NIKE KOBE AD MID PERFORMANCE REVIEW
If you’ve been wondering how the latest Kobe AD Mid performs, the wait is over. AnotherPair offers his thoughts in our Nike Kobe AD Mid performance review.
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The latest Kobe AD Mid uses a multi-directional engineered tread for optimal traction; it was designed to be a beast and that it was! Have you ever bit into a yellow jelly bean and examined the inside jelly part and you notice it’s translucent with a yellow tint to it and you go to touch it, and it was super sticky. That’s what I’m going to compare this traction to — a super sticky jelly bean.
Wait there’s more. What happens when you continue to play with the jelly? The yellow outer shell begins to crumble and mix into the jelly, making it less sticky! Transfer that over to basketball and what do you have? The more dirt that’s on the court, the less traction you have. However, the traction wasn’t bad by any means.
There were times when I would make a hard cut or try to push off and my foot would slip a bit before it would grip the hardwood, but the traction was still good. As far as the outdoors are concerned, don’t even think about it. You can hang that thought up. The traction will wear down before you can ball game. Don’t waste your time or money playing outside in these.
The Nike Kobe AD Mid Optimism Yellow features a Lunarlon midsole and a Zoom Air unit in the heel that’s a lot bigger than the Zoom bag used in the original Kobe A.D. (just check our Kobe AD Mid deconstructed post for proof). I want to thank god for that because lord knows them things were brutal.
It took a few games for the setup to break in, but once it did it worked well. The impact protection in the heel was excellent, and some very nice Lunarlon cushioned the rest of the foot. It felt like I was like walking in heaven. Well, I wouldn’t quite say heaven. I’d say it felt more like I was walking up to the gates to enter heaven. I’m sure heaven feels like Boost!
The Kobe AD Mid uses a felt-like material with synthetic leather overlays along the upper. I think Nike could have done better in this category. I mean geez, Nike could have at least given us some suede, but who am I to judge?
For being felt, it felt ok. It didn’t have a premium feel but felt alright. It’s lightweight — the material moved pretty well with my foot — and it’s durable. This shoe took a beating, and all you can see on it is some dirt. That’s not bad.
The one thing I can complain about is the breathability. This felt material was like a sauna. My feet came out looking like the Pacific Ocean, and my feet never sweat. It isn’t a deal breaker or anything like that, I’m just letting y’all know that if you want some ventilation you had better look else where because the Kobe AD Mid doesn’t have it.
The Kobe AD Mid fits snug. I went true to size, but it wouldn’t have hurt if I went a 1/2 size up. Wide footers, y’all definitely need to go up a 1/2 a size, and if you can try these on before purchase I highly recommend it.
Lockdown was solid. The ankle collar is padded, which creates a nice bed for the heel, and the Flywire held my foot down nicely keeping me locked in the entire time.
However, there was an issue with the lacing system being too tight and causing some discomfort. The upper laces dug into the top of my foot. The pain was so annoying I had to loosen the laces — and lockdown went out the window after that.
Support was good. The Kobe AD Mid has a broad base with a small outrigger on the lateral sides to keep the foot from rolling over. There is an external heel counter that cups the heel and holds it in place. The shank plate at the midfoot did a good job of keeping my foot stable and kept my shoe from twisting in awkward ways.
Although the materials seemed cheap, the felt and Flywire worked well together by stopping all stretch or give in the material and kept me on top of the footbed.
Just like the fit, all that went out the window as soon as I couldn’t take the annoying pain my laces had caused. Loosening the top lace affected the support as well — my foot was all over the place inside the shoe.
The Kobe AD Mid is a beautiful shoes . I see a bunch of people scooping up a pair of the Kobe AD Mids and serving up some buckets. The only real complaint I have is with the lacing system digging into my foot. Other people may not experience it, but I sure did. However, it isn’t a deal breaker — it’s just an annoyance I’d much rather be without for $150.
