Don’t Call It a Comeback –
This was an easy category last year. Under Armour won, but only because 2012 was a freaking disaster for them. 2013 was much better, and the ClutchFit was easily a top shoe this year, so no repeat. So who did the Phoenix rise this year? Not a company, but a particular shoe – the Lebron XII. Personally, I liked the XI, but it was a chunky, clunky mess for most, even the King himself. when a signature athlete refuses to wear his own shoe, that ain’t a good look. So far, so good with the XII.
Retro of the Year –
This is a definite repeat. If you haven’t checked out Reebok retros at all, you are missing out. For whatever you think of their performance series (and lately, that isn’t much), they stay on top of their heritage. Take away the saturation of non-OG colorways and you have the original Blast (one of the all-time favorite designs of mine), the Blacktop Pumps, the original Pumps in the black and white colorways, and a slew of original runners and tennis sneaks. All with great production (a few pumps have been faulty) and materials better than most. Now, if they could just do something about Zig…
I will give a second place finish here to Jordan brand for finally giving us the Concord XI in the lowtop Parade edition, the VI black/infrared, and for the news of the “remastered” series.
Fall Off of the Year – Got two options here. One is a shoe that has been around for 4 years, was groundbreaking when it released in 2011, and was supposed to start a revolution with the 2014 edition. The other is on a third edition, dangles quality and materials like a Ribeye in front of us, then pulls it back and makes it hurt. I’ll go with – both – the adidas Crazy Light Boost and the Li Ning Wade 3.0. The Crazy Light promised much and wasn’t quite good enough, although I do still wear them if I am feeling lucky. The Wade 3.0 is all sizzle, but how the h#!! D.Wade wears them I have no idea.
Before we get to the list, I want to add that there were some GREAT shoes this year. I only did a top 5, but other shoes I enjoyed the most this year were the Peak TP9, the Kobe 9 (I just can’t play in Lunar – added in a Lebron IV Zoom insole), the Lebron XII, Melo M10, CP3.VIII, and the Under Armour Spawn Low. They were all good shoes, just not good enough for my list.
Finally, my Top 5 Picks of the Year… (drum roll)…
C’Mon man never start a list with #1,lol other wise nice list
When did I do that?
I think he’s sarcastically saying the Hyperrev is #1 in his book
Ahhhh – makes sense and is kind of amusing. I thought he got the “most fun” and the real list mixed. My fault.
Great job buddy!
Very nice list and POV.
at frst i was confused if it was nightwing… but u write differently, a diffrent attitude than nw definitely. i like ur writing style man, very direct and yet cool at the same time. kudos
Duke, just wondering – did you try out the KD7 this year?
I did – and as soon as I postwd this I realized I left it off of my “other favorites”. Honestly, it would have been 6 or 7 in a top ten.
Thanks.
One more question for ya – considering both 2013 and 201 picks without any division by year, how would position your top shoes from 2013 amongst this year’s top picks – Specifically, the UA Spawn Anatomix and Jordan XX8?
XX8 first, then XX9, then CF, then Spawn, then Rose 4, then BB.
2014*
Great work!
Very nice article
I d put clutch fit drive over every other shoe … Have u seen curry lately 😉
I feel like the woven upper on the XX9 feels really good fresh out when you first try them. But for some reason I don’t like it as much after the initial attraction. Clutchfit definitely feels great, both on the cushion and upper. But nothing beats leather that’s broken in. I wish Adidas put out a model with boost and premium leather or UA with micro G and premium leather. I’d easily pay the price Nike puts up with substandard materials. Was hoping the wow 3 would perform great, so I was severely disappointed when I saw how badly it performed.
Last leather I got from UA was the Bloodline and I loved that shoe. Traction could have been better but on a clean indoor court it was solid.
Snatch up the Melo 11 Christmas, there are still people sleeping on them. My pair is arriving on Wednesday!
Already did 🙂 coming in on Tuesday. And I was one of those guys complaining about heel zoom and knee pain and other ailments. But I’m not afraid to admit it was a coincidence. My hip problems coming to a full circle and it’s affecting my legs and knees. It just so happened to flare up when I started playing in my XX9. I do still feel better playing in micro G, but any other cushion setup and I need to stretch extra well before I play. Boost would’ve been good except that forefoot cushion is extremely lacking.
Def get where you’re coming from for the CL Boost…could’ve been, would’ve been.
