Meet the LeBron James Innovation Center

With its cantilevered top floor, the LeBron James Innovation Center is an attention grabber; its boldness is a spectacle of Nike’s sport-research capabilities. On that floor, the Nike Sport Research Lab (NSRL) is reborn, housing the world’s largest motion-capture installation (400 cameras), 97 force plates, body-mapping equipment and so much more. In the words of Matthew Nurse, PhD, VP of the Nike Explore Team Sport Research Lab, “The NSRL is the epicenter of where we work with athletes of all abilities, all backgrounds, all skills and all sports.”

Some 40 years after its establishment in Exeter, New Hampshire, the NSRL continues to set the tone for performance breakthroughs. Within the LeBron James Innovation Center, the NSRL positions Nike for future decades of game-changing products and experiences for all athletes.

“Athletes can move here at full speed, full motion — they can just play,” says Dr Nurse.

By the Numbers

84,000

square feet dedicated to sport research

400

motion-capture cameras in the NSRL

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97

force plates in the NSRL Fieldhouse

825

pieces of testing equipment in the NSRL

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4

environmental chambers

80+

new prototyping machines

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The LeBron James Innovation Center is where listening to the voice of the athlete is made tangible. While athletes are observed, other people are at play too: prototyping, testing and, yes, creating the future. The goal is to understand unique needs and opportunities, contextualize challenges, and generate breakthroughs across the spectrum of play and movement in a variety of environments.

The new scope of the NSRL is fivefold the footprint of its predecessor. Facilities include a full-size basketball court, a 200-meter endurance track, a 100-meter straightaway, and an artificial-turf training pitch — all in service of capturing athletes in motion at full speed. Along with the force plates and motion-capture equipment mentioned above, a series of four advanced climate chambers mimic a variety of conditions. These advancements support an expansion of research and development that encompasses both mental and physical well-being.

“Our goal every single day is to make athletes better and to make the world better for athletes,” says Kathy Gomez, VP of Footwear Innovation. “Understanding more types of bodies, more genders, more backgrounds and different ability levels helps us create better and more specific max 2021.”

LeBron on the LeBron James Innovation Center

Asked what it means to have Nike’s Innovation Center named after him, LeBron James stated, “Over the course of my career and my time here at Nike, for all of this to come together is surreal. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense to me, but I’m definitely honored. Having my name on the Innovation building feels very fitting because I’m always trying to figure out ways I can continue to innovate and continue to break the timeline of what they say is your prime.”

 

An inside look at Nike’s new LeBron James Innovation Center

The insatiably curious community that works in the space allows for an intersecting mix of talent, from biomechanics researchers and robotics experts to computational designers and patent pros. In fact, the LeBron James Innovation Center is designed to facilitate collaboration and expeditious prototyping (created in under an hour).

“In the innovation space, we take information from the NSRL, and we are able to look at different ways to solve an athlete’s problem. It gets extremely interesting,” says Janett Nichol, VP of Apparel Innovation. “In a conventional way of building a product, we would just go straight to a material, get a pattern, sew it, and then that would be it. Here, we can go to anything from biology or chemistry to pushing the limits of a machine to create a very different experience with material.”

Once prototypes are made, capacity to test — and to adjust, test and repeat until an idea is solidified — is right there. It’s an undertaking informed by the scientific process.

“In the very beginning, we were a company for elite runners. We expanded to recreational runners, and then we got into other sports,” says Tom Clarke, President of Innovation. “At every step along the way, it’s been necessary to provide the research, and the scientific proof, that we’re making our products better.”

The Zoom Freak 3 is About Stretching Space to the Rim

The Zoom Freak 3 is built for creating space through radical downhill angles. The shoe’s tech supports the dominant physicality that defines Giannis Antetokounmpo’s style of play and helps to progress his Euro step, which the power forward uses to warp the distance between his body and the basket.

“One of the hallmarks of his athleticism is transferring energy quickly from leg to leg to maneuver his body through gaps,” says Ross Klein, Sr. Creative Director for Men’s Performance Footwear at Nike. “Giannis works his foot like a gas and brake. He also works all different angles of his foot as he’s driving to the basket, so we wanted to contour the design to fit the way he transitions from step to step.”

To that end, two Zoom Air max units under the ball of the foot help absorb energy and provide responsiveness. The set-up is low to the ground, which means the foot is in closer contact with the floor, leading to tight control for searing downhill attacks. The engineered upper helps keep Antetokounmpo’s foot contained, while the strap helps lock down the forefoot, making sure his center of gravity won’t slide over the footbed. The outsole takes inspiration from one of Nike basketball’s most recognizable traction patterns.

