Air Jordan 30 REVIEW | Now That Is A Basketball Shoe

The most anticipated basketball shoe of 2016 is here. If you’ve ever played in the Jordan XX9, you know how good of a shoe it was. The newest Air Jordan XXX was promised to be a further improved model, but let’s find out how it actually is.

We’ll take a look at the shoe’s tech, performance, comfort, materials and decide if it’s worth the price.


THE TECH

A fully unlocked ZOOM AIR unit is in the forefoot and another one in the heel. The forefoot is a lot more plush and soft, while the heel unit is more tough and sturdy. This is designed with guards in mind (but not only), because most of their footwork is made on their forefoot area.

FlightSpeed is used just like in the Jordan XX9, which is awesome by the way. It is a chassis in the midsole to fully unlock the potential of ZOOM AIR, make step transitions smoother and help evenly spread out the energy throughout the whole sole. It works pretty much as in the XX9, so no complaints at all.

FlyKnit is part of the shoe’s upper material. It’s a very light, soft and flexible material that is idead for guards who need speed and zero restrictions.

PERFORMANCE


FIT/COMFORT

Comfort was somewhat a mixed bag for people, but at the end of the day, the shoe feels solid. You have all that massive interior padding, the upper feels nice.

And a cool bonus that not a lot of shoes offer, the insole is textured. That means your foot will grip the insole, so there’s no possible chance of slipping. I didn’t feel that heel pain like lots of people did.

CUSHION

So like I mentioned, you have an unlocked ZOOM AIR unit in the forefoot. It truly works really really well. The soft and bouncy feel makes for an awesome ride. On top of that, impact protection seems to be on point too, so bigger players will definitely be able to play in these.

Then you have a standard unit in the heel for responsiveness. It’s not as bouncy as in the forefoot, but, like I said, it’s not meant to be since most of your hard movements are made on the forefoot. The setup is identical to the XX9, so I have no complaints here.

TRACTION

If I needed to describe the Jordan 30’s traction in one word, it would simply be right. It works and it works well, that’s that. No fanciness, just pure performance. They got you covered indoors (regardless of condition) and almost equally well outdoors (they are sensitive to dust though).

As you can see the pattern is not too dense and the grooves are pretty deep, so you’ll grip the floor no matter where you play. However, the pattern doesn’t look too strong so I think it won’t last too long outdoors.

SUPPORT

Support is the aspect that has been improved the most. Firstly, you got A LOT of soft interior padding, especially on the tongue and the heel. Jordan Brand calls that material “monofilament yarn”. I don’t care how is it called, but it’s pretty damn comfortable. Then you have a very nice and tight web lacing system, which is easy to adjust and works well.

Most of the support definitely comes from the shoe’s supportive and snug fit. Don’t freak out if the shoe feels small, just go true to size. It was made to be like this – tight, snug and supportive. Also, some people reported that they feel really weird because of the ankle padding. But again, don’t freak out as it goes away pretty much immediately once you start playing in them. You also have a TPU heel counter to prevent heel slippage.

Lots of people are complaining because the shoe has an extremely long and painful break-in period. That doesn’t seem to be the case for everyone, apparently.

MATERIALS

The upper is made out of woven mixed with Flyknit. That’s as good as it can get. Breathable, flexible, soft and not restrictive. Bigger guards will love this shoe. The toebox is made of TPU (which is a hard, durable plasticy material). The material setup isn’t that durable, so it’s not really an option outdoors, but it is awesome to play in.

FINAL VERDICT

So this shoe gets a lot of talk and controversy. I get that. Lots of people hate their fit, the break-in time. But this simply comes down to your foot’s shape. This is definitely not a shoe for wide footers, I give it that.

But you’re gonna have to try them out and decide. Cushioning is great for heavier players, traction is great, support is plenty and they have a premium material setup.

Try them out. See if you like them. If you don’t, then just stick with the XX9’s. I’m sure you’ll like those.

PROS

+ Great all-around performance
+ Suitable for any position

CONS

People are experiencing long break-in times
People are experiencing heel pain

I hope you found this review helpful, I can’t wait to hear what you think about the shoe.  You can’t beat getting out anywhere including at your home with a portable basketball hoop and shooting some hoop in your Air Jordans!