The KD line has been one of my favorites for the past several years! Will these keep that streak going, or will they take a step back??
What is going on everyone?? AirJayP is back again with a performance review for you. The KD 17's are what we are here to talk about today and let's jump straight into how these worked for me on court!
Fit: 3
The fit was a little odd for me, and something I did have to get used to. They fit very long for me, and that is not something I usually have issues with from Nike. I went down half to an 11, and they just didn't give me the snug feel I am used to. I had some movement within the heel area. I was able to correct this within the lacing setup, and it helped stop the movement. I would recommend trying these on in person for you to be able to get the best fit you can. I do remember some complaints about heel slippage in the 16s, and it was something I didn't experience or deal with. I would say it was more prominent with these, and something I really noticed within the fit.
Traction: 4
I feel like the past several KD models have had very solid traction setups, and these are no different. They offered me no issues laterally or vertically, and after a short break in period, I really enjoyed these traction-wise. On a dusty floor, you may have some minimal wiping, but nothing that was overly noticeable for me. The outsole is solid rubber and features what I am calling a radial, wavy type pattern. I felt really solid at all times with these whether I was cutting, or making sudden stops for pull-ups, etc. I try to give each sneaker its due time for its strengths and weaknesses, and with these In simplest terms, it's basically another KD from a traction standpoint. I felt pretty similar to the 16s on court. If you have enjoyed the KD line recently from a traction standpoint, these will not disappoint you either.
Materials: 3.5
I went with the Aunt Pearl cw, and it does have different materials than I believe any of the other cw's that have been released. The upper on these is basically a felt-like material that is very soft to the touch. The materials do feel lightweight and are fairly breathable. I don't feel like they are something to really write home about, but they also didn't really offer me any bad issues either from a performance standpoint. The lone issue that I would say here and it's more of a preference thing is they do seem to get pretty dirty fairly quickly especially if you get stepped on a lot. I do feel like the durability over time could wear fairly quickly with the felt-like material used on the upper. For the sneaker collector in me, this would be a cw I would normally purchase to wear casually or just to have in the collection, but I really wanted to hoop in this pair! The materials did their job just fine performance-wise, just know that if you want them to look "new" for a significant period of time.. that will probably be a little difficult to make happen.
Cushion: 3.5
The cushion was an area that has gotten better over time, and I feel does take a little break in time to get the full effect from it. The sneaker features a forefoot Zoom air unit combined with Nike Air cushioning. Initially, I got a ton of court feel, and honestly didn't feel like there was much cushion compared with some of the more recent KD models. Now, I am always a fan of a good court feel sneaker, but I was expecting a little more initially with these. After some break-in time, I did get to where I felt or got a more cushioned feel out of them. Have I gotten the same feel as say the KD 14 or 15?? Not at all, but these will give you a good mix of cushion and court feel.
Lockdown: 5
The lockdown may have been the strongest point of the shoe, and that is a very positive thing with these for me. I mentioned previously I had an issue with the sizing or fit, and had the lockdown not been so well these may have been a complete bust for me. Starting with the lacing I was able to get my laces tight and with doing so felt like the sneaker wrapped around my foot very well. Once getting the sneaker to the tightening of my liking I was not able to notice the heel slip. Once in a while or after several games if the sneakers loosened I may have to re-tie, but it wasn't very often. When making sudden movements, cuts, hard stops, etc. I never noticed or felt myself feeling unnatural or noticed anything negative about these from the lockdown standpoint. All positives on the lockdown, and if you can get a good fit with these, you are going to be good to go!
Overall: 4
The KD 17 is a really solid basketball sneaker pretty much in all aspects. I did have a few issues, but they ended up correcting themselves throughout other aspects or over time. Are these my favorite of the past few models... Eh, probably not, but I did like them and had quite a bit of fun playing in them especially once I got them broken in. These did make my top 10 hooper list of 2024, and that is with good reason. I feel like with these you are getting a basketball shoe that is really good in basically all aspects, but not necessarily overpowering at one certain thing. That is ok, as when you mix all that together you get an overall good product. It's so hard to believe we are already on the 17th model of the KD line! Once again these are an overall very solid basketball shoe, and with that, it already makes me excited for the 18th model!!
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