World Balance Shot Maker Performance Review

The World Balance Shot Maker looks like a Nike LeBron James sneaker. There are elements from that famous line that World Balance decided to incorporate here. However, it didn’t perform like a LeBron shoe. You might be surprised by how these feel when you put them on. They’re solid, but I do have one gripe about the shoe. Keep reading to see what I liked and didn’t like about the Shot Maker.

Traction

This is one of the obvious elements that seems like a feature from a LeBron James shoe. The outsole’s design is reminiscent of the one found in the Nike LeBron Witness 3. That shoe had a cored-out section for full-length Air. The Shot Maker has no such technology, so this is more for design. Performance-wise, it did well enough. It was at least better than my experience with the World Balance Cager. What you’ll get is a durable outsole. The rubber itself isn’t extremely rigid, but there’s so much of it that it will take you a while to burn through it.

Cushion

We have a basic EVA midsole, much like the other offerings from World Balance. It was low-to-the-ground, which is great for guards, but bigger players may find them lackluster. If you value court feel and a little impact protection, and I mean minimal, these should do okay for you. Compression lines are apparent immediately after one use, so they will bottom out quicker than other foams from World Balance like Trampolite.

An issue I had here was the midsole somehow felt hollow. When doing the press test, the sole caves in a little bit. Not anything crazy like when you remove drop-ins from, say, the Nike Kobe 8, but still more than I expected.

Materials

Here’s another LeBron-esque element of the Shot Maker. The upper is mainly knit with thick sections, much like the Battleknit in the Nike LeBron 15. The heel area of the sneaker features cheap synthetic leather. On the eye stays, we have a thick plastic weld for added durability. Nothing is premium here, but I had no issues with them when it came to durability and lockdown. However, I do have to comment on craftsmanship. Some of the glue is visibly starting to wear off. This happened with my first pair of World Balance Scottie 1, which didn’t completely separate. I don’t expect this one to separate either, but it is something worth mentioning.

Fit

Fit is true to size. If you’ve read any other World Balance sneaker reviews here, you would know there are no half sizes from them. So if you are in between sizes, I recommend going down half a size. The knit will break in, and you’ll have a nice one-to-one fit. If you plan to try them in-store, make sure to bring your orthotics or other accessories. The TerraSoft insoles are easily removable because there’s no glue attaching it to the strobel.

Support

I was most worried about this aspect of the shoe when I got them in hand. The knit seemed too soft to begin with, and I couldn’t imagine breaking them in. However, I was proven wrong. There were no support issues whatsoever. During hard pivots and turnarounds, I never felt the shoe buckle or give in to the pressure. A lot of it has to do with my feet being cradled within the midsole. There’s also a standard heel counter reinforced by synthetic pieces.

World Balance Shot Maker Overall

The World Balance Shot Maker looks like a LeBron James shoe but doesn’t perform like it. And that’s not a bad thing for most people. LeBron’s shoes tend to be bulky and high off the ground. This one is the exact opposite. It’s lightweight, and you get a lot of court feel. My only gripe would be craftsmanship. World Balance could do a better job putting their shoes together, so consumers don’t get a mini heart attack trying to see if their shoe will last their next game.

You can check out more World Balance reviews here.

How to Buy the World Balance Shot Maker

The World Balance Shot Maker is available for $40 or Php2199 at World Balance.

Want to check out our reviews of more basketball shoes? See all of our Basketball Shoe reviews here.