Street Test: Basketball Shoes

Street Cents got high school students to test out the hottest new models of basketball shoes to see which perform best on the court. We tested the T-Mac 5, Zoom LeBron III, and Answer IX shoes for style, comfort, support, and weight and had our ballers weigh in on which one ruled the court.

The Products

Nike Zoom LeBron III - $189.95

LeBron hasn’t been in the NBA for that long, but this is his third shoe. The new design features:

• Leather support tabs that offer lateral stability when making hard cuts.
• Large-volume, visible Zoom Air units in the heel and forefoot that provide impact protection and responsiveness during lift-off and landing.
• Carbon fiber spring plate that increases responsiveness.
• Great traction for grip when manning up on defense.
• An outsole designed for better flex and transition for a better range of motion.
• Sphere technology in the collar to offer comfort and help manage moisture.

Reebok Answer IX - $199

Three shoes sounds impressive LeBron, but this is Iverson’s tenth shoe! The new design features:

• The same Pump 2.0 technology used in The Pump 2.0 Run.
• There is an auto/off smart valve that allows The Pump 2.0 system to be turned to auto (inflates automatically with the athlete’s stride) or off.
• In the auto mode, The Pump 2.0 chamber automatically inflates after a few strides to provide an automatic custom fit for on-court performance. A large volume Pump actuator is located inside the heel of the shoe. After approximately five steps, the Pump actuator is compressed, causing the shoe to automatically inflate. The shoe is supposed to pump up until the air chamber is inflated enough to form a custom fit around the foot.
• When set to the off mode, the chamber relaxes to provide a more casual off-court feel.

adidas T-Mac 5 - $190

This is also Tracy McGrady’s third shoe. The new design features:

• An ethylene vinyl acetate internal midsole with a thermal plastic urethane heel chassis and a customized molded polyurethane sock liner.
• adiPRENE and adiPRENE+ inserts. Exclusive to adidas, adiPRENE and adiPRENE+ are cushioning materials that respond to the different needs of the heel and forefoot. adiPRENE absorbs impact in the heel, providing superior cushioning and protection. In the forefoot, adiPRENE+ enhances performance by providing propulsion and resiliency at toe-off, and better dynamic movement.
• An inclusion of real wood in the shoe, a piece of the court to represent McGrady‘s passion for the game.

The Test

Reporter Eli pulled a few of his baller friends to test out the latest in footwear. They all play for Halifax West High School and know the ins and outs of what makes a good shoe.

They wore the three shoes for about three weeks and here’s what they had to say.

The Testers’ Comments

Reebok Answer IX

• "The support was pretty good. It was right up around your ankle so you had lots of support for your foot."
• "When it tightens, it tightens all around your foot, so I thought it was good."
• "There’s no laces!"
• "I found it molded to my foot."
• "It was too narrow for my foot at the front."
• "They are so ugly!"

adidas T-Mac 5

• "I thought the support was good except for the hard piece in the heel."
• "I like the support of the lacing and strap across the middle."
• "When I was running, I could fell my foot hitting the plastic and it hurt."
• "I like the thinner material where the lacing is so that your foot can breathe."
• "The suede look is nice. This shoe doesn’t look like any shoe that’s out there and that’s cool."
• "I would recommend these to people."

Nike Zoom LeBron III

• "I’m not a flat footed person so the flat bottom of this shoe doesn’t work for me, I need an arch in my shoe."
• "I felt like I had slippers on and I liked it."
• "Usually I wear two or three pairs of socks when I play, but with these, I only needed to wear one."
• "I couldn’t lace these as tight as a lot of other shoes ‘cause of the plastic on top, but it felt like you never needed to ‘cause of how thick and cushiony they are."
• "I didn’t find them heavy at all and they’re real stylish."

The Verdict

And we’ve done it again…we’ve found the product that will change lives. We’re exaggerating a little, but only a little. Our testers found that the Nike Zoom LeBron III shoes were not only the best of the test, but the best they’d ever worn! They felt that “everyone should go get a pair of LeBron’s." It’s like they say - ‘third times a charm.’