We’ve seen a detailed look at the upcoming Nike Kobe X in the All-Star colorway, and today we take a look at today’s release – the Blue Lagoon aka 5a.m. Flight.
I personally like the way this version of the shoe looks best, without that heel tab, and the colorway is clean as well. You can grab the shoe now on NIKEiD too if you wanted to customize a pair instead of going with the tonal thing that all the GR versions seem to be going with. Their performance review will be taken care of soon, just wanted to play in this pair just to see if there were any differences between the two.
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section and stay tuned for updates.
This colorway definitely looks better to me than the asg.
Thinner lunarlon than the Kobe 9s, probably not good for the heel drop of the shoe. I know some people like low profile feel in the forefoot, but if it makes the heel stack higher than its not worth it imo. I’d rather have a thicker forefoot that its still firm enough and stable enough and not affect the heel drop in a shoe. Its not because like more forefoot cushioning I just want the heel height to feel similar or equal to the forefoot height regardless of how cushioned the shoe is. A thin forefoot and a higher heel is not good for forefoot heavy players.
You can actually see the lunar and zoom midsole and the drop is hardly even noticeable. We’re talking a couple millimeters… not significant at all IMO. Esp compared to some runners.
Few mm matters to some people. For runners though. Didnt know it matters much for bball shoes. But a 0mm, 4mm, 7mm, and 12mm drops do really matter and easily felt especially if someone’s a runner. 0 and 4mm might be a small difference but it still matters to others. It can cause achilles tear when its used to be shorter with the high drop then suddenly go to a low drop shoe. But the other way around shouldnt be that dangerous.
Heel drop matters in basketball or any sport whether people care about it or not. Historically basketball shoes where are about having good stability and had very little cushioning, they didn’t really have a “heel drop” so that also meant they didn’t really have the great heel cushioning. Too much cushioning would not be stable enough. Nowadays its about trying having as much cushioning as humanly possible and that’s when the heel of many shoes have become higher and higher and while still being stable when heel striking. In basketball not everyone heel strikes when they run, but when they do heel strike, modern shoes have a good balance of good cushioning and stability. But in forefoot heavy players, a higher heel drop has a negative impact on stability no matter how small the heel drop is.
I am an dedicated athlete and runner and I like to run and play sports in all types of shoes, and having a heel lift of any size affects my performance. As long as the heel has decent cushioning I would rather not have a heel lift in a sports shoe. And with the technology we have today, its is totally feasible to make a bball shoe or sports shoe with decent cushioning in the heel without having a heel drop so I don’t think its too much too ask. And if it isn’t then give me a shoe with terrible heel cushioning that is the same height as the forefoot just. Also I think more sports shoes should have information on the heel and forefoot stack heights like most running shoes.
Not every shoe has perfect cushioning in the heel and forefoot, we all know that, especially on this site with all the shoes reviewed in the past. But if they were zero drop at least you would get all the benefits low or zero drop has to offer which is a feature players had in the past. And before anyone tells me why I don’t ball in an old basketball shoe, I will just say this. I would gladly do so, but you’ll have to play me while wearing them too 😉 level playing field lol.
Very interesting points. Thanks.
Heel drop is something that some people can really notice in any kind of shoe. I think its really interesting that you said the Lunar and the Zoom may actually be very similar in height and that is might better than some runners. It there anyway you can find out what the stack height of the heel and the forefoot is on these? I would really appreciate man. Thanks for all the info, great work always Nightwing!
NW, I tried these on today and I totally agree with you… a definite downgrade as far as materials were concerned, though they are pretty comfortable. What do you think Nike might have been aiming for with this model? Lighter weight?
It’s called milking-sales-before-retirement
They should’ve made these the 9’s and made the 9’s the 10’s for milestone reasons.
The Kobe 9 Elite High are just too classic and the design was just too ground-breaking. Even Tinker complimented Avar about them.
these just look wack, reviews here in hong kong are talking about how the traction grinds down FAST even when you’re just using them for indoor runs, after two excellent shoes in the 8 and 9 why would they go and mess around with something like this? at the very least the upper material should be forward-looking, i mean, i like my kyrie 1s but they are a MUCH cheaper shoe…
I will be most interested in what the verdict is on the traction. Even then I might still wait for the Elite/Flyknit version.
Tonight I laced up the Kobe 9 Elites and that traction is freaking amazing every time! I guarded an explosive guy who has some pretty good moves and he just could not shake me on defense. I know that it’s me, but my feet stayed planted when they probably could’ve gave out on me at times with such sharp cutoff movements.
Dime with that LOCKDOWN D!
I find the comments about Kobe Bryant’s recent Nike shoes, in comparison to this shoe the new X, to be a bit overstated. None of those shoes were very durable, none of those shoes were fitting for every player, as they lacked support in many areas that is needed for an explosive and power oriented player. Knowing this, it seems as if Nike has gone in a totally different direction in this shoe, the X, most probably due to Kobe’s own need for extra support, due to the most injurious past three years. I picked up the shoes yesterday, felt them, flexed them, and yeah, they are a better built shoe than what Nike has done for Kobe in the last three years. However, since I simply cannot stand Kobe Bryant, and I refuse to purchase any product that bears his name. I’d rather buy the XI’s lows, or even the XIII lows that are coming out from Jordan Brand, as they are of even better quality, and more suitable for more positions than the Kobe X could ever be, at an even slightly lesser price.
What you’re saying right now is absolutely absurd
I got a pair and after playing for like 1/2 an hour I felt like they are not stiff. Nut yeah at first it was crazy stiff. Also I like these more than my 9s and 8s because of the cushion. I actully enjoyed the Lunar and Zoom. However I only tested for 1/2 an hour and NW is a better reviewer than me so trust him. I am 5’9 and 113 lbss and 15 years old
Do they fit true to size?
Hey thanks for the detailed look, always appreciate your input. I went and tried some of these on in a Foot Locker and Kobes always seem to fit my foot perfectly, but i haven’t gotten a pair yet. Neither the blue lagoon or the all star colorway grab me enough to drop the $180+.
My feelings exact. Looks like a solid, low top basketball shoe. However, if Kyrie’s shoe (which a lot of the upper is exactly like the Kobe X) is $110, I just don’t see where the extra $70 is coming from. Zoom in the heel is great, but not $70 extra for retail great.