The black and purple Project 34 colorway and the orange Freak colorway of the Zoom Freak 3 releases globally July 1 and in North America in August.

Meet the Team Behind the Air Jordan XXXVI

 Learnings from the Air Jordan XXXIV and the Air Jordan XXXV led to the proposition behind the Air Jordan XXXVI, which combines the excellence of Jordan Brand product teams to achieve the many definitions of “light” and their effects on performance.[/caption]

With the Air Jordan XXXVI, Jordan Brand decided to shed materials — taking the learnings from doing just that in the Air Jordan XXXIV and XXXV — and see how far they could go. “Light” was the muse.

That muse unified teams of design specialists across the brand as they perfected the many definitions of the word. The Air Jordan XXXVI’s new features — a jacquard leno-weave upper, a full-length Zoom Air Strobel unit that’s double-stacked with a forefoot unit, a refined plate system — come from experts at Jordan Brand combining their specialties to make the best basketball shoe in the world.

“We want those who love the brand to see something that’s always been a part of our design legacy: the power of teamwork that goes on between a core group of folks to create product excellence,” says Martin Lotti, VP, Jordan Brand Design. “Jordan Brand is inspired by one man, but it’s carried into the future by many, many people who are experts in their field.”

By exploring three aspects of light, the Air Jordan XXXVI highlights the kind of

The Air Jordan XXXVI features a jacquard leno-weave material that composes the upper. Lightweight but also strong, the material bends and contours to provide support where it’s needed most.

Not only does the material help make a lightweight shoe for playing, the breathable leno-weave presents a see-through aesthetic that allows light and colors to shine through.

“Within the basketball landscape, we wanted to create a new language for light,” says Jacqueline Lefferts, Jordan Brand Lead Materials Designer. “We asked ourselves, What does light look like? It’s a product of the upper’s weight, but it’s also a trait of the upper itself in that light is a defining quality.”

What is Leno-Weave?

Leno-weave is a pattern of weaving that twists two warp yarns (“warp” is the lengthwise yarn) around the weft yarn (“weft” is the perpendicular yarn that move under-and-over the pattern). The resulting fabric is strong, lightweight, and adaptable to all kinds of shapes.

In basketball, lightweight on its own isn’t enough to create game-separating movement. Lightweight has to combine with a feeling or a sound — a pop that returns the force a player puts into the court.

A familiar sight, the multidirectional herringbone outsole pattern provides best-in-class traction to help players’ quickness, change of direction and control. What’s new underfoot is a full-length Zoom Strobel unit (you can see it through the heel window) with an additional forefoot zoom unit for an extra pop of responsiveness.

The Air Jordan XXXVI cushioning set-up is the most Zoom Air coverage that Jordan Brand has put into a signature shoe. A full-length Zoom Air Strobel unit is stitched directly to the upper, sitting above another forefoot Zoom Air unit for an extra burst of responsiveness. The multi-directional traction pattern is the ideal base to initiate that quickness, change of direction and control.

“One trend we noticed in the nike air max 2021 is how lightweight is typically described as a performance feature, which has been heavily marketed as ball handling and foot-to-court movement. All that is a fundamental part of the game, but the origins of the Jordan Brand were about tapping into the time off the floor, the hangtime, the flight,” says Chad Troyer, Jordan Brand Senior PLM. “In bringing in the Zoom Strobel and adding another Zoom unit beneath that, we were working toward that ‘pop’ for players so they can get of the floor quickly.”

The definition of “light” also relates to designing for the athleticism of Jordan Brand’s young roster. Players like Satou Sabally, Jayson Tatum, Kia Nurse, Luka Dončić and Zion Williamson are impossibly powerful and graceful at once, so they need game shoes that fit their athleticism, using every subtracted ounce of weight to their advantage. Even the sockliner of the Air Jordan XXXVI is perforated to remove weight and help the foot be in closer contact with the Zoom Air Strobel.

“The Jordan Brand Design team really did their thing,” says Satou Sabally, forward for the Dallas Wings. “The 36 is amazing. It’s super light. When you pick it up, you don’t just feel it — you see it. I knew from the minute I put it on that it’s going to be fun to play in.”

Filtered throughout the shoe’s design is Michael Jordan’s transcendent influence on basketball culture. The team shifted away from exposing the Zoom bags, a repeated trait from the Air Jordan XXXIV and XXXV, and enclosed them to connect a foam ribbon design through the midsole. The change was also meant to resemble an infinity symbol — you can trace the pattern across the midsole and never pick up your finger. The design still creates a functional kinetic system in the same way that Jordan Brand’s Flight Plate and Eclipse Plate did. That is, the heel helps protect against impact, while the force is loaded through the plate and launched into the forefoot. But the design was also meant to symbolize Michael Jordan’s infinite influence across the sport and beyond.

