First Impression: Air Jordan IX (9) Retro

Eight down… fifteen to go…

Traction – Again, the flat surfaces don’t look appealing from a functional standpoint, however, I’ve been proved wrong multiple times now with this type of traction surface so I think these might do just fine.

Cushion – This comes as no surprise at this point… the encapsulated Air housed within the Polyurethane midsole may alleviate some stress and absorb some impact but not in a way that most of used are used to.

While I am used to the dense midsole, I’m reminded of how good we have it now each time I lace up a newer on-court model. When I use a pair of AJ9’s casually I don’t personally fine them comfortable from a cushion standpoint so I’m just hoping that isn’t magnified when putting these to use.

Material – Cheap leather… stiff and unforgiving. Only good thing about it is the PU coating which will make them durable.

I actually have no clue what the rand is made of. It feels like a durabuck/ nubuck blend but for all I know it could be a synthetic. What I do know is that this will ease their break-in time while the leather along the upper remains supportive.

Fit – They fit true to size and a bit snug along the sides. I would prefer to use a sz 9.5 in this model but the only colorway I own in that size is the Charcoal… the materials are too soft with the nubuck uppers so I will just deal with this pair and hope my feet have some skin left once I’m done with them.

On the bright side… lockdown feels good all around. This shoe may end up surprising me the way the AJ8 had… but I won’t be holding my breath on that.

Ventilation – There are perforations along the entire upper but they really won’t do much of anything in terms of air flow. The one area that will allow for good air flow is the inner sleeve/ tongue. I don’t feel as if I can really complain too much about ventilation after playing in the AJ8 though… a plastic bag breaths better than those puppies.

Support – The support will come from that stiff PU coated leather along with the overall fit and molded arch. They feel supportive enough from a try on but who knows how they’ll end up after playing in them.

One things for sure… my feet will at least look cool on-court while wearing these. Whether or not they will feel cool has yet to be determined. The main thing I am looking forward to is when my time playing in these comes to an end… because afterward I get to play in the models that feature Phylon, under foot full length Air and finally… Zoom Air. Can’t wait for that!