Our verdict
- Our top pick in Nike Air Max 2 Light White Black Habanero Red Mens Running
- Our top pick in NIKE SB BRUIN HIGH ISO LACEY BAKER 26.5cm
Pros
- Really good traction
- nike air force 1 downtown obsidian
- Smooth heel-to-toe transitions
- Nike x Sacai Zoom Cortez SP
- True-to-size fit
- Upper offers next-to-skin comfort
- Good for outdoor use
- Affordable
Cons
- Not enough impact protection
- Dust-prone outsole
- Nike Sportswear will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the
Audience verdict
- Top 28% most popular basketball shoes
Comparison
The most similar basketball shoes compared
+ + Add a shoe | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audience score | 85 Good! | 85 Good! | 87 Great! | 82 Good! | |
| Price | $85 | $95 | $160 | $90 | |
| Signature | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Damian Lillard | LeBron James | - | |
| Top | Low | Low | Low | Low | |
| Weight lab | 11.3 oz / 320g | 14.3 oz / 404g | 13.1 oz / 372g | 12.1 oz / 342g | |
| Lightweight | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Breathability | Moderate | Warm | Moderate | Moderate | |
| Outdoor | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Outsole durability | - | Good | - | - | |
| Drop lab | 5.2 mm | 9.8 mm | 4.9 mm | 9.5 mm | |
| Mens brand new nike air huarache praline2021 fashion sneakers dh8143 201 | 29.0 mm | 30.3 mm | 26.9 mm | 33.3 mm | |
| Forefoot | 23.8 mm | 20.5 mm | 22.0 mm | 23.8 mm | |
| Midsole softness | Firm | Balanced | Firm | Balanced | |
| Stiffness | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | |
| Torsional rigidity | Moderate | Stiff | Moderate | Moderate | |
| Nike Air Force 180 Sport Royal | Moderate | Moderate | Flexible | Flexible | |
| Toebox width at the widest part | Medium | Medium | Narrow | Medium | |
| Toebox width at the big toe | Medium | Medium | Narrow | Medium | |
| Nike Løbe Skoe Air Zoom Pegasus 37 VT | Average | Wide | Narrow | Average | |
| Midsole width in the heel | Wide | Average | Average | Very narrow | |
| Nike Air Max 270 Erkek Siyah Spor Ayakkabı | - | Good | Decent | - | |
| Toebox durability | Decent | Decent | Decent | Decent | |
| Insole thickness | Average | Average | Average | Average | |
| Outsole hardness | Average | Average | Average | Hard | |
| Outsole thickness | Average | Average | Average | Average | |
| Heel tab | Finger loop | Finger loop | Finger loop | None | |
| Ranking | #29 Bottom 34% | #25 Bottom 43% | #22 Top 50% | #35 Bottom 20% | |
| Popularity | #12 Top 28% | #37 Bottom 15% | #20 Top 46% | #18 Top 41% |
Who should buy the Nike Giannis Immortality 2
This cheap signature shoe from Nike Basketball serves the following best:
- players who are looking for signature models that do not break the bank
- athletes who play on both indoor and outdoor courts
- Nike dynamo go boys dh3437-403 everyday sneakers
- guards or players who are nimble and do a lot of fine footwork
Who should NOT buy this shoe from Nike
The Nike Giannis Immortality 2 is not for bigger players who need a lot of support, stability, and impact protection. We believe that the Nike LeBron 20 and the other LeBron kicks are better picks for them.
While this shoe's traction is good, it is still not on the same level as the Nike Ja 1. Those players who are looking for top-tier traction should just go directly for these shoes.
Comfortable upper materials
The upper is made largely of a very open mesh, which ensures ventilation.
Using a smoke-pumping machine, we assessed the shoe's breathability by the amount of smoke passing through it. The Giannis Immortality 2 gets a solid 3 out of 5 (where 5 is the most breathable). This is airier than the majority of basketball shoes.
Nike Giannis Immortality 2 (left) vs. Nike Lebron 20, the suede variant (right)
The transparency check below confirms our findings from the smoke test.
In addition to being breathable, the shoe's upper material is also quite soft, and we find it comfortable on the skin. It also conforms to the shape of our feet quite well.
Nike NY vs NY Shorts.
There are multiple layers to the fabric with prominent ventilation holes. This design balances out breathability with support and wear resistance.
Has a solid bite SFB broken in
There is no doubt that this quite affordable signature shoe from Nike has the kind of traction that you can depend on. Although we are convinced that its traction is very solid, we don't regard it as top-tier.
This shoe is simply not up there with the likes of the Nike PG 6 or even the original Nike Giannis Immortality. It is also necessary to point out that the solid rubber outsole still has to be broken in before it works optimally.