“We weren’t focused on exposing the bags anymore. We wanted to connect the ribbon and cover up the plate system,” says Tate Keurbis, Jordan Brand Footwear Designer. “In doing so, we brought in subtle details from the Air Jordan VI and created a tooling that conveys Michael’s lasting influence in worldwide culture.”

The Eclipse Plate from the previous two Air Jordan models is hollowed out between the outsole and midsole in the Air Jordan XXXVI to help reduce weight and expose the shoe’s stabilizing shank.

Other details are inspired by the silhouette’s muse in the line, the Air Jordan VI. A lace cover, cutouts on the outsole, and embellishments on the heel are tributes to the shoe in which Michael Jordan won his first title.

King of the Court: Lebron XIII vs Rose 6 vs Curry Two

I started writing a performance review on the Lebron XIII and frankly I got bored. Dunk and Nightwing really hit it on the head so I decided to do a comparison review between these three great performers. Here are my original reviews for the Rose 6 and Curry Two

Sizing Advice

I bought an 11 in all pairs

Curry Two: True to size, a little shorter in the toe box vs Curry One. Can go up half size if you want more space in the toe box

Rose 6: True to size or half size down depending on preference. Slightly longer in the toe box so I could fit true to size and half size down

Lebron XIII: True to size although it looks longer then normal ( same sizing as XII). I can see some people going down half size but not up.

Weight

1. Curry Two: 14 oz
2. Lebron XIII: 16 oz
3. Rose 6: 17 oz

No surprises here. The Curry Two features Speedform and is sparsely padded, thus the light weight. If you want some extra plush padding go Rose 6 or Lebron XIII for a decent amount.

Traction

1. Curry Two
2. Lebron XIII
3. Rose 6

The Curry Two traction is just plain awesome. No need to wipe, just sticks to the floor. In almost any other year, the Lebron and Rose would probably be tops but the Curry Two traction is just perfect.

I was as surprised by the Jordans 2021 traction as everyone else. I found the previous four (9-12) very average/meh except for the X. I hope that from here on out Nike makes Lebron’s traction work for us average joes that slum it on dusty floors. It worked surprisingly well even on dusty floors thanks to a soft rubber compound. Translucent outsoles aren’t bad like everyone believes.

The Rose 6 traction didn’t surprise me despite its looks because almost every Rose shoe has had excellent traction.. Although the splatter design of the Rose 2 wasn’t that great.

Cushioning

1. Rose 6
2. Lebron XIII
3. Curry Two

The ranking above also coincides with how firm they play with the Rose 6 being the softest.

From heel to toe, the Rose 6 is buttery smooth and pushes back on each step while absorbing all the impact. I love Boost and when it is done right like this, it is amazing.

The Lebron XIII is what I expected the XII to feel like. Big 13mm Zoom at the forefoot and heel really made a difference. Of course there is only one that big in the forefoot but beggars can’t be choosers.

Below: comparison of XII and XIII. I think there is a Zoom Air limit; increase forefoot to 13 mm but take away two Zoom units (top two units aren’t Zoom) to make up for the increase. Oh and shrink the heel’s coverage too.

I could feel the bounce from the get go even if it was only one pod. I didn’t  really enjoy the segmentation of the Hex Zoom. They are spaced further apart this time so they don’t feel as seamless as last year. I do not like the Zoom protrusion either but during a game it isn’t really noticeable unless you’re actually thinking about it. It does wobble a bit at the heel if you’re just standing though. I’m pleased to say the overall clunkiness I felt with the XII is gone though.

The Curry Two set up is full length Charged and feels good overall, much better than the Curry One. This set up is firmer than the Lebron and Rose with less bounce and feedback. I still prefer Micro G but this Charged set up is a great too.

In terms of ride height, the Curry Two easily sits the lowest while the Lebron and Rose sit about the same height.

Fit

1. Curry Two
2. Rose 6 with my mod
3. Lebron XIII
4. Rose 6 stock set up

The Curry Two just fit like a sock for me.  I usually don’t like minimal uppers but the Speedform/synthetic upper just worked for me. Some break in time is needed for the synthetic to loosen up but that’s about it. I’ve read some about some Achilles rubbing but I never had that issue.

The Rose 6 was good from the get go for me. I did make an extra eyelet because I felt lockdown could be better though.

Some people may not feel it’s necessary but that’s why our ankles and feet aren’t all the same size and shape. I found my mod effective and really improved lockdown.