Great read, Duke 🙂
Lunarlon doesn’t work for me either. Is it better than MicroG? I hope so. UA and Curry are having a great year so far. Hopefully they can expand their roster. I’d love to see them get Nate Robinson.
IMO, Micro G is 5 steps up on Lunar.
Thanks for the info. Keep up the good work.
Great list Duke. Glad you’re still doing this.
I keep getting tempted to by the Clutch Drives because you and everyone else rave about them. I keep passing because I hate the high cut on them. I’m really excited about the Curry 1s because the cut looks right and the tech sounds great. Hopefully they’ll be better than the Drives and I can just scoop up multiples pairs of them instead…
Hey Duke,always great reviews, u really help us. I ordered the UA’s Clutchfit Drive but I am worried about blisters.I found it really hard to choose between these and the XX9s. I know that ventilation is better in the 29’s.I just wanted to ask: as far as cushion, which one of those 2 would u prefer?What is better on the feel, responsiveness and impacts, micro g or the zoom setup of the 29’s?Considering the price too,is it worth it to give 100 dollars more for the ventilation if the cushion is similar?
Tough one. I would take either cushioning and I think if you switched the midsoles on the shoes you would get the same performance from each. Really, the XX9 and CF should be 1 and 1A. They are that close. So – to pin me down – Micro G and woven upper.
So you’d prefer the rose 4 over 5? Which would you choose as the best shoe with zoom air from 2013? And how much do you weight?
Out of the box, no adjustments with the insole, I thought the 4 was better.
Best Zoom of 2013? Tough – probably Lebron X. I 2014? Hyperrev. Unlocked? Different category and the XX8 takes it.
And last question – I am 5’10” weigh 200-205 with 9-11% body fat.
That is crazy.
Thanks for the info. And good job on providing your own opinions regarding shoes. I’m from Malaysia and I manage to cop the UA anatomic spawn after seeing the reviews from nightwing. Now I’m thinking of getting a pair of brandblack j crossover and a pair of rose 4s. Keep up the good work Duke!
Hey duke solid list. I got the university red kobe 9s for Christmas, first lunar basketball shoe, I love the traction but I wish I could make them a little more springy like zoom which is what I’m familiar playing in (jordan xii, Lebron 10 , soldier 6). Is there any insole I can place on top of the lunar midsole that would help? I don’t want to buy a pair of bron 11s just for the lunar/zoom sole. Thanks
Not that I have seen. I have the Jordan 2012 sets and the Lebron 4 and 11 sets, but as far as aftermarket you are stuck.
Are you talking about the soldier 4s? Maybe I can buy a cheap pair off ebay and steal those insoles.
Lebron 4 – the first foam posite one.
Duke, ignoring the fact that you had to swap insoles on the Rose 5 all together. Where do they rank in the top 5? also, which color did you review? It looks like the black away upper is not as stiff as the red ones.
if I had stayed with the stock insoles they would have dropped to probably 8 range. They really missed with that thin stock insole, even in the Wall and CL Boost. And I got the Brenda’s, or L Trains. Review was done on my old site. If I was buying, I would get the Chi Ice or Christmas for the materials.
Oops sorry, I meant if you still swapped the insoles but ignored the fact you had to do that (pretend they came stock with better insoles), how would they rank? First, second, third? You mentioned they would be ranked higher if it wasn’t for that.
Sorry. You know, they might have been third above BB, but they wouldn’t have been one or two.
Hey Duke,
have the Hyperrev 2015 already reached you?
I’m pretty unsure bout the traction and want to hear some thoughts about it.
Keep up the good work.
Should be here Thursday. Got the black PG coming.
Great list, I would’ve probably switched the ClutchFit Drive, and XX9.
Personally I had a major surprise in retro’s when I tried the Mutombo 2, with some added cushioning(I added a SofSole Air for a DMX-air type feel) they’re absolute beasts on the court(think a more robust Melo m9, so especially good for bigger guys).
Hey Duke, you mentioned you swapped the LeBron 4 insole into Kobe 9s. Do you own Kobe 8s? If so, can you share how the LeBron 4 insoles fit with them? Thanks
Sorry – just saw this. The Lebron 4 insoles fit perfect in the 8’s also.
Hey, awesome list Duke:) I’m a small guard and want to pick up some new kicks since all the ones released in twenty fourteen r on sale. So what’s the best shoe for a guard that’s on Sale right now? KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
Clutchfit Drive on Finishline.com is under $100. Best shoe for the price anywhere.