Best Shoes.

Kobewan-Kenobi · Starting Rotation Joined: 11 Feb 2008 Posts: 278

Ok, so obviously Jordan revolutionized the basketball shoe. But besides him, who do you think has the best "line" of shoes and will go down in history? T-mac had some nice ones, Kobe's newer ones are alright (much better than those spaceship adidas shoes), D-Wade, LeBron, Melo? Any thoughts?

moonriver24 · Franchise Player Joined: 21 Oct 2007 Posts: 15266

dang. I thought this was about the poster named Shoes.

Seriously, if Kobe was born before Mike, we'd probably singing "I'd like to be like Kob."

Look for Kobe attires to sell well ahead of those other names including the league hyped one/
_________________
Kobe's Top 5 Dunks, 81 points, MJ last gm @Staples

oldschool32 · Franchise Player Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Posts: 20032

Anfernee Hardaway had a few nice pair out. Iverson's were popular early on, but nothing special since. I'll have to think of some others.
_________________
"It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up."-The Greatest

AIRiza Fan · Starting Rotation Joined: 29 Oct 2008 Posts: 284

Killakobe81 · Star Player Joined: 19 May 2008 Posts: 1605

Penny CWEb had some nice in early 90's also Kidd & pipp

superboy · Star Player Joined: 01 Dec 2004 Posts: 3011

I like threads about shoes. First, let me make a couple of assumptions:
--I'm talking about shoes in terms of function, not looks.
--I'm assuming the wearer is an quick, athletic basketball player, not a big heavy person (like A Shaq or Kwame). I say this because heavier people have different needs for shoes than the lighter wingmen/slashers.

OK, so like I said, I am very much a function over form guy when it comes to shoes. I want the best shoe, regardless what it looks like. The best cushioning technology I've come across is Zoom from Nike. It's really fantastic. Most of Nike's other cushioning things are gimmicks (mostly), including Air, Air Max, Shox is the biggest gimmick there is. Actually, Air Max is good if you're heavy (read above). But Zoom is unbelievable. You really feel the cushion and it moves around the bottom of your foot as you change where you're pressing hardest. It's very dynamic. Now, I heard in the new Hyperdunks, there's this new kind of cushion called Lunarlite which sounds like Zoom but improved. My friend wears it and he says it's the best.

Anyway, ever since I experienced Zoom, I have never gone back to anything else for basketball. Reebok's DMX was pretty good also, very similar to Zoom. I thought Zoom's cushion was a little more sophisticated in that it responded better while I was playing. DMX was good, but felt like a balloon under your foot. The great thing about Zoom is that it allows your foot to be cushioned very well, but it also doesn't that much height to provide that cushion, so your foot is lower to the ground (compared to, say, Air Max). This allows you to make your quick moves better because you have better feel for the surface you're running on. This is why Kobe likes Zoom so much, because he's obsessed with footwork, so he likes his shoes very light and close to the ground, while giving him a good cushion. Lebron, on the other hand, is a heavy player who is not as obsessed with footwork. His shoes are bulkier, a little heavier, but stronger in support (still Zoom, though). Kobe's shoes feels like you're wearing a nice sock...Lebron's shoe feels like you're wearing a fortress around your foot. I'm not built like Lebron, so I wear Kobe's.

So the best shoe I've had is:
--Kobe I. I use this now, it is great. Light, Zoom, good ankle support. I don't know about his next two versions, I've never tried them, but they're probably good also. Also, I've heard that the Huaraches are very good also (the ones Kobe wore before his signature shoes came out).

--Zoom GP (Gary Payton, I forgot which version). I had these a few years ago. They were pretty ugly. But they were awesome shoes. Zoom cushion, really good ankle support.

--Zoom '96. I don't know the name of this one. It was my first Zoom and it changed my view on shoes. It was the first time I felt like a cushioning system was not a gimmick. I always like Nike Air, but I was lying if I told you I could really feel the air cushion.

Anyway, those are my views. I have a feeling that the Hyperdunks are the next great shoe. Nike has mastered the cushion and now they are working on making a very light, yet strong side/ankle support, which is seen in the new Hyperdunks' weird fibers on the sides.

