More Commentary on Hyperdunks

Well, I finally got my Nike Plus sensor calibrated. Hopefully it's in tune with my iPod Nano and my Nike Hyperdunks. The job took three tries, but I finally made it work. It's amazing how much success one can have when directions are followed correctly.

As far as the Hyperdunks go, I think I need to break them in before I can give a complete assessment. I might need a workout or two to loosen them up. The fact that they need this treatment makes the shoe seem suspect. But I think my expectations are a little lofty for this particular model.

One of Michael Jordan's lasting contributions to basketball shoes and athletic shoes in general was his desire to use a basketball shoe right "out of the box," meaning you pull the shoes out of the box, lace them up and go without having to break them in. He lobbied Nike to manufacture their shoes with better materials. The belief was that better materials would perform better sooner. Jordan was right.

In the 1970s and 80s, shoes would take forever to break in, say two months or so. Because of Michael Jordan's demanding expectations, that period is down to a few workouts if any. I am so spoiled by this that I expect every athletic shoe to respond at a high level right out of the box. This is not the case with the Hyperdunk. It performs well at first wear, but it worked better on my second workout and even better on my third. The ankle rubbing problem doesn't show up when I'm moving forward, and honestly that's how the shoe should work. You're moving forward constantly during a basketball game. The Hyperdunk does what it is designed to do.

Like all basketball shoes, the Hyperdunk is a little clunky compared to a running shoe, but that's to be expected. The upside is, the Hyperdunk isn't as clunky or awkward as other basketball shoes. The shoe is certainly light, likely the lightest basketball high top on the market. I can't imagine a lighter shoe right now.

Since I haven't worn a basketball shoe in a few years, it's hard for me to compare and contrast the Hyperdunk to the rest of the offerings on the market now. I do think it stands up well against a lot of Air Jordans. Most likely, the Hyperdunk is better than a lot of them. I would certainly opt for a Hyperdunk over the Air Jordan XX3. The XX3's Considered design is a step forward, but I wasn't impressed with the overall feel of the shoe. It wasn't as comfortable as the XX2. And the hyperdunk has a more flexible upper and sole.

I still think the Air Jordan XIX might be the best basketball shoe I have ever worn. The XIX is much heavier and much stiffer than the Hyperdunk, but the XIX had the very best ankle support I have ever experienced in a basketball shoe, and the cushioning was tip-top quality. From an engineering standpoint, the XIX is still quite relevant when in a discussion about the best basketball shoes. I would wear another one of those for sure.