Way back when I went to High School, if you wore something that belonged to a specific sport yet you didn’t – or couldn’t – play that sport, you were considered a poser…
Traction has been surprisingly solid thus far. I had my doubts but as long as you play on clean courts then you will be perfectly fine.
The translucent sections can and will attract dust and debris – it’s quite sticky when brand new – but the solid rubber traction pods really help out when you need them to.
One thing that I noticed right away is that the midsole and Air unit is different than what we received back in 95/96 & ’01. The Phylon isn’t as soft as it used to be… it would be covered in compression lines within a few minutes of putting any real pressure on it and these have ‘held up’ much better. Is that a good thing? I don’t know… that’s really a personal preference.
That Air unit I spoke of is slimmer and the insole is thicker… combined that with the dense Phylon and you have some break-in time to get out of the way if you were to play in them.
Are the masses going to flock and purchase a pair of Air Jordan XI’s to play ball in? Nope… they will rock them with skinny jeans and worry about the patent leather creasing. Either that or they’ll get thrown up on eBay within the first 30 minutes after they release.
The reality is that Air Jordan’s are made for ballers… period. Every single pair… it doesn’t matter if they were originally release in 1985 or 1995… they are ALL on-court compatible. And yes, I look 10x’s better rocking my Concords on-court than you do rocking your plastic Hyperfuse 2012’s… BURN!
Trust me, the only thing we pose for around here are pictures.
Hey, I like the Hyperfuse 2012. Jerk.
Hahahaha. Seriously though, your write-ups are getting more awesome. Keep it up.
HAHA!!! Its all fun over here my friend. Appreciate the support!
Somebody hates Hypebeasts lol…..but I’m 1000% with you though and totally agree. I have forever and a day wanted a pair of XI’s to hoop in, but I can’t because of re-sell prices (either get them on eBay or practically get shot over them at the store if you actually manage to get a pair). It’s ridiculous nowadays, especially considering I didn’t even know what Jordans were when I was a kid (born in ’86) when they were in their original form and REALLY want to play in pair to see how they feel…
I wouldnt call them Hypebeasts… not sure what I’d call them. People like that used to be called posers lol.
Oh yea I remember hearing poser too, although because I hooped/hoop I escaped the name calling lol…
What I was speaking on though was this line:
“Are the masses going to flock and purchase a pair of Air Jordan XI’s to play ball in? Nope… they will rock them with skinny jeans and worry about the patent leather creasing. Either that or they’ll get thrown up on eBay within the first 30 minutes after they release.”
For me, I can’t get a pair of XI’s because of this…
Same here man. It’s insane how hard it is to buy Jordans at retail nowadays, even non “hyped” pairs like those AJX Old Royals or AJXIV Light Graphites. Hell, I don’t even like rocking Jordans casually. It’s just that there’s a certain charm, especially for us older heads, in balling in them that makes you not care so much about performance attributes. Not to discount Nightwing of course. This site is the shit.
I used to call myself lucky that up here in Canada I never had to line up. I used to be able to prepay for them in advance and pick them up on release date. But now since wearing Jordans is considered “Swag” and the hype has picked up by non-ballers, they are forcing people to line up. I just can’t justify making my 3 year old daughter line up with me over night so I’m forced to pay premium for the pairs that I really like.
Nightwing2303 were this fun to play in
Heck yes!
“And yes, I look 10x’s better rocking my Concords on-court than you do rocking your plastic Hyperfuse 2012’s… BURN!”
Maannnnnnn!! HAHAHAHA!!! Sooo true!!!
I try to ball but couldn’t lol
this was an awesome review thus far, i’ve been trying to get a pair of XI’s for the longest time but i’m not paying $300 plus for them, it’s crazy man, why would someone buy the damn shoe if they’re not gonna wear them, leave them for the people who are gonna wear them and play in them. anyways great first impression and looking forward for the whole review
Appreciate it!
i still have a pair from 2001…on sale….$150…playoff…
end up in the box over 10 years….never wore them…
man… i feel like…what am i doing??
Nightwing, maybe you can shed some light on this issue I’m having.
AJXI insole is bloody awesome and I’m trying to find something similar (without buying the shoe itself).
I live in Perth, Western Australia, and our Footlocker store and sports stores don’t have a variety of gear and most occasions have no idea what I’m talking about.
Can you help? Cheers.
Also great review on the concords, much respect for wearing them on court!
That would be like asking for advice on buying something like a classic Ferrari, which is not an actual classic Ferrari. Except there is no such thing. The AJ XI is the most iconic shoe of its era, which is why there is nothing “like” it. That is, if you are talking about looks – which is basically the reason that any shoe gets retroed, including this one. If you are talking about pure performance, the AJ XI will be excellent for a retro model, but any modern shoe that NW has on the top 10 list should outperform it. For example, I’m pretty sure all Foot Locker stores in Australia have the Hyperdunk 2012s, which is a fantastic shoe (although it will from now on be referred to as the BURNED kick). Nike even released a model in the Australian national team colours so they could all rock it at the Olympics. Most stores in the cities may also have the AJ 2012, the Lebron 9 including the Elite version, while Nike’s dealerships carry the Jordan Super Fly and a few other models which were rated highly by NW. Take your pick.
good point, just call me old fashion…..
how every i do like the jordan superfly (mostly thanks to nightwing for reviewing it!!!)
I live in Australia too, and honestly I don’t see why anyone would buy hoop shoes from an actual store in this country. First, the choice is really limited, as you already mentioned. Second, when they do get things like the AJ retro releases, the number of shoes they get is ridiculous, like 1 or 2 of each size per store. And third, the prices are ridiculous! For example, the Super Flys in Nike’s store are $AU 240, which is over 250 US dollars…and their full price before any discounts at any US online store is $US 140. Talk about a mark-up. My best advice is, if you’re old enough, to get a credit card or paypall account and shop online. The sports stores in Australia don’t deserve to get the money going towards your shoes. They’re seriously ripping people off. If you’re after style, just browse and see what you like, the online photos and descriptions (and video reviews from buyers like us) are pretty detailed. If you want performance, NW is your man, just look at his top 10 list or his periodical top 5 favourite shoes. Peace.
AGREE fully!!!!! only thing that bugs me is the shipping cost, but the price to buy for OZ!!!
Love the poser line! Awesome work!
Nice Burn! lmao
I always wanted a pair of XI’s to ball in, but there are way too many posers/resellers hoarding the stocks.
same here sir. i really wanted to rock this on court but its too expensive for me to buy one.
Any initial thoughts on support?
feel the same way, i had the original concords way back when it was first released and i played ball in them that they were just worn-off so when they released it last year i thought i could get one again as i missed to play in them but those posers and resellers just bought every damn pair even paying extra to store attendants just to reserve them a pair…i’m from the philippines by the way…and anyways, great review nightwing, looking forward for the complete performance review, keep it up man!
Hey, I have been followed you for a while and become a big fan of you. By the way, do you know any US website will ship these sneakers to Canada?
I live in Vancouver, BC.
Thanks~~