The Diadem Court Burst is the brand’s first ever shoe, designed with both pickleball and tennis players in mind as they expand into both markets. How well did Diadem Sports do with its first ever sneaker? I found out via our tried and true WearTesters performance review process.
Over the last few weeks, I tested the Diadem Court Burst on multiple court and conditions. I’ve collected my observations and opinions on the shoe into a pickleball performance review so you can make an informed decision on this interesting shoe.
Pros
Fit
The Diadem Court Burst fit has been a breath of fresh air in comparison to recent pickleball shoes from other brands that I’ve tested or that I’m currently testing. Overall, the Diadem Court Burst runs true to size while having just enough snugness around the mid foot and enough breathing room in the forefoot for toe splay and secure push offs.
I think wide footers will want to order in a half size up to be safe, but I’m not 100% sure on that as I’m not a wide footer myself. Hopefully we’ll see Diadem shoes at more retail stores in the future so more consumers can get a chance to try on Diadem shoes in store and get a better feel for them.
Materials
Built on a textile base, the upper of the Diadem Court Burst consists of what the brand calls a 360 Performance Knit and adds both light and heavy reinforcements for durability and containment.
In the toe box, the thicker Max Shield overlay is utilized for high abrasion while a thinner fused plastic overlay is applied to the lateral end to strengthen the shoe against potential rollover in addition to wear and tear.
Initially, the Max Shield TPU overlay at the toe box was slightly cumbersome as it interfered with forefoot flex. When moving in a way that flexed the forefoot, I felt a little bit of pinching and bubbling, but the shoe quickly broke in and now moves well with my foot. I believe the chevron/herringbone-style cutouts in the Max Shield helped for a quicker break in time. That, combined with a generally flexible upper, made for a shoe that moves well with the foot without sacrificing much in terms of protection.
Support
The use of an internal heel cup, an external heel counter, and a lateral TPU overlay that flows into the forefoot of the midsole (which Diadem calls Rebound X) maximizes the Court Burst’s support. Essentially, the Court Burst gets as close to 360 degrees of support as possible.
A weaker, but still sufficient aspect of support, comes from the torsional Pro Stance X shank embedded within the midsole. The Court Burst bends by hand in such a way that I honestly would not have guessed there was any shank at all had it not been advertised.
Fortunately, there’s enough arch support from the midsole and insole that the shank isn’t an issue. In addition, the purposeful flexibility helps neutralize any heel slip, especially after the rest of the shoe breaks in.
Cushion
While the midsole is a slightly dense basic EVA compound, there isn’t much to complain about in terms of performance. It’s expected that a brand’s first shoe won’t have an abundance of innovation (especially in the cushioning arena) so I don’t feel the need to critique the cushion.
In addition, even as a simple EVA compound, the Court Burst is still comfortable for hours of pickleball play, provides an adequate amount of court feel, and feels consistent from first try on until now. On a pickleball court, there’s not much more I can ask for than that.
Outsole
A carbon-rubber compound connects the Diadem Court Burst to the playing surface and so far feels great in terms of durability and performance. The herringbone pattern is more than enough coverage for the average dedicated pickleball court.
Though the tread is of a flatter design that I can’t speak to in terms of performance against dust on indoor gym floors like hardwood, I do appreciate that a little bit of texture was applied to those areas, even if on a near microscopic level.
Cons
Aside from the very small nitpicks of a not-so-robust torsional shank, simpler cushion set up, and flat tread pattern, I don’t have any large negatives to report.
Diadem Court Burst Summary
The Diadem Court Burst nails nearly everything, not only as a pickleball/tennis shoe, but as the brand’s first shoe in general. I’ll admit that I was far from blown away when I first unboxed the Court Burst. Fortunately, the Court Burst’s solid performance has me excited for Diadem’s future in footwear.
Though I didn’t list any one category as a whole in the cons section of this performance review, I want to be clear that I am not claiming this to be the best pickleball shoe ever made. However, it’s probably in my top three rotational picks (outside of whatever I’m currently performance testing) behind the Skechers Viper Court Pro and New Balance 996v5, pairs that I still enjoy playing in whenever I have the opportunity. If you’re looking for a good comparison, the 996v5 is the big brand shoe the Court Burst most reminds me of.
$150 is a little steep for the Court Burst’s included technology. But from a reliability perspective, anyone taking a chance on the Diadem Court Burst will find high value.
Disclosure
While Diadem did send a pair of the Diadem Court Burst to facilitate this review, the company had no involvement in this review, didn’t receive an advance look at it, and has not attempted to influence it.
