adidas Dame 3 REVIEW: Can It Beat the Awesome Lillard 2?

Looks like we got drastic changes from the last Lillard shoe on the outside. The D Lillard 2.0 was an amazing deal for every player out there and I have high expectations for the third one. So after really taking my time with this one, here’s my adidas Dame 3 review.

I’ll talk about the shoe’s tech specs, performance, comfort, materials and decide it it’s worth the price. Let’s start the adidas Dame 3 review!

THE TECH


BOUNCE

We got the exact same setup, full-length BOUNCE foam that’s awesome. It’s affordable and it’s well-balanced.

FUSEDMESH

That’s how adidas calls the shoe’s upper. It’s an interesting mix with strategically reinforced areas to make for one awesome experience on foot. More on that later.

 

FIT


 AWESOME, BUT GO HALF A SIZE DOWN

So the shoe is really f**king comfortable because of that great upper, confident lockdown & containment and just generally how your foot feels inside the shoe.

I would say go down half a size just I said in the Lillard 2.0 review. They fit a bit long but as long as you go down, the fit itself is awesome and didn’t bring up any problems.

The construction doesn’t look narrow at all and the upper is flexible, so I would say wide footers should definitely try these out by going true to size.

PERFORMANCE


CUSHION

BOUNCE feels just like on the last D Lillard – awesome. The key feature is its superb balance that not many cushions offer. It’s bouncy and offers plenty of impact protection but doesn’t compromise response and still gives you some court feel in the forefoot area.

It’s a sick cushion setup that feels almost as good as BOOST in my opinion. Most players could try these out because of their versatility and balance.

TRACTION

So we got the “blade” traction pattern that looks extremely aggressive and dense. But it performs really and I mean REALLY well. It does look dense and even smaller than the Lillard 2.0 but it’s not as sensitive to dust. Grips the floor perfectly no matter the movement, it will work just fine on dusty courts with some wiping here and there.

It’s not continental rubber anymore BUT I still think the rubber looks fairly strong. Lillard’s shoes have that “street” theme to it so I think you should try playing in them outdoors.

SUPPORT

Once again, absolutely great. All the features you’d need are implemented well, great lockdown & containment and a sturdy upper.

We have a rubber cage on the sides, an internal heel counter, a midfoot shank, a small outrigger and a wide base. Plus, that customizable lacing system will make sure to accommodate you exactly how you want. Superb support on the Dame 3.

 

UPPER


MESH & TPU BLEND – IT’S GREAT

The upper is what they call FUSEDMESH and it’s exactly that – mesh coated with TPU. In result, you get a comfortable, flexible, breathable, supportive AND a durable setup. It doesn’t sound premium on paper at all.

But damn, it feels and plays great. Seriously, you don’t always need Primeknit to call a shoe premium.

 

FINAL VERDICT


The adidas DAME 3 is an amazing shoe that slightly improved in almost all areas from the Lillard 2.0. What more could you want.

Comfortable, balanced cushion, great traction, killer support and a great upper.

Any guard or even forward will definitely find these to be awesome. $115 is a joke compared to today’s competition.

+ A SUPERB, WELL-BALANCED CUSHION SETUP
+ GREAT TRACTION, NOT SENSITIVE TO DUST
+ KILLER SUPPORT WITH ALL THE FEATURES NEEDED
 NO CONTINENTAL RUBBER, SO THE TRACTION WON’T BE AS DURABLE

Okay, that’s it for the review! I hope you found it useful!

There are very few shoes with a 9.5 or a 10 rating for me. Another one of them is the Crazy Explosive Low Primeknit. You MUST check that one out!

Check out the latest Dame 4!