9. LeBron X Elite
Price: $260
A shoe made for one of the largest, most powerful & agile players we’ve ever seen step onto the court… yet, at 5’7″, I still lace them up every chance I get.
If you want maximum cushion that still offers responsiveness then you wont find it anywhere else.
Prices are still steep but they’re also still sitting on shelves so with a little more time and patience, they’ll begin dropping in price soon enough.
“Can a butterfly sing?”
Why the M9 is not on the list?
Great picks. I love the Super Fly 2 and the Lebron X but the Super Fly 2 has to be one of the best shoes I’ve owned. Like you said, it’s just a great all around shoe that caters to many different players and playing styles.
The m9 is a 2012 shoe
I love how you stated that the Super.Fly 2 happened to beat the AJ XX8 and this is Jordan’s Hyperdunk version but only better. You can never go wrong with the Super.Fly 2 and XX8, especially how it’s super lightweight at the same time cushioned. Thanks for the liftoff with these Nightwing!
9 Pairs of Kobes 🙂
I’m wondering if it is simpy the Superfly2 price difference? I have the Kobe 8 and Jordan XX8, the 28 s are amazing, simply incredible. When I tried on the SF2, the outsole felt incredibly stiff compared to the 28s. The decoupled heel and forefoot of the AJs are simply incredible. It’s the flexibility of the Kobe 8s with the cushion of the LBX
I actually stated the reason in the write up. Super.Fly’s need to be broken in… I mentioned in their initial quick look video that upon trying them on they didnt feel special. I agree that the decoupled heel and forefoot of the XX8 is amazing though, truly nothing else like it.
I love the Super Fly 2s I got the supernova color way and man that zoom air unit is amazing the cushion is almost perfect for me I’m 6,2 and weight 240 soo yea I need cushion lol the main reason I got them was because of all the promotion Jordan brand has been doing
Why no love for the Melo M9, NW? I thought you had a cutoff for reviewing these shoes? 🙁
10 spots, Melo didn’t make it. Its not the end of the world. Just a list on my top 10.
Ah, I see. Still bought the M9 because of your review though! Keep up the good work, bro!
Hope you liked them!
I wanted to give the M9 a shot, but I think I feel the same way you do about translucent soles. All the colorways that caught my attention have those icy soles and that’s why I’ve stayed away from them personally.
In my town, buyers pass on the superfly 2 and grab the HD2013. Obviously they never heard of kicksoncourt’s performance tests, and they never try on everything before they buy haha sales folks claim buyers often say the HD’s look cooler and dont even mind putting on the sf2.
Hope they come across this site and this list when they start reading up on their hd’s haha
Hyperdunks are a great shoe. I just feel the Super.Fly 2 is more well rounded for every position vs this years HD.
I just feel the SF2’s aren’t getting any justice since “HD’s look cool” and buyers here don’t even bother to try em on. Theyre priced the same here btw, $180.
But i totally agree, can’t go wrong with any of them, especially for recreational players like me. tbh, after some court time i dont think it matters which one i have on, nor can any make a big difference in my game. Lol
Thanks for the list NW!
Damn where’s the melo m9, hard for me to believe some of these are better, no offense
None taken. Ive played in all the shoes, you possibly haven’t played in half of them and only own the Melo. They aren’t on the list bc its my list, no need to be bummed about it. Its just how it goes.
True point, I do own the Melos and have only played in a couple of those others
Superfly 2’s for the win they’re total beasts I customized a pair and they are great to play in and the cp3.vi ae’s are pretty sweet to.
I’m a PG who’s 5’11 and even though the cp3’s are a great guard’s shoe I liked playing in the hyperdunk’s and superfly 2’s better
Your performance review on the cp3.vi ae was the reason I picked them- behind the kobe v, they’re the second-best shoe ive played in of all time. Keep up the amazing work!!! #nightwingknows
Kobe Vs were such an awesome shoe. One of the greatest low tops of all time. Glad you like the CP3s!
Ok, this is weird Ron. I came here to write the same exact comment. CP3 AE has been my fave guard shoe since
ZKV (and Rose 1.0) as well.
-The other Ron
I can see why people would be wondering why the m9 wasn’t on the list, as it was super plush, versatile performer with an awesome fit. But there’s only 10 spots with many deserving choices so it is what it is. Although they’ve been my go-to shoe, it isn’t without its faults. Lateral containment/stability being one of them.
I understand it as well. Someone wants their shoe to be on the list… unfortunately I play in a bunch of shoes for testing and with this being a top ten, there just wasn’t room as there are better overall performers out there. This takes nothing away from the things the M9 excels at but people need to understand that not every shoe will make it.
