The LeBron 9 Low has slowly begun to hit retail. While most will purchase the low for casual purposes, I’m more interested to see if they translate well to on-court usage.
The traction is exactly the same as the higher cut version. Nothing has really changed to where it would affect the shoes performance. As I had mentioned in my Performance Review on the LeBron 9, the chain link pattern offers much greater traction than how it looks. Even on dusty courts it can hold its own.
I haven’t slipped in these yet – yet is the keyword – but I expect to at some point depending on my speed & movements. However, the forefoot’s inability to fully flex while in motion – I’m speaking about the high model – was almost nonexistent here so I may not slip at all… I still expect it to happen at some point in time but as of now it hasn’t happened.
I’m SO happy that the 360 Air Max unit have returned. This made for a much smoother ride while in transition when compared to the high. In the LeBron 9 I could feel the heels cushion which was great. Once my forefoot would strike it was fairly awkward and felt clunky. Going from soft to hard wasn’t an ideal setup for me personally so the consistency the full 360 Air unit brings is greatly appreciated.
One thing to note, the Air unit feels as if it’s been filled at a higher pressure than the 180 Air bag. I wouldn’t consider this a negative aspect as these are low tops so with the added air pressure you receive a much more stable ride.
And they don’t look half bad either…