After watching The Dream Documentary, my decision on which Air Jordan VII I’d play in was an easy one…
Traction – Similar to the AJVI, the VII features a flat surface without a true traction pattern. Holes are in place throughout along with some sticky feeling rubber. Upon visual inspection, these don’t look adequate but after playing in the AJVI I’m confident that the transition to a full length solid rubber outsole will provide even better traction and court coverage without the need to constantly wipe your soles.
Cushion – Full length Air is featured under foot which feels great while standing still so I’m sure these will provide some welcomed cushion. I’m not sure if the original VII’s had an encapsulated Air unit but the Retro versions have it directly under your foot. This feels noticeably better just from trying them on in comparison to any of the previous models
I’m not sure what the midsole is comprised of but it doesn’t feel like Polyurethane but it definitely could be… It doesn’t quite feel like Phylon either so it’s possible that this is a lower density PU midsole. Either way, I’m not complaining since I’d take this any day over the previous midsoles used.
Material – Depending on the colorway you’ll have leather, nubuck and in some cases both. I almost opted to go with the Bordeaux VII so I wouldn’t have to break them in but the support issues I faced while playing in the AJV’ Metallic Silver colorway had me second guessing myself… then I saw that Dream Team Document and I knew I just had to play in the Olympic version. Doesn’t hurt that they will be releasing this July either so I guess that’s a plus.
One thing to note is the toe box is reinforced quite a bit, something different than previous Retro VII’s, so when flexing the foot you can feel its rigidness. Not something I really enjoy but hopefully it’ll break-in.
Fit – They feel true to size but there is a little room in the toe from a length perspective. Not enough room to have me want a smaller size but just enough room to notice it’s there. Once laced up they feel incredibly secure.
The VII shares some similarities to the Nike Air Huarache. They’re both low top shoes with high top wings at the collar to draw the heel into place while remaining lightweight… at least lightweight in 1992. Just from trying them on and moving around a bit it doesn’t feel like lockdown will pose an issue but I won’t know for certain until I take them on-court.
Ventilation – This aspect is fairly similar to the AJVI but not quite as grand. They both have roughly the same amount of perforations along the upper and tongue; however, the VI’s inner sleeve had portions removed where the perforations were in place providing a good amount of unrestricted air flow.
The VII’s offer plenty of perforations along the tongue itself which helps but it still isn’t going to be as great as the VI.
Support – A slightly molded arch and the materials you choose are what will offer you most of your support. As long as the fit remains strong then there shouldn’t be any real issues with support at all… some people actually love playing in the VII because they offer a good mixture between support and range of motion.
After a short break – knees needed some recuperation time from all that Polyurethane – The Air Jordan Project is back on track. There’s nothing like a good old fashioned documentary featuring some of the greatest basketball players of all-time to get you back into the spirit of things.
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Loving the Air Jordan project and i’m excited to see the video. Btw your shoe reviews are on point, I just bought a pair of Q-flights and they were just as good as you said they were!
Thanks, glad I could help!
Doesn’t have to do with this, but found cheap pair of 14s “the shot” it looks to be good condition, but wondering if it falls apart or if its good quality
I havent played in the most recent retro yet so I can really say… there arent really too many shoes that ‘fall apart’ though.
Sorry I forgot to mention it was from 98
One of my favorite retros. Hope you enjoy playing in them.
Hey nightwing,
I remembered reading before that Ray Allen wears shoes which are 2 sizes bigger than his usual shoe size, and Jason Terry on the other hand wears a biggier size shoe as well because of the multiple socks that he wears (i think 5 pairs to represent all his sibblings). With regards to the fit of the shoe you have talked about getting something true to your size, what’s your take on Ray Allen’s that it made him play better? I know that it’s all about preference, just wanted to pick your mind about this. Thanks.
Nice choice of the colorway! Looking forward to the teasers & full review! These are my 2nd favorite model on the line, since they were one of the best hoops shoes that I used to ball in when they 1st released.
Come to think about it, they are like low top shoes with wings like what you said. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed everytime I played in them back then.
You are probably the most technical shoe reviewer that I’ve ever seen on the net. You should work on adidas or nike company. Btw, after the air jordan and air penny project maybe you should also start doing a project on tmac’s.
http://sneakernews.com/2012/04/07/air-jordan-vii-olympic-dissected/ here’s a look at how this shoe was made.
or how it looks when it’s not put together.
Love playing in my 7’s and just recently Jordan Brand has been putting the air unit in the 7’s right under the foot which is awesome while the older retros are encapsulated like the originals.
Interesting. Im glad they switched it to under foot… performance wise this is the ‘modern’ way of installing the air units so they obviously have performance at the forefront in some cases. Material choices may not reflect that but overall they are for hoop’n.
I have the 04 first retro and they don’t have the air max cushoining right under foot, idk what kind they have you can’t feel much, and the fit a size too big and the toe box is really soft leather like the rest of the shoe