The Lebron XIII fit like a sock as well and it should considering it only has one seam and the tongue is stitched in as well (medial side)

If you break a lace please let me know how you relaced. The laces that go through the Posite are  covered underneath. The Posite piece sort of helps with midfoot lock down but I think it’s really the extra thick Fuse that it is on top of that holds the midfoot down.
It looks a little long on foot but I still had my ideal finger width at the toe box. The extra height of the ankle collar didn’t bother me either but I did manage to loosen the laces with my lower calves due to the high cut of the shoe.

Stability 

1. Curry Two
2. Rose 6
3. Lebron XIII

I decided to separate “Support and Stability” because I think they are two different things and deserve to be ranked separately. Normally I put them together since they are working in tandem. If a shoe is stable, it usually doesn’t need much support. And if a shoe has a lot of support, you hope the shoe is at least decently stable so you don’t need all that help.

I found the Curry Two to be outstanding in terms of overall stability. I had a hard time trying to tip them with my heel test. I also think the firmer cushioning set up and outrigger help the shoe become very stable while not being restrictive.

The Rose 6 is also very stable due to a side flat outsole, X torsion bar  and umm, errr, well, a Stable Frame.

Had the 6 not had all these parts in place, all that Boost would have been too plush and unstable.

The Kyrie 8 is also stable overall thanks to outriggers everywhere and would feel even more stable if the Zoom wasn’t sticking out.

It’s also much wider at the forefoot than the XII

Support 

1. Lebron XIII
2. Rose 6
3. Curry 2

None of these three shoes have extensive support. That higher cut of the Lebron XIII looks like it would help but the cut itself doesn’t do much since it is so flexible. The Hyperposite does add a little stiffness and structure but it isn’t going to save anyone’s ankles either.

The Rose 6 looks supportive as well due to the cage but in reality this straps are there for lacing purpose and aren’t stiff enough or oriented in a way to prevent or limit an ankle injury.
The best support feature in my opinion is the asymmetrical collar
I loved this on the AJ XIV and I love this on the Rose 6 now as well. When you turn you’re able the higher cut will slow down the inversion so hopefully the sprain won’t be as severe.

The Curry Two is ultra stable so no real support system outside of fit and the external heel counter is needed.

All three have midfoot shanks of some sort as well as heel counters to control the heel.
Containment 

1. Curry Two
2. Lebron XIII
3. Rose 6

Changing directions and sudden starts/stops laterally (i.e. Crossovers, defensive slides) is where I feel containment matters most. All three shoes do an excellent job with this so you can’t go wrong with any of these. I felt the Curry Two did a minutely better job than the other two due to the extended midsole rails and less elastic synthetic toe box. The Lebron XIII has extra fuse layers as well as an extended higher midsole to hell keep the foot contained.

You can see how much thicker the fuse is around the forefoot. It has to be 2-3 times thicker than the rest of the upper.

The foot actually sits right at the tip of that peak so that the midsole forms a nice little bucket just like the Rose 5.

Imagine the force a shoe takes with a 260 lb freight train like Lebron. I still think he did not like the XI because of the drop in insole pinching between the upper on cuts and slides (contrary to the foot pain excuse )

The Rose 6 went with a lower midsole bucket than last year but still kept the great containment due to a non stretchy upper.
Price

Before coupon codes

1. Curry Two: $130
2. Rose 6: $140
3. Lebron XIII: $200

After

1. Rose 6: $98 to $112
2. Curry Two: $130 (not allowed yet)
3. Lebron XIII $160

*adidas.com 30% code HOOSIERS was working for me yesterday, 11/5*

If you leave out price out of the equation, you must have a lot of money. Don’t know about you but I try to maximize the bang for my buck, especially on a depreciable item like shoes. Regardless of discounts, the Lebron XIII is easily the most expensive. All performance aspects being fairly equal, I’d go with the cheaper ones options unless you’re a huge LBJ fan or need a swoosh to validate yourself  (I’m not a fan of the XIII’s looks at all)

Conclusion

The big three shoe companies (I guess ? Owning less than 5% isn’t really equal footing) really came out strong this year with their top sig shoes.  As you may have read my earlier reviews, both the Curry Two and Rose 6 made it into my ongoing top 3 rotation because they just do everything well and they also excel in traction and cushioning respectively. Personally, if a shoe doesn’t have great traction, it stands no chance in making my rotation because I hate wasting energy trying to stop and change directions while sliding on dusty floors. The Curry Two traction just sticks on anything and I love it. If traction is what’s most important to you as well,get the Curry Two.

