Under Armour Spawn 4 Performance Review

Back when I played in an organized league before I knew much about performance features in footwear, I would always buy two shoes every season: one budget model to destroy in practices, and one flagship-style model to use in games. I always loved when the budget model outperformed the flagship model. When I first tried on the Under Armour Spawn 4, my first thought was, “this feels like one of those shoes”.

The Under Armour Spawn 4 appears in the Best Budget Basketball Shoes and Best Under Armour Basketball Shoes.

The Spawn 4 is such a guard-specific shoe, that I found myself trying to be more shifty and explosive on the court when I played in them. I felt more nimble and elusive while playing with the Under Armour Spawn 4, which I have to say, I enjoyed.

And, because they had that budget or team feel to them, I had no remorse in being rough with them.

I should also mention that Under Armour changed very little from the previous model, the Under Armour Spawn 3. Same cushion setup, same Anatomix construction, same traction pattern. So if you liked that shoe, you will enjoy these.

Under Armour Spawn 4 Traction

The Under Armour Spawn 4 features a radial traction pattern, in two different shapes. Most of the sole features a square wave pattern, but there are several targeted points that feature an X-shaped, black, and grey, traction pattern. The traction worked very well both indoors and outdoors with no slippage nor dust build-up.

One thing to take into consideration is that the rubber compound of the sole is on the soft side. I wore the Under Armour Spawn 4 sparingly outdoors, and I can already see some wear. It’s not the softest rubber I have ever experienced but it’s definitely not the most durable either.

Under Armour Spawn 4 Cushion

The cushion was my favorite part of the Under Armour Spawn 4. The shoe features full-length Micro G cushioning, which is great.

The foam took some time to break in. It started off stiffer, but the longer I played with them, the foam became softer and softer.

The Micro G is shaped like a wedge which might take some getting used to. The setup is thicker in the heel, which is also rounded, similar to the Giannis Immortality. This build is obviously meant to assist players to step into their shot. The thicker foam absorbs the impact of your heel strike and then its rounded shape rocks you into your jump. You do feel slightly tilted forwards when wearing them. It isn’t an issue but it is a peculiarity.

Under Armour Spawn 4 Materials

The shoe’s materials are, at best, basic. Others might call them cheap. And they are one of the main differences you will find between the Spawn 3 and the Spawn 4.

The upper consists of a flexible nylon woven mesh, with some fuse portions, placed in high wear areas. The heel features a more substantial woven material for extra support and containment.

On the bright side, it takes no time to break-in, it keeps the shoe lightweight and agile, and ventilation is on point. Also, the flexible fabric doesn’t affect containment. I’m 6’3″ and 230 lbs, and used these guys during league play and had zero containment issues. So, take that for what it’s worth.

One detail I did like was the metal eyelets towards the top. I tie my laces tight and usually cut right through mesh lacing systems.

Under Armour Spawn 4 Fit

Ok, for me this was the worst part of the shoe by far. I ordered my Under Armour Spawn 4s in my usual size 12, and I am certain I could have easily gone down half a size. There is significant dead space in the toe area, and they felt very loose.

Also, the lacing system features 2 lace cables on either side of the shoe, that help maintain your foot on the footbed. On my right shoe, I had no issues, on my left, however, it cramped my foot significantly the first time I played in them. Again, I like my laces tight, so what I ended up having to do was lace the shoe very tight everywhere except on those two cables, and that helped a lot.

The Under Armour Spawn 4 maintains the “anatomix” construction we’ve seen in previous Spawn models which is supposed to conform anatomically to your foot. It might just be my foot shape but, I just wasn’t feeling the fit.

Under Armour Spawn 4 Support

The shoe has no remarkable support features, which in a way makes the shoe’s support somewhat remarkable. There is no shank plate, which keeps the shoe feeling agile and fluid. You can almost fold these guys in half like a barefoot shoe.

The shoe is rather wide in the forefoot, which gives you come extra stability, but there is no outrigger, and the midsole is rounded on either side.

On top of that, the shoe is also very low cut and has a very basic heel counter. But, surprisingly, everything worked well together, and I had no issues and no feelings of instability.

Under Armour Spawn 4 Overall

All in all, I enjoyed the Under Armour Spawn 4. Is it the best shoe I’ve ever worn? No. But, the Under Armour Spawn 4 has that generic team shoe feel that I love. I feel like I can go all out while wearing them and I feel no remorse in scuffing them or wearing down their traction. And, they perform well enough that I didn’t feel like I was missing out by not wearing some of my better performing and more expensive shoes.

And, I do have to say that when a shoe gets me feeling a certain way, that always gets an extra point in my book. The Under Armour Spawn 4 had me wanting to bring up the ball on offense and lockdown my guy on defense.