Looks to me like the M10 will make up for that!! BTW great job NW as usual 😉
thanks!
the M9 is the best-fitting shoe that i’ve purchased in the last 2 years or so (the air penny v should also get a shout here…), but i had an incredibly awkward landing in them (wasn’t trying to do anything spectacular, simply took an unchallenged midrange jumper) and twisted my ankle…that left me out for two whole weeks…
since them i’ve used them sparingly, that has never happened to me before and i’m still wondering why it did, everybody’s experience with them seems to be very different from mine.
thinking about wearing them when i play later this evening, though…
Didn’t Melo go back to the M8 Advanced for a lot of his games towards the end of the season? I wonder why he switched back? He also had injuries (not sure what they were as I am not a Knicks fan) towards the end of the season, so I am wondering if he was not comfortable wearing the M9s anymore and lost confidence in them.
The superfly 2 seems like the perfect shoe aside from the heel having foam as the only source of cushioning. The hyperfuses for example, are no good after the foam wears out because there is no heel zoom unit. Do you think that will be a similar problem with these superfly 2s?
You rarely use your heel when playing so the heel cushion doesn’t make a difference. Its all about focusing on what the body uses which will make the shoe’s features more efficient. Video yourself and run the footage in slow motion and you will see that you are not touching your heel to the ground (upon impact) almost 95% of the time.
You’re right. Since most athletic movements are done on the forefoot, then heel cushioning is a bit overrated. I wonder why theres so much complaining on the hyperfuses. Anyways, nice top 10. Glad we can see your list before the video at the end of the year.
No Under Armour?
They haven’t really come out with any new hoop kicks this year. Since this is ‘So Far’ then anything can change from now until December.
Worn my super fly 2’s for two games now and it feels amazing to run hard in. Take off and landings are awesome, support and fit are good too. Really happy with my purchase and alot of thanks to Nightwing2303 for helping make an informed decision 😀
Thanks nightwing. You know how much I like top ten lists. Lol. And I bet jordan brand has sold about 1000 superfly 2s just cuz you. Keep it up.
Appreciate it!
only a 1000?
Wow
I believe the Super.Fly IIs are $130 not $140
Looks like I’ll be picking up the superfly 2 for the next basketball season. Love the reviews NW! Can’t wait for Lebron XI review
Nightwing I’ve been wondering if there is a way that notifications could be implemented on the site? I thought about messaging you, but it seems more likely that you would see my request here. The reason being is that after future posts are added, previous ones get swept pages back.
I’m sure that this is a post that will want to be frequented more often and it could become a needle in the haystack after a while.
*I owe your insight for picking up the Superfly 2 and not sleeping on them waiting for the xx8 SE. Props to your craft and everything that you do for the community.
If you use the search bar, just type in Top Ten Lists and this one will show up along with the others before it. Its a tag so anytime you search the tag you’ll find it.
I applaud you for being impartial towards brands. Its fresh to see linings and ektio making the list not just the big brands.
Can you explain which criteria you put weight more weight on personally when you make your list?
I’m not but hurt with this list, thanks to nightwing I’ve been blessed to own all but the two on it and that’d be the wade and I just didn’t like the cp3 colorways left for me to rock.
Keep it up NW, next cop will be the superfly 2, but good luck getting me to come out my 28s, far as I’m concerned bury me in them.
You can find Li-Ning Way of wade on-line from a Swedish e-shop here (http://www.zalando.se/li-ning-d500-indoorskor-svart-l5442a00d-358.html) i wonder why Li-Ning supplies a market like Sweden where basketball isn’t popular at all and lets other markets without supplies.
Man I couldn’t read diddly on that. I did decipher somehow that the WoW are between 110 & 165 because the price was slotted between the Rose 773 II & LeBron Low respectively. Maybe they’re about 130 now?
I’m quite new to the shoe competition so forgive me if I sound like an idiot. But I just wanted to ask what exactly was better about the Superfly and XX8 that are greater than the Kobes? Your Kobe review left such a great impression on my that I am baffled. Of course I don’t doubt your words however, I’m just curious.
these are the things that SF2 are better than KOBE 8
1. traction last longer specially if you play outside
2 zoom air (flight plate)in the sf2 feel a lot better than lunarlon that K8 has, which also bottom out much faster than zoom
4.support is better than the K8
5. upper is more durable
6.k8 is low top , SF2 can feel like a low top and high top depends on if you tie all the way up or not
that’s enough reason for why on is no1 the other is #3 for the same price
Bingo
man, it really comes down to what you need from a sneaker, and what your personal preferences are…i own and enjoy the super.fly 2, but to be absolutely honest i’m much more inclined to reach for the kobe 8s when i have to play a serious game, it’s very low to the ground, it’s a low top, it’s light while being incredibly supportive, and i love the full length foam more than pretty much any cushion system available. i know folks who think that the crazyquick is the best sneaker to have come out since something like the TS supernatural creator, and that’s purely based on what they want from a basketball shoe….
got the super fly 2s a couple of days ago and after the first b-ball session I have to say these could become my nr. 1 pick too. Traction was incredible and I felt really light-footed. I will have to play in them for a bit longer to say more but right now these seem to be a great sneakers!
