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| One can argue that Lebron James’s signature sneaker line is parallel to his basketball skill set. It seems, with each passing year, ‘King James’ continues to get better and better; likewise, his latest shoe always seems to be better than his last. However, his sixth signature shoe, the Nike Zoom LeBron VI was a very quality sneaker performance-wise and makeup-wise. While each person is entitled to his/her opinion on style preference, could the Nike Air Max LeBron VII surpass the Zoom LeBron VI in performance capabilities?
During the LeBron James Innovation and Inspiration Summit, we got the chance to put the Air Max LeBron VII through an interactive wear-test session for 45 minutes to an hour at St. Vincent St. Mary’s High School (LeBron’s high school). There, James’s high school coach Dru Joyce took the attendees through specific drills and let us engage in short-stinted five on five games. Our previous performance reviews were created after playing in the specific shoe for weeks, however, after only playing in the Air Max LeBron VII for a short amount of time, we are still able to see what LeBron’s seventh signature shoe was all about.Check out more detailed shots of the Nike Air Max LeBron VII after the break as well as the performance review and score card on following pages. |
Nike Air Max LeBron VII Performance Review – George Kiel III
Strengths: When first sliding your foot into the Air Max LeBron VII, you automatically feel an extreme comfort level which is ideal for a basketball player. While we have heard some mouths skeptical of the Air Max technology instead of the Zoom attributes, one cannot argue the unmatched cushion attributes this shoe possesses. LeBron James himself described it best: “It’s as if you are walking on air.” The full-length 360 Max airbag meets the demands of a player who moves with extreme power by featuring such a respnsive feel. In other words, pertaining to its low-to-the-ground attributes, one is able to get off the ground (vertical response time) effortlessly. The Air Max LeBron VII contains a very ‘bouncy’ feel to it and does not weight you down at all. With that said, you can also give credit to lightweight capacity. The up-to-date flywire technology gives the sneaker an undoubtedly low ounce level, while also possessing extreme stability level from the forefoot to the heel. To sum things up, the Nike Air Max LeBron VII can successfully be worn by positions 1-5 on the hardwood. It contains a nice contrast of lightweight capacity with unmatched stability.
Weaknesses: You would have to dig very deep to find any obvious weaknesses on the Air Max LeBron VII. Matter of fact, it does not have weaknessess; it possesses areas that are questionable after many wears. Even LeBron stated, “I have wear-tested it while practicing, but I have not had the chance to full-fledge play in it on the NBA hardwood yet.” With that said, one question we all continue to debate is whether or not the flywire technology can withstand the rigors of an all-out war on the hardwood. Sure, the Hyperdunk, the Hyperize and the Zoom Kobe IV are without a doubt superb sneakers, however, it remains to be seen how they last over an extended period of time. Yet, after talking with Jason Petrie, the designer of the Air Max LeBron VII, we now know that flywire technology is evolving consistently and this particular sneaker contains additional, sturdy flywire features that the aforementioned shoes do not possess. In addition, there are not many perforations on the upper which can possibly be a problem of breathability over long stretches of game. However, name us a perfect sneaker and we will give you $1,000,000. Sorry, you cannot do it.
Overall, the Air Max LeBron VII is an unparalled sneaker and stands for everything that is ‘future’ at Nike. From the time we had the chance to play in it, this sneaker performs very well and provides the player with an advantage due to its extreme comfort, lightweight capacity and stability.
