I may not have balled in the PUMA Clyde Court or Uproar, but I’m sure happy the PUMA Legacy could be my first hoops experience with the brand.
Traction
I don’t know how best to describe this traction pattern beyond what I’d call kind of an alternating zig-zag sequence – I just know for the most part, it works. The rubber compound itself is pliable but also strong, so I was able to always get a subtle, but good bite from the Puma Legacy so long as I kept up with wipes on dusty settings.
It’s not an automatic stop always, but more of a gradual, secure stop as the rubber slightly sinks to grip the floor. I did experience some light slips on or two times when forgetting to wipe, but fortunately nothing drastic. I’d prefer wider groove spacing for less dust buildup and deeper tread for outdoors, but overall, I found traction to be suitable enough.
Cushion
HYBRID is mentioned for cushioning, and by the feel of it, it may only be in the heel, though I could be wrong. Everything feels dense, especially in the forefoot with better than average court feel and response, while the heel is a little chunkier with just a slight bounce to it, though I didn’t notice it so much during actual gameplay.
I’m surprised, but happy to say I had no issues with this setup as far as impact protection goes. Never did I experience any startling impact on hard landings, nor did it feel any aches and pains from impact following games.
The only thing I’d really change about the cushion isn’t related to cushion so much. The footbed is a little to slick for my liking, so there were times here or there I swapped out insoles for something that felt a little more grippy but wouldn’t alter the cushion experience much. Going forward, I may stack insoles, but we’ll get to that shortly.
Materials
Engineered mesh and synthetic leathers make up most of the upper with a mesh over the traditional mesh tongue which I was a fan of along with the internal padding around the ankle. For a synthetic, the heel portion is not bad at all as it does well at mimicking real leather, minus the slightly cracking type of creasing (which I really could care less about). The leather running along the eyelets doesn’t feel as nice but is no different from a lot of synthetics found on some higher priced lifestyle options and it does its job well, so hey.
For the forefoot, the engineered mesh feels more like a stiff knit that does, soften up over time, but not very much. Glue layered underneath, or whatever it may be holds the structure up in the toebox, which unfortunately leaves a little volume above the toe, but otherwise the shoe moves well enough with the foot that I feel good about it. No excess pressure or points of pain, no complaints. Also, no excess damage – the upper looks pretty well intact so you might be in luck when it comes to durability.
Fit
True to size for me both in length and width. I know it seems to run long for some, but it was overall a good fit on my feet sans the slight bubbling up over the toe. I tried to address this by trying a half-size down, but that just ran way too short and snug for my liking.
While experimenting with insole swaps as I mentioned before, I ran a couple games stacking the thinnest aftermarket insole I own over the stock insole and that pretty much eliminated any dead space. Now that I am done testing, that may be how I play the Legacy going forward, though I have no major issues with playing in the shoe with just one insole.
Dick’s Sporting Goods and PUMA online are the only two retailers I have seen carrying the PUMA Legacy, so if you are near a DSG with stock, I’d recommend giving them a try on just to be sure you have the right fit for you. Just make note that the shoe does break in a little bit, but not by much as it’s not really needed anyway.
Support
Support around the heel was great whether I left the last set of eyelets unused or laced all the way up. There is a strong heel counter and the overall fit and ability to adjust with lacing makes that area nice and secure. The forefoot doesn’t have as much for support features but still does the job well in addition. I was worried that the slick insole surface would lead to some issues since the base is not super wide, but movement was kept at a minimum due to strong materials and decent fit width-wise. Once I got going in the PUMA Legacy, I really had no worries about playing in them.
Overall
At $100 (depending on where you purchase) the PUMA Legacy is straight up solid all around. It’s not a knock your socks off sneaker, but one you can count on to get the job done without giving it much thought. If you are looking for a shoe you can just go out and ball with, and not feel any kind of rush to get out of afterwards, this might work for you, especially if your looking for some good court feel with not much in the way of tradeoff. It might not be one of my absolute best performers but it is surely reliable and one of my favorite pick ups this year, on or off court.
