This was not necessarily a bad thing by any means, but I did think it was an apt way to describe how the shoe felt - a light supportive upper connected smoothly with a light but springy cushion. The dual forefoot cushion was also nicely felt from the first few steps in these.īeing someone with decent experience with running shoes (owning a number of Nike, Asics, & Brooks running shoes), this shoe felt much more like a running shoe than a basketball shoe, especially in the upper textile material. The upper textile material, like most textile materials, served to be supportive and nicely plush out the gate and felt nicely molded to my feet. The fit, lockdown, traction, and cushion all worked well right away and felt the same in subsequent hoop sessions. The traction should hold up nicely for at least several months indoors, but if you’re the type of hooper looking for a pair of shoes that will safely last you a year or more I would choose a shoe with a harder outsole. The outsole round grooves are reminiscent of both the traction on the Nike PG 5 as well as the legendary Nike Kobe 9 and it did live up to expectations. The Nike Zoom Freak 3 had outstanding indoor traction - gripping the floor superbly in all directions with little wiping needed throughout gameplay. Compared to a more common single zoom unit setup, this implementation felt to be a bit more bouncy with more coverage across the foot. The tech implemented was a dual zoom pod unit in the forefoot that was immediately felt when first wearing the shoe. The cushion on the Freak 3 was fun - a bouncy and propulsive step centered in the forefoot. Both the upper, heel, and forefoot felt right in cohesion to hold my foot in place, and based on the combination of the medium width and textile/mesh materials I think most people will find a satisfactory fit in their true to fit sizing. One of the main positive points of the Zoom Freak 3 is the fit.

prefers shoes with strong heel cushioning (in this case, consider the Nike Kyrie 7).

needs stable midfoot support (the Nike Zoom Freak 2 is better).

plans to utilize these outdoors (the Lebron 18 model is praised for having a reliable traction even on outdoor courts).

Who should NOT buy itĭo not buy this shoe if you are a player who

Do buy the Zoom Freak 3 if you are a quick-footed player looking for a light shoe with good lockdown that delivers a bouncy step.

Zoom freak 3 dutch blue