Nike KD 9 REVIEW: My Take on Tech & Performance

Welcome to my Nike KD 9 review! This is a very anticipated shoe that promises performance and premium materials & tech at an affordable price. Well, let’s find out if that’s true.

I’ll talk about the shoe’s tech specs, performance, comfort, materials and decide it it’s worth the price. Let’s start the Nike KD 9 review!

SPEC SHEET

WEIGHT: 341.3 g. / 12.04 oz

TYPE: LOW TOP

TECH: ZOOM AIR, FLYKNIT

FIT: TRUE TO SIZE

COLORWAYS: 4+

MY RATING: 8/10

THE TECH

ZOOM AIR

The shoe’s cushion setup, and it’s definitely REALLY good. Better than what most 2016’s shoes have to offer. It’s an articulated setup, meaning that it’s full-length, but the forefoot unit is seperated from the rest.

FLYKNIT

The shoe’s upper that excels in lightness, mobility, ventilation and comfort.

FIT

EXTREMELY NARROW, A BIT LONG

One of the most comfortable shoes, period. There isn’t a lot of padding, but Flyknit feels exceptionally well. This is an example of a perfect, pure Flyknit setup that works super well, for those who like it of course.

However, the construction of the shoe is REALLY f**king narrow and pretty long. Right off the bat, this is NOT an option for wide footers. Narrow footers will like these the most. If you have a normal, regular shaped foot, I suggest going either true to size for a very tight fit or half a size down for a little more comfortable fit. Still, even if you go half a size down for that contained fit, they still feel a bit long and might be way too snug at the midfoot section for regular footers.

This is a KD shoe and his kicks are more for narrow footers, so keep that in mind before buying.

Some people experienced a weird fit and even some slippage. If you’re one of those people, I suggest to keep playing and Flyknit will eventually mold to your foot’s shape. This is definitely nothing new.

PERFORMANCE

CUSHION

A full-length ZOOM AIR and seperated forefoot setup. There’s only one thing to say. AMAZING. Seriously, I thought nothing could beat the D Rose 6’s cushion, but I could be wrong now.

This is how you should balance the shoe’s cushion. Soft and bouncy, responsive, stable, has impact protection and doesn’t compromise mobility. Holy sh*t! I mean if you really want to find out how a great cushion setup feels like, just pick the KD 9 up.

TRACTION

The traction on these is great – grips the floor really nicely and I had zero slippage issues. You will need to wipe from time to time, but the shoe does its job on clean/avergae courts. Judging from the pattern, it doesn’t look terribly dense, so it might just do fine on dusty courts.

BUT, the rubber compound is very weak, so going outdoors with the KD 9 is not an option.

SUPPORT

They don’t have FLYWIRE, but there are still cables holding the upper for lockdown. It helps, but support mostly comes from the proper fit. This is definitely not a setup for big players who need lots of support/lockdown.

Flyknit is a very loose and stretchy material and since there are no dedicated tech for support, guards will most likely enjoy these the most. Lots of mobility and no restrictions.

UPPER

KNIT AT ITS FINEST

Now if you like soft uppers (knit, woven, mesh), then this is THE #1 PICK. The upper is pure Flyknit with no extra Fuse or glue for backup. Top-notch comfort and ventilation.

One of the few TRUE Flyknit uppers out now. A soft upper hoop shoe with zero components to back it up or make it feel plasticky is rare these days. The KD 9 is exactly that.

The amount of freedom you get with these is crazy. You put them on and if you really got the sizing right, these should feel soooo good.

Obviously, this is not a durable upper and don’t even try to take these outdoors. If you stay inside though, they should hold up for some time.

FINAL VERDICT

BEST FOR ANY SMALLER POSITION WHO NEEDS LOTS OF CUSHION

So the KD 9 is quite a damn shoe. Finally something fresh, comfy and performance-friendly at a solid price. That’s not Nike’s strong point, but I think they killed it this time.

Definitely a secure, confident but super tight fit, INCREDIBLE cushioning, great traction, minimal support and an amazing upper.

If you can manage to find the right sizing for this weird fitting shoe, then this will be gold for you.

Any kind of guard or even a lighter small forward will definitely appreciate this shoe. Pick it up, you won’t regret it.