The D Rose 3 and 3.5 are both solid shoes. They look good and perform well for any player. I got them both at outlets for forty bucks too 😉
Adam what are you talking about the superfly 2 are $140 I have the slam magazine that says they are $140
On nike.com the superfly 2’s are listed at $130
had the opportunity to try melo m9 and superfly 2 today.everything nightwing said about these 2-they were all the same with my observations,like the superfly 2 didnt feel special upon try on,the melo m9 fits like glove,and all the more.. i first put on the superfly 2 and tried bouncing its forefoot and the zoom took my attention,and when i tried the m9 after,i almost decided not to take it off,really,one of the best fitting shoes-makes me not want to go back to fuses,haha. but my decision was to take the superfly 2 based on nightwing’s review. i know i did too much talking on this,blah blah blah, but hey,just wanna show my appreciation and support to this site,and most especially to the man behind this.thank u for all ur efforts man,just really, thank you a lot. you influence many on how to choose hoop shoes.. more and more power…
Zabi , glad you pick the SF2 , u wont be regret it in the long run, M9’s traction cant stand too long on heavy use, specially if you play outdoor from time to time. once you tie up the SF2 lace good the fit will also feels great. before nightwing’s SF2’s review i guessed this would be a great shoe by the way it’s design, then i was waiting on review didnt expect this would be something amaziing or make it to the NO.1 . i wanted to buy theSF2,and i did however wait for the review to get the “go ahead” approval from NW and KickGEN .and the shoe is just as good as they deeply inspected hahaha
yeah, m9’s traction was way too shallow.. while that of sf2’s…both also had perfect fit,not narrow or wide for my foot,just perfect.. so glad i was able to buy sf2’s.. many thanks nightwing for the go signal..
If you put insoles in the superfly 2 will it ruin the flight plate?
Hey NW, why no Hyperdisruptors?
I finally got me a pair of CP3 VI AEs. I love everything about the shoe! These just bumped the Kobe VIII off for my top. I have the XX8 and Superfly 2, but the low cuts are the business for me. CP3s ring in at $125 too! I got the breds on sale for $109.
The description of the CP3 VI AE being the guard specific version of the Hyperdunk is a good line.
I am not surprised that the KD VI is not on the list.
So Hyperdunks rate higher in the Performance Review but lower in a Top Ten List??
Same goes for all these other shoes, they are out of order according to the Performance Reviews.
What am I missing?
Youre missing the part where you read what I write. This is my personal list. Not a ranking… Pay attention.
Well to be fair, where you explain that is actually found through a link to a different page but thanks for the quick response. No offense, my misunderstanding..
I bought those hyperdunks after your review. Now I’m wondering if I should buy the XX8 SE’s or the Super.Fly 2’s
I bought the Super.Fly’s at Nike Outlet for $56!! I should have bought 2 pair…lol
Do you see the Super.Fly 2’s going to the Outlet stores?
I’m thinking I should wait on the SF2 and get the SE’s now.
I love your reviews by the way, got me stoked about basketball again!
No worries. I don’t know for sure but with how many color ways they’ve released, I’m sure they will hit outlets eventually.
Hey NW, do you have any particular timetable for the final update of this personal list? Your own preferred top performance shoes? Personally, I prefer your recommendations rather than going to scores…. Its good we play the same position, of almost the same height and built, plus not that far from date of birth…. hahahaha…. 30’s rocks!!!
I always put it out at the end of the year. We’re almost there lol
Where would the anatomix spawn land on this list? I feel like they are a really good shoe and can PG’s play in them?
The Hyperdunks traction is freaking amazing and the upper like fits perfectly. The side to side traction is definitely the best part about the HD2013
No Anatomix?
It would be wise to look at the date this was published then compare that to the date the Anatomix review was published.
you didn’t like the new durants?
someone needs to put the penny 5s on here, the grip on these shoes are insane.
That was 2012 not 2013.
I love the Super.Fly 2’s but I think the forefoot zoom, on my right shoe, might have popped because the outsole actually indents and isn’t equal with the left one. I also notice landings are more rough too.. I’ve only had the shoe for 2 months, if that didn’t happen they would be my favorite shoe of all time.
I love the Super Fly 2s I got the supernova color way and man that zoom air unit is amazing the cushion is almost perfect for me I’m 6,2 and weight 240 soo yea I need cushion lol the main reason I got them was because of all the promotion Jordan brand has been doing
no LeBron 11? KD VI? come on!
KD VIs traction is garbage and the LeBron 11 wasn’t out when this was made. SMFH
which is better lebron 11 or superfly2?
is lebron 11 much better than hyperdunk 2013 and kobe 8?
Hi Chris i have a question,
I’m 13 years old 5’3″ and a guard
please give me a list from 1-4,if which shoe among this four is best for me;superfly 2,hyperdunk 2013,kobe 8 and lebron 10