The Rose 6 just feels great thanks to a boost in Boost. I can’t say enough about how good it feels from heel to toe. If you love an exceptional cushioning set up, get the Rose 6.

As for the Lebron XIII, I feel it is an excellent shoe but it doesn’t do anything any better than the Curry Two or Rose 6 and nothing stands out to me other than the Hyperposite Clover and the price tag. I will say it is a far better, more natural feeling shoe than the XII and like Lebron, it does everything well. I’d still take my Soldier VI or Soldier IX over these though. Might have less tech, but they are much cheaper in price and perform better.

I hope this comparison helps in deciding which shoe to go with. Feel free to ask questions as always in the comments section

Thanks for reading !

Nike LeBron 17 Low Review Better Once Again?

A $40 decrease in price will get you the most changes in the entire history of the LeBron low iterations. But are all of those changes worth it?

This is the Nike LeBron 17 Low performance review. Let’s get it!

 

WEIGHT: 386.9 g. / 13.65 oz

TECH: MAX AIR, REACT

TYPE: LOW-TOP

COLORWAYS: 2+

FIT: TRUE TO SIZE

RETAIL PRICE: $160

BD RATING: 8.8/10

MATERIALS

KnitPosite out. The mesh/synthetic leather combo in.

The new generation knit setup on the original Dunk had to be one of the best feeling & performing uppers in the entire existence. That’s just my opinion.

Nonetheless, this main mesh bootie with synthetic leather side panels is something you wouldn’t call “a budget tear” setup at any rate. The build quality is still there, matching the price point, exactly how a signature sneaker should be. Same goes for the performance as you won’t be missing any of the main features.

The break-in process was fairly quick & unpainful too. However, that supreme one-to-one fit and overall ability to accommodate your foot in no time were definitely missed in the lows. But if you’re upgrading from the LeBron 16 or lower, or if you’re a new guy to the line, you shouldn’t be missing any of that.

CUSHION

The heel section is what makes us – cushion lovers – scream like little girls in Ed Sheeran’s concert. In other words, the Max Air craziness stayed untouched in the off-white x jordan 2. On the other end, how it should be for a low-top version, the forefoot cushion tooling went more guard-oriented. Well, it tried to…

Taking away the spot from Zoom Air, React is something I didn’t mind getting in exchange. It’s that true React experience, similar to what we can find in running shoes, which is exciting news for our cushion lovers.

The forefoot still remains heavily packed with impact protection. And if the amount of plushness in the forefoot on the original version wasn’t enough – the lows should leave you completely satisfied. Yet, for that, you will sacrifice a bit of responsiveness, which made the front end play a tad slower. That’s why I would prefer sticking with the Zoom Air setup on the original pair.

But, hey, how about guard-focused performance?? Well, maybe next time, folks.

TRACTION

Following the same situation found in the cushion department, the traction pattern only receives pattern changes in the forefoot. Due to the appearance of React foam, the platform went from being articulated to completely flat in the low version.

Bigger surface coverage, means better grip? Theoretically, yes, but I couldn’t feel any tangible difference comparing both of the versions once hitting the court. But it’s all right, though. The traction was already beastly.

Dust was never a problem since the dust collection was rather minimal, therefore wiping is something that can be neglected to still have that beastly performance.

FIT

Following the same situation found in the cushion department, the traction pattern only receives pattern changes in the forefoot. Due to the appearance of React foam, the platform went from being articulated to completely flat in the low version.

Bigger surface coverage, means better grip? Theoretically, yes, but I couldn’t feel any tangible difference comparing both of the versions once hitting the court. But it’s all right, though. The traction was already beastly.

Dust was never a problem since the dust collection was rather minimal, therefore wiping is something that can be neglected to still have that beastly performance.

SUPPORT

Nothing was taken or added in this category. All of the main support components featured on the Kyrie 8 can be found on the Lows as well. That also transfers onto the hardwood as I didn’t find any area of the shoe to be lacking stability or containment.

For lateral support you do have leather panels on top and two outriggers down below. So even though you sit quite high off the ground, busting of the footbed was not a concern. While the internal heel counter in conjunction with that fancy lacing system does ensure your foot is completely locked in place.

OVERALL

The Jordans 2021 with its $30 lower price tag will not take away any of the main features found in the original version. A few small changes like updated cushion setup or different material choices, although, make the difference in the specification sheet, the performance outcome was kept somewhat identical.

One thing for sure, this is way far from a guard-focused on-court performer. Unless you’re one of those retired dudes who are trying their best to keep their knees and the rest of their bones alive.

Other than that, this is a shoe for those who want an all-around performance, and that crazy amount of cushion in a smaller, lighter form factor.