The KD line from Nike basketball is probably my second favorite line overall from the brand performance wise behind the Kyrie line, but this shoe right here is going to be a tough one to beat for this upcoming season!
What is going on everyone? AirJayP is back and as promised we are going to be talking about how the KD 15 performed for me on the basketball court. Almost all of the testing was completed indoors, but I did do a few workouts outdoors in these as well. With that being said let's go ahead and dive into each category!
Aesthetics: 5
Straight out of the gate I just absolutely loved how this shoe looked. When I saw initial images I just had a feeling this was going to be a great shoe. I feel like it has a simple, but complex look to the shoe. At the same time there is so much that can be done from a color-way standpoint, that there just is not too much that is going to look bad on these in my opinion. As I said earlier I have been a fan favorite of this line performance wise for quite some time now and I do think some of the most recent models looked great as well, but these are definitely my fave from a looks standpoint probably since the KD 7.
Traction: 5
The traction on the KD 15 worked absolutely amazing for me. The pattern reminds me a lot of the Kobe 9 traction pattern or setup and it seemed to feel a lot of the same on court for me as well. There were absolutely no issues from me laterally, vertically or anywhere in between. I had no issues stopping on a dime or switching directions at any point either. I literally have zero complaints from the traction standpoint and that is something I can sometimes be a little harsh on as by now you probably know that is what I am looking for to stand out most in my basketball shoes. The rubber is not super stiff or hard, but it is enough that it will last for some good outdoor use as well. As I mentioned prior I did a few workouts outdoors In these and I do not see any grooves or areas messed up from that time outside. If you love traction on basketball shoes like I do; this is a pair your definitely going to want to give a try.
Fit: 5
We will keep this one pretty simple as I went true to size and it worked perfectly for me. They do fit a little narrow so wide footers may want to size up or just try them on in store if you are able before purchasing.
Lockdown: 5
Another key category for me especially in a lower top shoe is the lockdown setup. I say this a lot, but without proper sizing you are not going to get a shoes full lockdown potential or feel. With that being said I was able to get proper sizing with these and the lockdown worked absolutely great for me. The shoe does have a little lower cut than my normal liking, but the lockdown was so good it left me not noticing it very much while I was playing in these on court. The heel area offered me a nice locked in or "cupped" type feel. There is an overlay material that the lacing system goes thru that helps give some extra lockdown and support to wrap that forefoot into the shoe. I have always been a fan of a more traditional style lacing system such as this because I like to get my basketball sneakers pretty snug while playing. You are able to do this with these. There were no issues in the toe area or anything for me either. I have been a big critic on low-tops for so long as they just have never been my favorite, but the more and more I play in them and the more they keep adapting them it is tough not to play in them when they turn out this way. I do not know if I have ever given a perfect score in the lockdown category to a low-top, but these are the ones. You are not going to be disappointed with the lockdown on the KD 15!
Cushion: 5
Another perfect score on this shoe! Yes, that's right I loved the cushion on the KD 15 as well. The shoe features a cushlon midsole which is very soft on this pair and breaks in very nicely, but it also features my favorite cushion setup with the air zoom strobel unit. The setup feels very nice while playing on court and it is near perfect for me from a cushion standpoint. I always prefer court feel over cushion, but as I continue to get older and not younger I am adapting to more cushioned sneakers to play basketball in. I will say with these they are at my limit for cushion. Anything more than this is usually too much for me, but this setup is near perfect or the maximum cushion I really want on court. The shoe was very comfortable for me on court and one that I could wear casually if I wanted to as well. From a performance standpoint though I had zero complaints about the cushion and it exceeded my expectations!
Materials: 5
The upper on the KD 15 is basically an all mesh upper. The materials on court are very breathable, and super lightweight. They also have a nice, comfortable feel on foot, on court and I had no issues whatsoever with them. There is nice padding on the interior of the shoe as well and keeps your foot comfortable all the way around while playing. The tongue also is comprised of nice materials on the interior and wraps nicely around your foot and did not seem to get in the way at any point that I noticed. Another perfect score from me with the materials on these.. I guess its best to just say I really, really liked this shoe on court!
Overall: 5
I guess since I rated every other category a 5, I will go with a 5 once again here! In all seriousness the KD 15 is one really good basketball shoe and one that I would say we will be seeing on the court a lot this season from players to teams and so on. There are times when testing basketball shoes that you may notice a category that stands out above another or the opposite one that is bad and stands out in a not so good way. With these I felt as if each category worked together so well you got one exact feel to the shoe. That is the reason I truly believe I liked them so much is that I was not noticing one thing to be superior over the other as they all worked pretty well the same when combined and it made one really nice basketball shoe on court! If you have any interest in trying these out I definitely would not hesitate! I plan to pick up more color-ways myself in the very near future and these will definitely be in my rotation for some time to come!
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