Jordan VII

Lucky Number Slevin

Originally released in late 1991,the Jordan VII is a testament to spectacle that was Micheal Jordan.2ND NBA title,MVP,All NBA 1st team,All NBA defensive team,Olympic gold medal with the "Dream Team".Talk about busy,if this shoe review was to be based on historic moments alone,it would most certainly be right up there.It incorporated certain features of Huarache technology which made for optimized fit and weight.Heel and forefoot air units,and depending on the colorway,a number of full grain leather or synthetic uppers.Lets see if it was really the shoes...Oh yah,one more thing..Bugs Bunny wore them too...

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Note the Huarache inspired minimal upper

The Jordan VII features some aspects of Nike's Huarache technology which provides light weight comfort.As with most Huarache based shoes,the Jordan VII features a dynamic fit sleeve for optimal foot support and comfort.The upper is also designed to be as minimal as possible and doing away with excess material and making for a light shoe.The Huarache based elements make the shoe one of the more comfortable shoes just to wear.Much of the padding we are used to around the ankle area is gone.Instead the padding is provided by the dynamic fit sleeve that extends to the Achilles and two inserts in the ankle area.Unfortunately this also does away with alot of the shoe's ankle support.The lack of material in the ankle area doesn't do much for ankle support making it almost similar to a low top.

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The Jordan VII features a heel tab with Jordan's #23 and the Olympic version featured his Dream Team #9 jersey number

Cushioning is provided by heel and forefoot encapsulated air.While not responsive like Zoom air it still manages to provide excellent impact protection.The cushioning performed well on the concrete tile surface.The midsole provides additional support to keep the foot from moving side to side with phylon ridges that extend up the lateral and medial sides of the heel and forefoot.The fit sleeve and lacing system prevented any heel movement locking down my foot.The shoe runs true to size and was able to accommodate my wide foot without any discomfort.

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note the serrations in the solid rubber for maximum flexibility

Traction was surprisingly good.When I first got the shoe,I thought there was no way I was going to bring this to my notorious dirty concrete tile court.I got brave one day and was pleasantly surprised,although I had to constantly wipe the soles for optimal traction,when clean the traction is fairly good.While the shoe doesn't feature traditional herringbone pattern,it does feature plenty of surface area and a softer rubber compound to really dig into the playing surface area.The sole also has serrations in the forefoot to aid the shoe's flexibility without sacrificing surface area.

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note the cutouts in the ankle area as well as the dynamic fit sleeve.

Overall very very comfortable to wear.The shoe was fairly light and offers good impact protection.Unfortunately the shoe sacrificed ankle support for the lighter weight which wasn't anything mind blowing.Traction is good as long as you wipe the soles and for a shoe that was designed over 16 years ago it still performed reasonably well.

Comfort and Fit-4/5
Cushioning-3.5/5
Ankle Support-2/5
Traction-3/5
Overall-3/5

Ankle support is the shoe's biggest weakness,but even 16 years after it's release The Jordan VII still stands as one of the more comfortable Jordan's I have worn.Unfortunately the ankle support issues,older cushioning setup,constantly having to wipe the soles for traction make it hard to recommend for regular use on court but still good for the occasional run.And that's all folks!!!....sorry had to do it...