Nike Zoom Ascention Performance Review

When images first released of the Nike Zoom Ascention, we at WearTesters got a little excited. Not that kind of excited, shoehead excited. What appeared to be a knit upper was coupled with the name “Zoom,” and traction looked beast, so all of that should add up to a performer. Knowing retail was $90, we didn’t expect too much from the Zoom, but wow, this is amazing…in a completely different way.

TRACTION – By far, BY FAR, the best part of the shoe. The traction is sticky and deep and the rubber is not completely mush, so outdoors is a definite possibility. These were tested on four different courts and as you can see, there is no dust on them at all (this pair came straight from the dirty 24 court). The herringbone has flat edges so no windshield wiper effect, but the grooves are spaced enough to push dust right out. Serious ground was stuck to in the last three weeks. No worries here. 

CUSHION – This category could have been skipped completely. Left blank, just like Swoosh did to us. The Nike Zoom Ascention makes reviewing a short-term prospect. It says Zoom right there on the midsole, the forefoot SUPPOSEDLY has a rectangle Zoom unit, but be damned if it was felt. The heel is Phylon, and thin at that. Every landing was felt, every step was like barefoot. If you value low ride and court feel, the Ascension is an option. If you need impact protection of ANY KIND, don’t even read any further. Killed this review right here, but we will go on…

MATERIALS – Okay, the materials aren’t completely bad, but compared to what the initial images looked like, well, yeah. The upper is completely mesh with foam underlays, sort of Super.Fly 4-ish, but not as stiff and more like a runner. The stitching you see on the side panels is just useless stitching made to look semi-FlyKnit/Wire-ish. Absotutely useless from a performance standpoint. The laceloops are one cord running under the side panels, sort of like a stiff bungee. Bad part: if it breaks, the whole cord comes out and your shoe is DUN.

The Nike Zoom Ascention is super comfortable, except for the Achilles area — that was a chafing habit formed right on my foot. The rest of the shoe was flexible and soft and felt great on foot. Just on foot, the rest of that story is coming later. The heel area has some thicker foam around the ankle but that is it — no heel counter ANYWHERE. The tongue is straight off of the 2010 Hyperfuse with the rubber/plastic upper portion that bites right into your ankle. So far, so good, huh?

FIT – Really, through the forefoot and midfoot, the fit isn’t bad. The mesh forms around foot and laces up fairly securely, so not much empty space in these areas. The length is a true size and wide-footers can fit very easily as well. The midfoot is more of the same: it’s locked down and feels really good on foot.

There is some heel slip that never went away, mostly because of the lack of a heel counter to hold the foot in. Heel counters aren’t always needed but when the rest of the upper is Charmin soft there has to be something to hold the foot in and down. The slip isn’t “come out of your shoes” bad, but it was noticeable, especially when just running up and down the court. Coupled with the Achilles area being stiff around the collar and there is the recipe for all of those blisters mentioned earlier. 

SUPPORT – It says support, but for the purpose of this review, we will talk support and stability, since the upper is so soft that support is almost an afterthought. There is no visible midfoot shank; the rubber in that area is hard and stiff (yeah, I said it) and there are no cutouts to show anything. The ankle area is too soft to lock in anything or provide any kind of bracing effect.

This brings us to the stability. Plain and simple, coupled with the traction, the stability makes the Ascension a rolled ankle waiting to happen (it did). The traction is great but the containment is not. When the shoe stops, the foot keeps going — happens in every shoe, hence the straps, laces, wrapped midsoles, TPU overlays — all designed to keep your foot over the footbed. The Ascension has NONE of these; it’s just a soft mesh upper to hold your foot in, and it DOESN’T. There is an outrigger, but again, when the foot rolls, if the shoe isn’t designed to hold, it doesn’t matter how big the outrigger is. Three from downtown…AIRBALL!!!!  

OVERALL – By now, my overall opinion of this shoe should be obvious. Being fully aware that not every baller can afford the absolute high-end of the spectrum there have to be shoes out there for kids and weekend warriors as well.

The Nike Zoom Ascention is SO FAR behind other shoes in this general price range that it CANNOT be recommended. At $90, you could buy the Rev 16, almost the D. Lillard 2, numerous Under Armour offerings (Fireshot, Clutchfit Drive 2), or even the Nike Hyperlive (very underrated). Only look at the Ascension if you don’t value cushioning or stability. If you like the colors or looks, then just be safe and wear your seat belt — rolls may occur.