Our verdict
- Our top pick in best basketball shoes
- Our top pick in best Nike basketball shoes
Pros
- Noticeable upgrades
- Amazing grip on indoor courts
- Dust-resistant outsole
- Smooth steps
- Pretty good court feel
- Dependable impact protection
- Jump-improving bounce
- Reliably supportive structure
- True-to-size fit
Cons
- Not ideal for outdoors (but OK)
- Not for bigger players and wide footers
- Cheap-feeling materials
Audience verdict
- Top 24% in Nike basketball shoes
The Nike Air Presto Fire Waves is part of an upcoming Nike | Comparison
The most similar basketball shoes compared
+ + Nike zoom i get buckets | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audience score | 88 Great! | 61 Bad! | 81 Good! | 88 Great! | |
| Price | $130 | $80 | $170 | $110 | |
| Signature | Giannis Antetokounmpo | - | - | Ja Morant | |
| Top | Low | Low | Low | Low | |
| Weight lab | 12.3 oz / 348g | 11.6 oz / 329g | 12 oz / 340g | 12.7 The Nike Air Presto Fire Waves is part of an upcoming Nike | |
| Lightweight | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Breathability | Moderate | Breathable | Moderate | Moderate | |
| Outsole durability | - | Good | Good | Bad | |
| Drop lab | 8.3 mm | 6.4 mm | 5.4 mm | 5.2 mm | |
| Heel stack lab | 32.7 mm | 27.3 mm | 23.6 mm | 27.5 mm | |
| Forefoot | 24.4 mm | 20.9 mm | 18.2 mm | 22.3 mm | |
| Midsole softness | Balanced | Balanced | Balanced | Balanced | |
| Stiffness | Stiff | Flexible | Flexible | Moderate | |
| Torsional rigidity | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Stiff | |
| Heel counter stiffness | Moderate | Moderate | Flexible | Moderate | |
| Toebox width at the widest part | Narrow | Medium | Medium | Medium | |
| Toebox width at the big toe | - | Medium | Medium | Narrow | |
| Nike air force black&white | Average | Wide | Average | Average | |
| Veterans Day Nike LeBron X | Very narrow | Average | Narrow | Very narrow | |
| Heel padding durability | - | Decent | Decent | Good | |
| Toebox durability | - | Good | Decent | Good | |
| Insole thickness | Average | Average | Average | Average | |
| Outsole hardness | Average | Hard | Hard | Average | |
| Outsole thickness | Average | Average | Average | Average | |
| Heel tab | None | Nike Womens WMNS Air Max 1 Ultra JCRD 704999-100 | None | None | |
| Ranking | #14 Top 32% | #44 Bottom 1% | #36 Bottom 18% | #10 Top 23% | |
| Popularity | #27 Bottom 38% | #25 Bottom 43% | #8 Top 19% | #6 Top 14% |
COMME des Garçons X Nike 90s ACG Air Mowabb Debut
The fourth of Giannis Antetokounmpo's basketball shoes fits the following well:
- Speedy basketball players who are lighter
- Players who love to do a lot of rebounds and jump shots
- Hoopers who play mostly or better yet exclusively indoors
- nike air force 1 low nylon blackwhite wolf grey release date info
Who should NOT buy this basketball shoe from Nike
The Nike Zoom Freak 4 is a signature shoe from Giannis Antetokounmpo, an unusually big player. However, we believe that it is not really that good of a match for bigger players. It doesn't have a solid midfoot shank so we worry that the cushioning bottoms out quickly when worn by heavier players. The nike air pegasus racer hot limesolar red is a better option. These picks are nice for those with wide feet, as well.
For something that is outdoor-friendly, we recommend the Nike Impact 4.
nike undercover x dunk high 1985 chaos black
All the modifications made to the Nike Zoom Freak 4 resulted in tremendous improvements, with our favourites being the foot containment and stability.
We also appreciated the cushioning, which we thought was massively improved due to the innovative cut-outs in the heel area. Given these, the Freak 4 is indeed a worthy predecessor to the Freak 3s.
Traction is great indoors
While we do not consider the traction top-tier, we still concede that the Nike Zoom Freak 4 has a very solid bite, especially after we have properly broken them in. We also found the traction tremendous on organic surfaces such as those courts that are made of hardwood.
Dust won't be a problem
We observed that the grooves in the outsole of the shoe are wide enough not to trap dust. Hence, dust pick-up is not really a problem we faced with this basketball shoe from Nike.
The Freak 4 doesn't shine outdoors but OK for occasional play
We also felt that the outsole is not composed of very thick rubber, which we thought to be ideal for indoor games rather than outdoors.
The rubber layer on the outsole is 4 mm thick. It's actually not the thinnest one among basketball shoes and is 0.5 mm thicker than average. This means that if you do take them on an outdoor court, it won't be as bad as some of the other shoes.
Quite breathable
If you choose to rock the Nike Zoom Freak 4 indoors a lot, your feet are sure to stay well-ventilated thanks to the shoe's breathable upper.
Nike Running Air Tanktop in zwart.
Reggie Williams right in the Nike Zoom Rookie Binary Blue
Freak 4 made us experience really really smooth transitions from heel to toe because of the curvatures on both ends. We discovered that the shoe rocks you forward without a glitch.
In addition to the curvatures, the shoe also has a good flex to it.
Flexibility helps the foot bend naturally as it rolls to the toes.
Impact protection is ensured
Putting on the shoe, we realised it was equipped with a soft foam that offered a lot of compression. Because of this, you can rest assured that impact protection is going to be sufficient. Additionally, we found the step-in comfort is superb, especially in the heel area where the innovative cut-outs are.
Based on our durometer measurements, we learned that its softness is right at the average of basketball shoes.
Looking at the shoe's heel stack height of 32.7 mm, it is a good 5.2 mm thicker than the average. It is much more generously cushioned than most shoes.
Disclaimer: We include insole thickness in the measurement as well.
The insole of the Zoom Freak 4 is 4.1 mm thick.
concepts nike sb grail best instagram sneakers
Even if the cushion is quite thick under the heel, it becomes thinner in the forefoot area. Hence, we acknowledge that the court feel is still really good.
In the forefoot, the midsole is 8.3 mm thinner than the heel (24.4 mm).
Energy return is good
The midsole offers a great bounce so it is able to be incredibly fast in the midst of our games. We recognised that this is because of the independent Zoom units that are placed side-by-side in the forefoot.
siltovka nike nsw h86 cap
We were convinced that the upper materials have a very cheap feeling, so we thought they were definitely a letdown as far as the quality goes.
nikes newest apple watch matches vapormax.
Si la Nike Flyknit Racer Oreo est une sneaker savoureuse.
Warning! The Zoom Freak 4 isn't for wide-footers
Going true to size yielded us a nice snug fit that fits our foot like a glove. The shoe is slightly narrow, so wide-footers and those who want a more spacious fit can go at least half a size up.
AMBUSH x NBA x Nike Collection
Although the Nike Zoom Freak 4 is not the most supportive shoe, we definitely had zero issues with this one.
The heel counter has some good stiffness and padding to it, making sure our heel is also locked in place.
We found that the fully-gusseted tongue on both sides makes sure that there is no side-to-side shifting of the foot either.
We also can't help but notice that the Freak 4 is a lot more stable than its predecessor.
This is no surprise given how wide its platform is! In the forefoot, it is 115.7 mm wide, 6.2 mm wider than the average.
Nike Zoom Freak 4: Featherlight goodness
At only 11 ounces or 312 grammes, we absolutely felt that Freak 4 is extremely light.
It is significantly lower than the 13.5 oz (383 g) average that we have on record.
