Nike LeBron XI (11) Performance Review

Hakuna… Matata…

Traction – The traction overall is very good. Not the best but its close. One thing is that I do feel the LeBron X has better overall traction and I wish that I could go back and change their traction score to a 9.5 so that it didn’t look like these two were on par with one another but… I can’t so I’ll just tell you here… I preferred the LeBron X’s traction over these BUT, these still offer very good traction. I only has minor slippage on floors that weren’t well maintained… floors that were moderately maintained and in pristine condition worked perfectly fine.

Cushion – As you know, I felt the cushion started off a bit mushy… as if there was too much cushion. I gave you the small tip to replace the midsole with that of the Kobe 8 if you didn’t want to deal with the break-in period. However, I can say that if you stick with the original midsole… they do break-in in time. It takes a long time but it does happen. The good news is that smaller players – such as myself – have this as an option. The better news is that larger players will be able to enjoy Lunarlon the way I do since this setup is built for a larger player overall while the Kobe 8 was built for a smaller player/ Guards. The addition of bottom loaded full length Zoom is amazing and it does exactly what its supposed to… absorbs most of the impact as soon as your foot strikes the floor.

To say that these are one of the best and most well balanced cushion sources Nike has ever used would be a pretty accurate way to assess the situation… if you are looking for the best then you’ve found it. It’ll just set you back $200.

Materials – I love the materials. Fuse is in place but its minimal – I like Fuse when done right but I never truly love it. The Foamposite on the other hand… I love Foamposite and to be more specific… I love when Nike uses Foamposite with Fuse to create Hyperposite. Its lighter, thinner and molds much faster than traditional Foamposite. On top of that, its built the way they look… like a tank… or the Tumbler to be more specific. If you do not know what the Tumbler is then you MUST leave this place we call Kicks On Court and watch Batman Begins. Go… right now…

Fit – They run true to size length wise. Width wise they are snug. This was intended so that you receive a perfect molded fit, however, if you have wide feet then you may want to go up 1/2 size… if your feet are just slightly wide then I wouldn’t worry about it but mostly if you have a wide forefoot then I’d consider it if you are unable to try the shoe on.

Lockdown from the midfoot to the forefoot is perfect in every way. The left shoe’s heel give me some problems the first few nights but after the Lunarlon and Hyperposite began to mold then everything fell into place beautifully. They remind me of the Nike Air Max Hyperposite but much easier for Guards to wear. This shoe is like fine wine (so I’ve heard… I don’t actually drink & the one time I tried wine I thought it tasted like liquefied ass), it gets better with age.

Ventilation – The air flow is decent. Nothing spectacular but there is a reason behind it. Foamposite needs heat and moisture in order for it to mold to your foots specific shape. If the ventilation was awesome then your experience wouldn’t be as they’d be uncomfortable to wear and take forever to break-in. The score is what it is but hopefully you understand that the materials used require ventilation to be minimal.

Support – The support is abundant – as it should be being that this shoe needs to be able to support a 6’8″ 250 pound monster. However, the support isn’t so abundant that you lose range of motion or flexibility. They’ve finally figured out how to implement tons of support while still allowing you to move freely… without being a 6’8″ 250 pound freak of nature. That in itself… is awesome.

Overall – Given time, the LeBron XI becomes one with your foot while providing you with a ton of cushion, perfect fit and lots of support. You’ll receive all of this and you can be a 5’7″ white guy, play your style & you wont feel like you have bricks laced onto your feet. This is the best LeBron so far. Its the most technologically advanced, they look amazing aesthetically (personal opinion of course) and they perform in ways Guards and Forwards/ Centers alike can enjoy.

This, to me, is like the Air Jordan XX8 & Under Armour Anatomix Spawn… how the hell are they going to top this next year?!?