*OFFICIAL* NIKE LEBRON 16

Anyways, heres some photos with some on/off foot.
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Just got back home from a 2+ hour hoop session, some initials thoughts...

First off, the shoe felt great. The traction was super sticky and loud, not in a bad way but definitely something I wasn’t used to coming from a Lebron shoe. Went with same sizing as my 15’s, half size down. The heel is definitely something that I have to get used to...maybe it’ll get better once broken in. I didn’t have heel slip, but it wasn’t completed locked down in place. Reminded me of the soldier 11 heel fit, I’m locked in at the ankle but feels like I can wiggle my heel around at the bottom of the shoe. Also, the material above the Lion head might need to be broken in because it had a weird flex to it. Not sure if this makes any sense but those things were really negative because I don’t feel like it had a significant impact on performance.
 
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Has anyone tried hooping in the What the colorway yet? Everyone keeps saying traction was great while for me and my buddy yesterday (his shoes) we were slipping a lot BUT it seemed super dusty so he's trying em again Sunday and I'll give you guys an update after that. Seems strange to me, feel like it should be solid but it was a slip n slide at the LA which granted can get bad after volleyball day.
 
Question for the ones who missed out on the 1-5 and favored the left shoe the most....does the multicolor make up/suffice for missing out on the 1-5...and will you cop them especially since you may be able to get them for discount??
 
So your a 11.5 and saying u can get away w/ sizing a whole size down? LOL this is why I don’t pay attention to sizing info anymore. Most peeps don’t even know their true size

Lol man so true. It's funny how people don't even know their true size. I remember a buddy of mine rocking a 10.5 then a 11 then a 11.5. For about a year I kept saying are you sure that's your true size....you should get your feet measured by those foot instruments or something at the store blah blah . Fast forward to now, dude rocks an 8.5 LOL...tells me yeah it fits better. I think a lot of people just stick their foot in a shoe and like to have " space and room" touch their toes then think they automatically fit.

With a few exceptions with certain shoes that obviously run small/big. There is no reason to ever size up or down a full size, which means you probably don't really know your size.
 
So I’ve played two days now for 2 hours each since copping the Breds and here’s my review:

Traction:
The pattern used works, and whatever the compound on the outsole is for the Breds, it’s almost like a sticky feeling when you’re walking on the court in them tor the first time. Lateral movement was great, and stopping/cutting on a dime was the norm. I hope this stays true long term because I doubt that sticky feeling will last.

Fit:
I normally wear a size 11.5 in every shoe so I went with that on these and had no problems. I also remove the stock insoles and replace them with my orthotics, which happened to sit in these perfectly. I do see how some people might find these a little long, as I like the extra quarter inch in the toe box area, and I also wear ankle braces on each ankle so take that for what it’s worth. I had no issues with going TTS, though.

Cushioning:
The initial out of the box feelin of the zoom bags is a little stiff, but over time once you break in that midsole it starts to soften up. I think you do have a little better feel in terms of being closer to the court , as the 15s sat a little higher I believe. I absolutely love this cushioning set up and it felt like a fine tuning of what was used on the 15s.

Lockdown/Stability:
So this is my one gripe with the shoe. When I don’t wear my braces, the heel slip for me occurs no matter how I lace the shoe (and I’ve tried a few and now have some mangled *** fingers man this lacing system is a pain in the *** to re-do or mess with). When I wear my braces, I tie the shoes up tight and I am good to go. I can see why people might think to go half a size down to compensate for this issue, but I don’t think it has anything to do with length of the shoe itself, but how the tongue and lacing system are set up on these. I’d be interested to see what sites like Weartesters and Schwollo say but that’s just my opinion. The addition of an outrigger is also such a minor detail but such a major one, at the same time. The stability of these shoes sitting a little lower to the ground combined with said outrigger added make them so much more stable for me than the 15s. As someone whose had multiple bad ankle injuries and knee injuries, these small changes made a notable difference.

Materials:
The upper and battleknit 2.0 is absolutely gorgeous on the Bred pair. It’s like fire metallic red between the thick black knit designs for reinforcement and support - it’s absolutely gorgeous and can’t be fully captured in pictures. Aside from the aesthetics, these seem more robust than the knit used on the 15s, which is definitely a good thing in my book. At first it can seem rigid and unforgiving but after like 30 minutes of having them on and walking around and warming up it loosened up a bit but not in terms of fit causing me to re-lace, but more so in terms of flexibility and give. You can’t tell that I’ve played at all in the pair I own so I’m hoping these last a long time. I also love the touch with the suede/nubuck material in the heel area for the lion head. Overall it feels like a futuristic shoe.

Final Thoughts:
I thoroughly enjoy playing in these shoes. My go to hoops shoe prior to these were the Kobe Protro Is, for reference, but these have now been put at the forefront of the rotation. The best way to describe the 16 is to call them like a super elite 15. They took the things that were great with that model and took the things that were not and really improved on the deficiencies to give us a solid performing shoe. I love the new battleknit, the lower feel, the stability added by outriggers a the one drawback is that heel containment issue that isn’t a huge deal for me with the braces, but I can see it being a pain point for a lot of people.

Hope this helps some folks and I’d be curious to hear others’ experiences playing in these!
 
11.5 in Kyrie...Soldier line..I fit inbetween 11/11.5. Regardless, TTS in these things would be crazy for me.

