Hit the jump for full written review & scores…
Traction – Looks can be deceiving and this holds true in this particular situation. Despite its smooth & flat surface, the Reebok Question offers some very good traction as long as the outsole is kept clean. It would be interesting to see how a solid rubber version would do on-court since some of the older Air Jordan models featured fairly similar surface areas and performed quite well on debris filled courts.
One thing I found strange was the peeling rubber. It is only featured in the high-wear areas (heel and ball of the foot) and did not hinder their performance but it makes one wonder how long this surface would last.
Overall, whatever you can throw at them they can handle… unless you aren’t consistent with wiping the bottom.
Cushion – Hexalite is featured at the heel (can’t feel anything at the forefoot so I will assume there isn’t anything but foam) and this feels great. It absorbs impact in the targeted impact zone while the foam midsole will offer much of the same yet on a broader scale.
The insole is the best feature – in my opinion – and best of all, you can remove it so this is an ideal insole for other sneakers once you wear through the Question. My original insole from years ago had been used in every single sneaker once my Questions fell apart… ended up wearing them to the point where there was no forefoot remaining.
Material – I love the materials used. It’s rare to find a performance shoe that still features a full grain leather upper which is why some people prefer to hoop in Retro models. While it’s great for me, others may not enjoy it so much as it does not retain its shape over time like a newer synthetic would. This is where personal preference will come into play; those who prefer synthetics can have synthetics while those who prefer leather, Foamposite or any other material you can think of can have that as an option as well.
Fit – These fit true to size length wise and offer a bit of width along the sides which isn’t noticeable until you lace them up completely. Periodic lace adjustments were pretty much required throughout games as the materials inability to retain its shape caused the fit to loosen up a bit.
Lockdown is a hit or miss. The forefoot is perfectly fine but the heel doesn’t quite get the job done. Over tightening of the laces helps but then you end up pitching a nerve which will bring some numbness to your foot… not something you wish to have happen while playing ball. If the top lace loop was placed lower and further back that may have helped with the heel fit but if you wear a brace that should take up any dead space you may run into and that will help you out a bit.
Ventilation – This is clearly not a strong suit for most 90’s sneakers. The thick mesh tongue is nicely padded (which I love) but it does come with some setbacks such as its lack of ventilation. Luckily not all is lost as they have perforated the inner lining so there is some place for heat to escape… it’s just not very significant.
Support – Most of the support comes from the overall fit along the upper which would be perfectly fine had the wonderful leather been able to retain its shape. In addition, the Hexalite pods featured along the midsole and the exaggerated humps cage your foot a bit keeping the foot stable at the base of the shoe. Unfortunately that isn’t quite enough since the stable base and unstable upper don’t really work hand-in-hand.
Overall – When searching for a performance shoe, your personal preferences come into play more than anything else. There are going to be obvious ‘good’ performers but everyone has their own likes, dislikes, needs and wants. This is my personal all-time favorite sneaker to hoop in and some may agree while many others may disagree. The scores below obviously do not reflect my personal opinions – as they shouldn’t – and there are many higher caliber performance models available on the market but these happen to suit me quite nicely.
awesome review nightwing i liked how you didn’t put your personally opinons in the performance review and thought of whats best for all b-ball players. Keep up the good work
Thanks, I do my best to provide everyone with accurate info.
Didn’t you find the length to be a bit longer? I wear a nine like you but in these, I found 8.5 to be perfect. All feet not the same I suppose. Thanks for the review.
Great review like always. What would you recommend for someone that plays the 3-4, a wide and flat foot, and has cushion as a main priority. Thanks
Another great review! That peeling rubber is weird though, I think that also happened to me with the “react” cushioning part on the pair of LJ Back Jam’s that I got on my freshman year in high school.
Nice review…as always…wish I could of cop a pair on release..but wasn’t so lucky…maybe next time
Great review nightwing, these sure bring back some memories – first shoes I used for competitve basketball as a junior. Most people including myself wanted the Jordan 12s and the first Adidas Kobes but they were pretty hard to get in a certain war-torn part of Eastern Europe at the time. I ended up getting these and I still remember them as probably the most comfortable sports shoe I ever had, even with today’s new materials and technology. Also, a question – which shoe or which type of outsole would you recommend for playing outdoors? This is not just in terms of outdoor grip & traction but also durability of the materials used for the outsole. Thanks.
would you wanna try the fila cages.
I JUST got my 2003 Rookie of the Year Pearlized Red Toe Questions in the mail today, and MAN I’m so glad I got them. I can’t decide if I want to play in them or just rock them. I have the Black/Silver Questions from 2009/2010, but the midsole and Hexalite are hard cheap retro versions, so to actually feel the Hexalite cassette again….words just can’t describe it.
The sole is no longer blue so that sucks, but everything else is basically nearly deadstock. ARGHH I don’t want to get these messed up, but I want to play in them so bad. The crazy thing is, I actually plan on just rocking these because the Black 2010 Questions actually aren’t that bad and are still extremely comfortable to play in with the 2000 Performance Sockliner with the shockpad and diamond forefoot. At the same time, I want to “feel” like Iverson lol and like I did in high school playing in these…
Thats really up to you. If they are playable then go for it but I understand not wanting to ruin them. Maybe look for a pair of the newer version for a decent price since its hard to find the older ones.
Yea…I’m lucky to be alive for getting these, so these are gonna have to be it for a while 🙁
Might try to sell some stuff to get the money if I can make enough 🙁
Does is it best for someone with wide/flat feet?
I have no clue why everyone thinks this shoe is great! I’ve never actually worn these shoes or even seen them in person, but I have enough information to know that they are defiantly suckish. If you want to see a real shoe then look no further than the dwayne wade iv. Any real shoe connoisseur would know this to be a fact.
I feel as anyone who played ball in the 90s loves these no matter how they perform. The bring back memories of the good old days. That they perform decent and look good Is a bonus.
Nice! I was actually gonna get one this week here in MY, playing guard 😀
Hi Nightwing, I bought the Reebok question Mid “Georgetown” colorway about 2 months ago. and when I started playing with the shoe, I actually got blister on my last toe (Both legs got the same issue, right below the toe nail).
I think the root of the problem might be the material at the toe area, which is not leather, but kind of synthetics rubber (I don’t know how to describe it, sorry). I thought with more playing time, the shoe will break in and the problem might be gone, but I have the same exact problem whenever I wore it to play.
May I ask what might cause this to happen? And if I am right about it, What can I do to solve this problem?
I am a fan of your reviews as well. Keep up the good work Nightwing!
Thank You:)
Might be the lack of ventilation. That coupled with the lack of lockdown so your toes might be rubbing against the tip of the shoe on certain moves.
I love theses shoes and agree they are the best shoes to play in but they are hard to find…what shoes are comparable i do have wide feet?
These feel extremely tight around my toes. Do I have to break them in or are they comfortable when you first slip them on?