they ran out of my size before I got around to trying to order them. Oh well...

 

[206to813]

My boy had those sunsets and the zoom forefoot popped after a couple of weeks

 

[bballkid11]

 

[ForNarnia]

Hope those Kyrie 2s work out for you. Love that colorway in person. Was going to grab them with 20% off on NDC, but they ran out of my size before I got around to trying to order them. Oh well...

They aren’t excluded on Eastbays 25 percent off sales. It just ended but they have a FSR so I’m just it’ll still be there when they have their site sale adain

My boy had those sunsets and the zoom forefoot popped after a couple of weeks

Never had a zoom unit pop on me yet, at least that I know of lol. It’s crazy cause Dwight, Capela, and another center on the Mavs been wearing this shoe a lot this year

 

[The_Isomotion31]

Finally was able to get a pair of the NB OMN1S. Hope to run in them tomorrow. Glad I went half size down and initial try on felt good.

 

[jerseysauce]

Top performers of 2019 for me:

1. Jordan 34
2. New Balance OMN1s
3. Kobe NXT FF
4. Pg 3 (all around solid sneaker)
5. Jordan why not 0.2 SE

**kd 12 90’s kid was Grear but rolled my ankle twice (badly). Scooped the eybl colorway and found the sizing was inconsistent with the 90’s kid , was painfully tight, plus lacked the plush cushioning....coulda just been my pair. After all this I want to try another pair to see what I get lol**

JS”

 

[si3n4]

Top performers of 2019 for me:

1. Jordan 34
2. New Balance OMN1s
3. Kobe NXT FF
4. Pg 3 (all around solid sneaker)
5. Jordan why not 0.2 SE

**kd 12 90’s kid was Grear but rolled my ankle twice (badly). Scooped the eybl colorway and found the sizing was inconsistent with the 90’s kid , was painfully tight, plus lacked the plush cushioning....coulda just been my pair. After all this I want to try another pair to see what I get lol**

JS”

I found the sizing and cushioning inconsistent on the first few colors of the KD12s - some were tight or had really hard cushioning. The more recent colorways feel much better and consistent.

 

[grittyman]

Kobe Protro 1’s might have fallen out of my spot..been wearing them since they released, but for some reason now they pretty much destroy my left foot every time I wear em now smh. It’s almost as if the fit of the toe box has gotten smaller and is squeezing the hell out of my toes. I can wear any other shoe in my rotation and not have a problem, so I know it’s not my feet lol. Frustrating …cause I love the shoe.

 

[jerseysauce]

I found the sizing and cushioning inconsistent on the first few colors of the KD12s - some were tight or had really hard cushioning. The more recent colorways feel much better and consistent.

Thanks a ton for clarifying!! That was exactly my experience. Glad I wasn’t the only one experiencing such variances.

JS”

 

[jaynev]

Don’t really love the sharper pointed toe shape of the KD12. Closed out on a 3 and landed on my toes leaning forward and my ankle didn’t like it- kind of buckled quick. Wasn’t used to that, need to reaclimate to the shoe if coming from something w a wider base. They’re narrow.

 

[justpflo]

Kobe Protro 1’s might have fallen out of my spot..been wearing them since they released, but for some reason now they pretty much destroy my left foot every time I wear em now smh. It’s almost as if the fit of the toe box has gotten smaller and is squeezing the hell out of my toes. I can wear any other shoe in my rotation and not have a problem, so I know it’s not my feet lol. Frustrating …cause I love the shoe.

Same. I actually sold mine. They were one of my favorite pairs growing up, but after playing around in all this knit material. I can't wear leather sneakers to hoop in anymore.

 

[lynchpin33]

Those sales let me bite on the Lebron 17s.

Ranking the LeBron flyknit generation by categories:

Traction: 16, 17, 15. The 17's are sticking for me, but that deep herringbone on the 16 is beast. Fairly wide gap between those two and the 15. Not Jordan 31 terrible, just doesn't stick.

Cushion: 15, 16, 17. 15 most plush. 16 most balance. 17 is very soft and responsie like the 15 but I don't feel like there is a lot of cohesion between the segmented zoom pods and the c unit, feels disjointed. Even so, they will definitely be a part of my #SavetheKnees rotation.

Comfort: 16, 15, 17. I love the tongue on the 16 for accessibility. Reminds me of a pair of bellows. Perfect amount of pressure around my foot and feels premium when sliding them on. 15 sock comfort is a no brainer. 17 isn't bad but I really don't like the lace and tongue design. It doesn't get in the way of the comfort but it's very sloppy. The tongue is a bunched up mess and you're just pulling the two sides of knit over it to cover it up. In motion you have all these weird creases and gaps happening between the tongue and the upper.

Stability: 16, 17, 15. Wide gap between the 16 and the other two.

Lockdown: 17, 16, 15. I leave the top two rows on the 17 more loose than usual because it's too much otherwise. 16 initially had some heel slippage. Breakin and relacing helped that. Not a fan of how hard it is to crank the laces on the 16, not much give on the battleknit 2.0. 15 isn't nearly as sloppy as the KD 11, but it's still a sock upper.

I think 3 years is enough and it's time for a generational change. Would be nice to see the top dog of Nike Basketball lead the way but it was KD that started the flyknit max zoom era. And it's KD that has given us zoom strobel.

This is a very good review of the last 3 Bron shoes. Especially the part that is bolded and underlined. I have laced up my 17's, I don't know how many ways and what is typed in that particular statement, is what has happened everytime. All the pictures I have seen of Bron in his 17's, you don't see the creases and gaps, another thing that he must have in his shoes is a modified tongue to avoid that issue. But that does make the fit sloppy. If anyone out there laces their pair where they don't have the gaps please share a picture.

 

[grittyman]

My pic from the 17 thread....one laced traditionally, the other laced with the "stock" set up. I thought that Nike made the tongue this way so the Lion's head would have a 3D like appearance, I remember reading that each colorway's tongue would be unique and a highlight of the shoe.

I've worn both ways and neither affects performance...but if you laced them up tightly they will really suffocate your ankles. I prefer the lock down and support of the 17's over the 16's, but it's close.

 

[hoopshoes]

Got the Zoom Heritage N7 at Nike Grapevine today for $71. May be a sleeper this year.

I just got those last week for $45. I haven 't played in em yet. The try on felt good though

 

[khdang178]

I was able to play in LeBron 17 for the first time today. The run lasted 2 hours. Here is my initial impression of them (I am a newbie when it comes to reviewing shoes. Please forgive me if you see any mistakes)

Traction was good. I did not experience any issue, though I played on a clean court at my school gym.
Cushion was good. Cushion was plush out of the box. I am really small (5’7” and 145 lbs), but I did feel the cushion. My knees were happy after the run.
Even though the shoes were high from the ground, I did not experience any stability issues.
The 17 fit me better than the 16. No heel slippage at all. I went half a size down. As a reference, I wear US 8.5 in KD 12, but US 8 in the 17.
However, I did have problem with containment, especially on the lateral side. I felt like my feet would fly out of the footbed whenever I made a sudden change in direction. This problem really messed my head up on both defense and offense.

I will have to return them to Nike since I don’t feel safe playing in them.
Thank you for reading! NT is such a good place to share my love for basketball shoes with everyone!

 

[mister friendly]

Did you lace to the top eyehole?