Jordan XIII

Black Cat

When looking for words to describe Michael Jordan's game,the words quick,agile and relentless come to mind.Hence his nickname "Black Cat".Like the large jungle cat it seemed as if Jordan would play games teasing his opponent before he would go in for the kill.The design of the Jordan XIII was inspired by the Black Panther,with the outsole mimicking the paws of a panther and the holograms on the heels being the piercing eyes in the jungle darkness.The Jordan 13's have always been a favorite of mine.I always just loved the design and simply just loved looking at them.Even before I knew what inspired the design there was an organic feel to them.The heel and forefoot zoom air coupled with a carbon fiber midsole gave me even more reason to love them.That being said lets see if this shoe performs like it's jungle counterpart or Garfield.

figure1
Note the beautiful profile of the shoe,you can really see the Panther inspired aspects of the shoe.As well as the rubber "pods" that add to the stability of the shoe.

Like the Black Panther,the shoe was designed for agility and speed.The midsole has strategically placed pods to aid the shoe when moving laterally and drives to the basket.Heel to toe transition is excellent with the outsole being segmented much like the big cat's paws.Traction was good on hardwood but only performed above average when put onto the dusty tile surface.I believe due to a lack of overall surface area of the outsole's herringbone pattern coming into contact with the floor.Stability is premium with this shoe with it's fairly wide base and rubber pods.The shoe is also cut fairly high.With the collar being asymmetrical.The medial side is higher than the lateral side to offer better support from the foot rolling over.Lacing the shoe to the top provides a secure fit.There is plenty of padding on the tongue so cinching in the laces wasn't a problem.The ankle area has plenty of padding and didn't experience any discomfort in the Achilles area.

figure2
note the segmented outsole which is meant to mimic the paw of a Black Panther.

figure3
a look at the asymmetrical collar for ankle support.

Cushioning is provided by heel and forefoot zoom air.It is responsive and low to the ground.It works well with the segmented outsole for excellent low profile and responsive cushioning giving great court feel.A carbon fiber midfoot shank provides support.

figure4
another view of the outsole and overall profile of the shoe

figure5
Another look at the 13's

Overall the shoe performed great.The high cut took me a little bit of getting used to.I would say my biggest gripe is that for a beautiful shoe it doesn't really age very well with the creasing.The midsole suede also bleeds onto the white pods and turns them a light shade of pink.A majority of the issues are strictly cosmetic.I would say a bit more traction without sacrificing the excellent flexibility of the outsole would make this shoe great.

Comfort and Fit-4/5
Cushioning-4/5
Ankle Support-4.5/5
Traction-3.5/5
Overall-4/5

Minor issues with the traction but as I've said in the past the shoe still performs reasonably well when compared to shoes designed nearly 10 years later.