How’s the impact protection? What about step comfort and energy return of the foam? Is it stable? Pin image source: nike.com That wraps up the Jordan Zion 1 review! I hope you’ve found it useful and informative as always! The whole process ended with mixed feelings but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have fun while hooping in the sneaker.

I’d say that the Jordan Zion 1 is intriguing. Yes, there are bright spots and there are some which are eyebrow-raising. Despite the fact that the pair is still on a trial-and-error stage, Jordan definitely hit the mark on this one. Also, the pair is pretty much flexible. From its appearance and performance, the Jordan Zion 1 is built obviously not only for large framed players but also for smaller and speedy players who rely on their upper body strength and jumping power and not on flashy and shifty crossovers. The Jordan Zion 1 weighs 12.1oz/343g, on the light/medium-end for basketball shoes (low-top basketball shoes have an average weight of 12.7oz/359 g), which surprised me with its multiple-layer cushion setup. This did not affect the performance for me nor bother me but I do want to call this for those who may dislike this attribute. A fair price with pleasing aesthetics

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A full-length Air strobel stitched right to the upper, a Zoom Air unit in the forefoot, and a plush Phylon midsole to top it all off. Sounds like a crazy setup on paper. As an added bonus, Mrs. Wing gives her take on Zion’s new logo and its placement on the sneakers, while Chris continue to vent on his feelings about the materials. Safe to say the ankle support is not the main concern of the pair. But it is still something important so Jordan added a better lacing system by putting more eyelets on the forefoot, thus making the shoe firmer and more stable.

Saving time? Here’s the gist of it: the Jordan Zion 1 didn’t impress me – there’s definitely room for improvement if the shoe wants to cater towards many different players and compete with other signature lines. When doing sudden stops, you can actually feel that the outsole compound is less aggressive compared to the forward movements. That is a bit contradicting considering the outsole’s omnidirectional pattern.In terms of padding, the tongue received only a little amount of padding and is quite thin compared to other basketball sneakers. Also, the tongue’s airflow is not very appealing since only its lower part has a good amount of ventilation. I don’t mind it, it holds my foot in and doesn’t introduce any pinching, digging, or anything in that regard. Pin image source: air.jordan.com DURABILITY But for the best experience, it would be best if a pair will be fitted first before purchasing. OVERALL RATING My feet feel bigger than normal with the Zion 1 on due to the extra space and while I don’t prefer that – I was still able to play in a comfortable manner.

There’s good foam padding around the ankle which was nicely hugged, and even though the tongue is stupidly thin, I never had any issues with it as I did with a LeBron 18. Lastly, the material choices are definitely on the cheaper side of things but that never hindered my performance on the court. However, the questionable build quality could throw some people off, particularly those who are looking to get the sneaker and play in it solely for multiple years. I don’t necessarily feel like I’m able to handle the ball, shoot or do whatever skill-wise better on the court in a more responsive shoe that’s slapped to the ground more. Or in any specific shoe for that matter. So the strong points were definitely stability (I don’t know why more shoes don’t utilize such outriggers), containment, and staying comfortable despite the features. Pin image source: nike.com I tested the shoe in both some workouts/shootarounds on an indoor court as well as a few on an outdoor court. Overall, the traction was solid - despite the indoor gym floors being dirty/dusty(think local community gym), the traction gripped the floor consistently and had a noticeable bite moving in any direction.In just his second year in the league, Zion has already joined a bunch of elites who have signature pairs with the Jordan Brand. Currently, only Suns guard Chris Paul and Wizards star Russell Westbrook have recurring signature pairs with the brand. Having said that, the setup is stable, and I didn’t feel alarmingly too high off the ground. The ride height is about average, so you won’t be slapped right on the ground, nor you’ll be super elevated like you would in a LeBron shoe. VI. SUPPORT Knowing Jordan’s reputation in producing pairs with the best materials, and recognizing that Zion could be one of the future superstars of the NBA, the brand could have used better materials to start this Zion series. To deliver on his personality, Jordan Brand revealed the initial four colorways of the Zion 1, whichfeature nods to his upbringing and style of play. The combination of Air Strobel and phylon midsole for the cushion setup is already good enough. But for players like Zion, a beefed-up and more compressed cushion system are really important.

The setup is definitely comfortable and fun to play in but I’m sure this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea performance-wise. When doing forward moves and stops, the traction is a bit aggressive, though there are some delays. But the real problem is on the lateral motions. Ironically, the traction is not lateral-friendly. Air is definitely cheaper to produce and as I’ve mentioned in the review, they definitely were cutting costs on the material choices. There’s gotta be a balance of risk and guaranteed profits for the brand and that’s exactly what we see here. It may be hard to spot when looking plainly at the pair, but it can be noticed when doing lateral movements. This feature improves the pair’s overall stability. Because of this, the chances of getting one’s ankle rolled will decrease.

Putting things into perspective though, this is in line with most other sneakers in this price range, so it’s not like the Zion 1 is the only shoe to be at fault here. Take good care of them and they should do the same for you.