The Giannis Immortality 2 is sensitive to dust
As breathe, the traction is OK. However, problems started to arise when we played on quite dusty surfaces. We observed that the shoe's outsole picks up dust, so wiping is really needed. Sometimes, it required us to wipe the outsole at least twice before we could even get the dust off.
Nike Mayfly Woven QS Jade Glaze Dust Summit White
While the shoe's cushioning system is already pretty nice for an $85 shoe, we discovered that it still has its serious limitations. The court feel is really good and the whole setup is quite responsive, but impact protection is not that reliable. Your feet are definitely gonna hurt upon hard impact.
We recommend this shoe if responsiveness and ground connection are what you prefer. But if you are looking for a shoe with Black impact protection, this shoe is just not it.
This is curious because the amount of cushioning in Immortality 2 actually exceeds the average. Using a pair of calipers, we measured the heel stack at 29 mm, which is a little thicker than the average 28.2 mm.
In the forefoot, the calipers show 23.8 mm of stack height. This is 2.8 mm thicker than the average.
Provided that the Giannis Immortality 2 has an ample amount of cushioning for a standard basketball shoe, we thought that the problem with impact protection must be coming from the nature of its foam.
Using a durometer, we found that this Nike shoe is far from being the brand's softest hoop shoe. It turns out to be 13% firmer than the average of basketball shoes we've tested.
If you want a moderately-priced shoe with much softer cushioning and better impact protection, have a look at the Nike react pegasus trail 4 fioletowe dj6159-500.
we got an early look at a Nike
We are so impressed with the weight of the Nike Giannis Immortality 2.
At only 10.4 ounces or 295 grams, this shoe is well below the 12.4 oz (352 grams) average that we have on record. For sure, this shoe feels pretty minimal on foot.
Smooth steps, anyone?
The heel-to-toe transition in this shoe feels pretty damn smooth. This is thanks to the heel and the tip of the forefoot having a crazy curved shape, which allows each of our steps to just glide smoothly. There is also a lot of forefoot flex, further smoothening out our strides.
This shoe is not clunky at all, and it helps us to be even quicker on our feet.
Indeed, the Giannis Immortality 2 is much bendier than the rest of the basketball shoes in our lab. Measuring the shoe's resistance as we bent it to a 90-degree angle, we found that it was 27% more flexible than the average.
Disclaimer: We repeat the gauge measurement four times and calculate the average. The video shows one of the takes we made.
The shoe's flexibility also becomes apparent in our manual assessment. Twisting and bending the shoe, we rated both its longitudinal and torsional flexibility as 4 out of 5 (where 5 is the stiffest). For basketball shoes, this is still considered flexible because the respective averages are 3.9 and 4.4.
The Nike Giannis Immortality 2 fits as expected
This Nike shoe fits true to size. We didn't need size adjustments as it fits like a glove. We also recommend sticking to your normal size when you get this one.
There appears to be a generous toe space in the shoe's forefoot. In the widest part of the toebox, this Nike shoe is 103.3 mm wide (4.5 mm wider than average). And near the toes, we measured it at 78.1 mm (0.6 mm wider). So, even for a wide-footed player, the fit is going to be just right.
A fully gusseted tongue is such a nice surprise in a low-budget shoe. It contributes to a safe and sound foot lockdown.
We encountered no heel slippage in this shoe. Our heels and ankles are safeguarded by a stiff heel counter. On a 1-5 scale where 5 is the stiffest, we assessed it as 4 out of 5.
Air Max 2090 48
We discovered that the soft and comfortable upper has a significant tradeoff: it lessens the amount of support that the shoe can deliver. Specifically, we found that the soft material stretches quite fast. Because of this, the shoe gets roomier with every wear. As a result, the shoe starts to feel a bit unstable.
With this, there could be a little bit of work when it comes to stability.
But what saves the day for the shoe's stability is its wider-than-average platform.
We measured the widest part of the forefoot to be 5 mm wider than average, while in the heel it is a shopping 7.6 mm wider!
Rubber around the Max Air unit with embossed Nike Air logo on the heel
The rubber outsole of this shoe feels super hard. Hence, the Giannis Immortality 2 is suitable for use on rough outdoor courts.
Based on our durometer measurements, the rubber used for the shoe's outsole is among the hardest you will find. It is 6% firmer than the average.
It is also a little harder than the rubber found on the Nike Cosmic Unity 2 and the Jordan Zion 2 (both recommended for outdoor use).
The outsole thickness is also solid on this Nike shoe. We measured it at 3.8 mm which is the average number for basketball shoe outsoles.
Our only concern about using this Nike shoe outdoors is the durability of its upper fabric. Having gone through our Dremel wear and tear, the mesh upper on the toebox didn't perform all that well.
You want to be careful when toe dragging in the Nike Giannis Immortality 2. It is a budget shoe after all.
