Jordan 40 Performance Review

The big 40! It's wild to think that Jordan Brand is onto its 40th signature model. The influence MJ and this brand have had on the basketball community will always be something special! I guess 41 will be next, but waiting for that 50th?! That will be something wild to think about! Anywho, I guess we are here to talk about the 40's, and let me go ahead and tell you.. These!! Yeah, they are something special!

What is going on, everyone?? I hope you all had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year! We are back with another performance review for you, and as we have already discussed, we are going to be diving into the Jordan 40. Now, if you don't keep up with me on IG, I actually placed these at number 1 on my 2025 hoop shoe list. There is a good reason for that, and let's jump in to talk about it!

Traction: 4/5

Starting with the traction, we had a pretty solid performance on court with these. Truth be told, it may have been an area that I would have liked to see improved, but that's a bit nitpicky, as all the aspects felt so great to me that this was the one area that wasn't right at perfect for my liking. These did pick up a little dust, and gave me a little bit of an issue with sliding on a dusty court. The toe area into the forefoot offers solid rubber, with an area being carved out in the middle and running to the heel that is translucent. In my opinion, had these been all rubber, they would have performed right at perfectly. The translucent gave me a little trouble, but honestly, they are still really good from a traction standpoint.

Fit: 5/5

There were zero issues from a fit standpoint for me. I went with my down half sizing, which is normal for me with my hoop shoes, and what I truly call my true to size. You do have more of an inner bootie-like construction with this model, and the fit still worked very well for me. I had no issues with movement, sliding in the heel, etc., which we will talk more about within the lockdown. You should be great to go true to size with this model, and that is what I would recommend.

Materials: 5/5

The materials, as crazy as it may sound, were one of my favorite parts of the sneaker, or especially this CW to be specific. I went with the Chicago CW, and the hits of leather on these are smooth as butter. They seem to get better with every wear, and I love how they just seem to form more and more to my foot. These give me late 90's early 2000 model basketball shoe material vibes, and just a more premium feel and look that most of us are usually asking for. The lone issue would be from a breathability standpoint, but honestly, with the comfort and how these performed for me from the materials standpoint, I was ok with it. If I were to give one other complaint, it would be that the tongue could have had a little more padding. These are two areas that, if we are looking for a complaint, that is where it would be. Other than that, you couldn't ask for anything better from a materials standpoint with these.

Cushion: 5/5

Another area that I am probably expressing as my favorite part of the shoe, haha, but this actually is my favorite part. I loved how the cushion felt on court. It takes a little bit of break-in time to get the full effects, but once broken in, I loved them! The Jordan 40 features Full Length ZoomX Foam with a Full Length Zoom Strobel unit stacked on top. This gave me a feeling that is basically as I am about to describe. It was the perfect amount of basically everything for me. I got comfort for long periods of play, I got bounce and response that was easy to recognize, and I also got some court feel to go along with what felt like it was going to be a cushion-heavy model. I was expecting this to be almost too plush for me, but it wasn't. It almost confused me at first. It was like I got to break them in with the court feel I wanted, and as if the cushioning broke in with more playing, and formed to my foot, giving me the actual cushion I wanted and or needed. High praise from me with the cushion on these. Job well done, Jordan Brand!

Lockdown: 5/5

I couldn't ask for anything more from the lockdown standpoint. I had no movement within areas I do not want there to be, but I was still able to move and flex within the shoe in areas that I wanted to. The 40 features an internal webbing system that, mixed with the premium materials, keeps you locked in at all times on court. The lacing is fairly standard, but when tightening it does feel like the whole sneaker is pulling inward or wrapping your foot so you will be locked in, in all areas. I never felt like I was tipping, rolling inward, or outward. You have a very solid base and lockdown setup with these. No issues from me, and these pass the test or more than exceeded my needs.

Overall: 5/5

Yeah, these are getting my first 5/5 in a minute. This shoe is one that I could play in an entire season, and have another pair in the bag ready to go for the next one. I really, really like these from basically every aspect. Once again, these have a strong traction setup, but it would be the one area that I would have liked improved. Everything else, I couldn't ask for anything better for me. I spoke on this, but I wish they would do this job with the materials on many more models! At the same time, though, that is what makes these so special. The difference in these is definitely noticeable. The cushion was great, and a setup I really enjoyed. Overall, there just isn't much to say wrong about these, and I truly loved every aspect. The more I play in them, the more and more I like them!

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS REVIEW OF THE JORDAN 40!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK & AS ALWAYS HAPPY HOOPING!