Edit: I guess my TTS might be in between 11/11.5, but I would recommend everyone to try/at least think about half a size down from your true size especially for hooping. Shoe felt very roomy for me. Full size down was probably an exaggeration my b lol

Tried these on today. Most comfortable basketball shoes I've ever worn for my wide-feet. Even store employee said go half size down.

I'm a 9E brannock (I usually get 10 in Nike).
9.5 in these with DriFit socks fits well!
10 for more room for casual wear.
 
Just copped the breds a few hours ago. Super comfy. Def the most comfortable bball shoe I've worn in recent memory. Just wish the lacing system was easier to play around with.
 
Lol man so true. It's funny how people don't even know their true size. I remember a buddy of mine rocking a 10.5 then a 11 then a 11.5. For about a year I kept saying are you sure that's your true size....you should get your feet measured by those foot instruments or something at the store blah blah . Fast forward to now, dude rocks an 8.5 LOL...tells me yeah it fits better. I think a lot of people just stick their foot in a shoe and like to have " space and room" touch their toes then think they automatically fit.

With a few exceptions with certain shoes that obviously run small/big. There is no reason to ever size up or down a full size, which means you probably don't really know your size.

:rofl: How the **** he go from a 11.5 to an 8.5????

If 8.5 fits him now, how did the 10.5 not flop around like crazy? Can't even imagine the 11.5 fitting. Sounds like your boy was just insecure about his foot size :rofl:
 
anyone else have your toes slamming against the front of the toe box when **** starts getting REAL on court? i had to change into my kobe nxt 360s

i did lace them up to a level of tightness that prevented blood from entering my feet and it kinda stopped my foot moving so much on the footbed but even if i backed it off to a very tight 95 percent tightness i was having the issue bit disappointing, maybe i try thicker socks next time . for reference i'm a TTS11.5 a 11.5 and fit is perfect, size 11 had my toes jamming the toe box and i wouldn't dare a size 12 with the heel slip issue as prevalent as it is already in my correct size
 
anyone else have your toes slamming against the front of the toe box when **** starts getting REAL on court? i had to change into my kobe nxt 360s

i did lace them up to a level of tightness that prevented blood from entering my feet and it kinda stopped my foot moving so much on the footbed but even if i backed it off to a very tight 95 percent tightness i was having the issue bit disappointing, maybe i try thicker socks next time . for reference i'm a TTS11.5 a 11.5 and fit is perfect, size 11 had my toes jamming the toe box and i wouldn't dare a size 12 with the heel slip issue as prevalent as it is already in my correct size

My friend who has an 11 and is TTS said the same thing today about stubbing his toes.
 
Lol man so true. It's funny how people don't even know their true size. I remember a buddy of mine rocking a 10.5 then a 11 then a 11.5. For about a year I kept saying are you sure that's your true size....you should get your feet measured by those foot instruments or something at the store blah blah . Fast forward to now, dude rocks an 8.5 LOL...tells me yeah it fits better. I think a lot of people just stick their foot in a shoe and like to have " space and room" touch their toes then think they automatically fit.

With a few exceptions with certain shoes that obviously run small/big. There is no reason to ever size up or down a full size, which means you probably don't really know your size.
I can empathize with him, growing up I thought my size was a 11 also, I think it's because Nike shoes are so narrow, you compensate for that. When I changed over to adidas I went with a size 10 since everyone says to go down a full size from your Nike size. I recently measured my size towards the beginning of the year and my true size is a 9 length wise and a 9.5 width size lol
:rofl: How the **** he go from a 11.5 to an 8.5????

If 8.5 fits him now, how did the 10.5 not flop around like crazy? Can't even imagine the 11.5 fitting. Sounds like your boy was just insecure about his foot size :rofl:
its nothing about insecurity, sometimes you don't really realize it, also I hate my toes hitting the front of the shoe so a size 10 is honestly perfect casual wise, a 9.5 for performance
 
anyone else have your toes slamming against the front of the toe box when **** starts getting REAL on court? i had to change into my kobe nxt 360s

i did lace them up to a level of tightness that prevented blood from entering my feet and it kinda stopped my foot moving so much on the footbed but even if i backed it off to a very tight 95 percent tightness i was having the issue bit disappointing, maybe i try thicker socks next time . for reference i'm a TTS11.5 a 11.5 and fit is perfect, size 11 had my toes jamming the toe box and i wouldn't dare a size 12 with the heel slip issue as prevalent as it is already in my correct size

Yeah, the lockdown has been an issue for me too. I’m a narrow footer so this is a common struggle for me. The way the tongue is designed and “stacked” accordion style on the top of the foot isn’t ideal as an attempt to make them one size fits all with no remedy for those with a more narrow foot or wanted that tight/snug fit. The lockdown and heel slip might keep these from being my go to shoe this season on court. I’m trying the new Kobe’s this week, heard good things about the fit and feel on those.
 
Yeah, the lockdown has been an issue for me too. I’m a narrow footer so this is a common struggle for me. The way the tongue is designed and “stacked” accordion style on the top of the foot isn’t ideal as an attempt to make them one size fits all with no remedy for those with a more narrow foot or wanted that tight/snug fit. The lockdown and heel slip might keep these from being my go to shoe this season on court. I’m trying the new Kobe’s this week, heard good things about the fit and feel on those.


First the KD 11’s now these. Not a good look for the brand’s flagship feet.
 
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