KD 18 Performance Review

The KD line has always been something serious, but in the past several years it may be the premier line from the Swoosh. How will the 18's stack up??

What is going on everyone?? AirJayP is back and we have a great pair in store to talk about today! Another banger from the Swoosh and the KD line. As it probably sounds I liked these, and I liked them a lot! Let's jump right in and find out what the fuss is about!

Traction: 5/5

Nothing to complain about here, as I had superior traction at all times all over the court. I didn't have any issues with these on clean or dusty courts, and really minimal wiping as well. The pair I played in offered a solid rubber outsole, and the pattern is basically identical to the 17's. As crazy as it may sound though I had better grip and bite from these than I did the 17's. Laterally or vertically, I felt great at all times from a traction standpoint and there was nothing for me to bring to you in a negative light from these.

Fit: 5/5

Lots of comparisons to the 17's with this shoe, but at the same time, I feel as if these are a significant upgrade. One of those reasons would be due to the fit and lockdown which we will get to a little later. With the fit though, I went down half a size as I do with pretty much all hoop shoes and these gave me that more snug fit I was looking for. I didn't get this out of the 17's and had quite a bit of slipping within that sneaker. These did the opposite for me, and put the KD line back where it needed to be for me.. at the top for the Swoosh right now! I would pretty much recommend whatever your normal sizing is within the KD line.

Materials: 5/5

The materials on foot are one of the most comfortable hoop shoes I have played in, in recent memory. The materials are fairly lightweight and mimic the feel of a lot of previous models from a weight standpoint. The breathability though is next level with these in my opinion. I love how ventilated they are, but not only that the materials used for the most ventilated areas are key areas for comfort. The toe area is like a soft open type mesh that feels almost like wearing a pair of air max 90's. This ventilation also runs up both sides of the sneaker as well as the tongue. The upper also features a cage-type wrap around the sneaker. I had a lot of love for how the materials felt on foot, on court. No complaints from me, definitely only praises and I really liked these a lot from a material standpoint.

Cushion: 5/5

Once again, another 5 out of 5, and honestly this may have been my favorite part of the sneaker on court. The cushion system felt not only very comfortable but gave me a setup that had me feeling young again. A cushion-heavy sneaker that also gave me some court feel. When I first heard about the tech I was a little eary, as I thought the cushion might be a little too much. After playing in them though they completely changed my mind. The KD 18 features a soft, but responsive cushlon midsole along with a large forefoot air zoom unit and Nike air cushioning in the heel. Once again, comfort is definitely on point with these, and I would feel great wearing these even off the court. The responsiveness and bounce though with this cushion setup is what surprised me. Whether driving to the hoop, cutting, or sudden stops to pull up for a jumper the cushion kept me comfortable, gave me enough court feel, and kept me feeling fresh for long durations of play within these! Exactly what I am looking for from a cushion setup on court.

Lockdown: 5/5

This is where this line was put back on top for the swoosh for me. Last year was the first year in a long time I didn't have many shoes on court from the swoosh that I just really loved. The KD line is usually one I can always count on and the 17's offered me not the best from the lockdown standpoint. I can say for me it was completely fixed within the 18's. These offered me no heel slippage, and I love how the cage-style lacing system offered me the ability to customize my lacing to get these exactly to my liking. Once I did that, I felt like the system wrapped my foot and kept me feeling locked in at absolutely all times on court. The stability was also very good on court and kept me feeling stable at all times. These really offered me no issues from heel to toe and I felt locked in completely at all times all over the court!

Overall: 5/5

I had an absolute blast playing in this shoe. There really wasn't anything for me to bring to you that I didn't like about these. I can definitely say if this is the start of what's to come from Nike this year, then they are back and we are going to get some really good on-court shoes this year. From top to bottom sometimes you will just find one of those shoes on court that just works really well for you. This was one of those for me. I may end up eventually with multiple pairs. I will definitely be after that Aunt Pearl pair as I am every year, but this could be a go-to pair for quite some time for me if I wasn't testing other pairs. If I were to rank each aspect from top to bottom it would probably be as follows: Cushion, Materials, Traction, Lockdown. I have lockdown listed last, but it got a 5/5 rating. That right there tells you how much I really liked these! Very comfortable shoe, and one that we will be seeing on a lot of players for the next upcoming season!

Thank You For Checking Out This Review On The KD 18!!

Have A Great Week And As Always Happy Hooping!!