I never cared for Jordans. I hate him anyway, so I never will buy his shoe. Fortunately, none of his shoes have Zoom, so it doesn't bother me. The only thing that bothers me about his line of shoes is that there are a lot of different models, and some look pretty good compared to Nike's other offerings. A lot of these shoes are very weird looking. I don't like all this shiny stuff on my shoe. I like my shoes classy, but simple. I don't like velcro, buckles, or some weird lacing system.

For those of you that have never tried Zoom, try it soon! And those of you that wear Shox, get rid of them. Such a dumb idea. "OOhh! It looks like little springs under my feet. These springs will make me jump higher!" Um, no. I don't get Shox at all, maybe I'm missing something.

superboy · Star Player Joined: 01 Dec 2004 Posts: 3011

I didn't mean to say that Nike's other Air cushions are bad, they're just not nearly as good as Zooms. Shox is bad, however.
I had the lowtop Horry's (I don't know what else to call them). It's the shoe Horry was wearing when he hit the shot vs Sacramento. A few other Lakers had it also, like Fisher. It was an air max shoe, and it was very good for not being a Zoom shoe. Comfortable and strong for a lowtop.

The thing with Zoom is that it's like you feel you are barefoot, especially with the newer versions.

TNLakersFanInLA · Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 10:43 am Post subject:

Honestly, I'm liking everyone's shoes less and less every year.
_________________
Monta Ellis: "Kobe is #1, I'm #2, LeBron is #3."

superboy · Star Player Joined: 01 Dec 2004 Posts: 3011

frack24 · Starting Rotation Joined: 12 Dec 2007 Posts: 564

Barkley had some nice ones too back in the day. and just for a laugh. i want everyone to know, i was poor so at one point i had some Mailmans by LA Gear. wow. i can't believe i wore em.

Free_Kobe · Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 5:36 pm Post subject:

Kobe I - I have a Silver and Black pair that i still use to this day!
_________________
♪ ♫One good thing about music, when it hits, you feel no pain...
So hit me with music! ♪ ♫

Brand New · Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 6:22 pm Post subject:

Emerica
DC's
Vans
Etnies

frack24 · Starting Rotation Joined: 12 Dec 2007 Posts: 564

and just to update. the new kobe 4. the low tops. i want the all white ones. he's spose to wear em against miami this week for the first time. i will probably shed a tear.

Ares24 · Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:32 pm Post subject:

Vans and the Nike Air force Ones. Those are just classic.

doughboy90650 · Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 3:20 am Post subject:

the ones G Dub had thrown at him.......

Vishnu · Franchise Player Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Posts: 16561

PF Flyers

ArtestwontRest · Sixth Man Joined: 18 Jul 2010 Posts: 29

all the nike lunars

TACH · Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 10:33 am Post subject:

Puma & Adidas....

Great One · Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 10:20 am Post subject:

Asics is coming out with some really sick ones lately. Made in America BABY!
_________________
"Nobody hates the good ones. They hate the great ones." - KB

Conker · Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 6:13 pm Post subject:

Nike, I guess. Only have two pairs. Over 5 years old, and still wearing them.
_________________
(❍ᴥ❍ʋ) ʕʘᴥʘʔ (⌐ ͡■ ͜ʖ ͡■) (┛◉Д◉)┛( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ༼;´༎ຶ ۝ ༎ຶ༽

Bballguru5000 · Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 1:02 am Post subject:

The greatest looking basketball shoe I've ever seen is the Air Jordan IIs.

http://sneakernews.com/air-jordan-brand-jordan/air-jordan-2/

vanexelent · Retired Number Joined: 17 May 2005 Posts: 30081

David Robinson's

Kobe's

Reebok Pump's

Jordan IV

In no particular order....

MvP24 · Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 7:25 pm Post subject:

these = nicest shoes ever made

taggert · Starting Rotation Joined: 30 Oct 2012 Posts: 123

Kobe's and MJ's

choylaychunkuen · Starting Rotation Joined: 02 Dec 2011 Posts: 260

Best shoes for function are New Balance. Worst shoes to wear are Nike, Skechers, Puma, Addidas, Reebok. Why? Not all people have narrow feet. Scrunched feet is not good for your feet. I also like Etnies as they have wide toe shoes. DC and others that have a flat sole with mid/high arch are good for Weightlifting as you need to balance the weight. The support on arch helps balance the weight and your posture to lift properly.