The Kobe series has long been one of my favorite signature lines in the basketball shoe industry. The first pair of basketball shoes that I bought on my own (when I was in middle school) was the Nike Kobe 1, the first signature shoe that Kobe Bryant created with Nike after leaving adidas. After that, I owned the 5s, 6s, 8s, 9s 10s and 11s…so it’s fair to say that I’m usually a fan of Kobe’s latest signature shoe. Because of this fact, the Nike Kobe A.D. Big Stage was one of the most disappointing basketball shoesthat I’ve ever played in.
I heard a lot of bad things about the Kobe A.D. For Sale before I even got my hands on them, and I tried not to let others’ opinions affect what I thought of the shoe while I weartested it. However, when it comes down to the performance of this shoe, what everyone had been saying was in fact true.
The simple way of putting it is that I didn’t enjoy playing in these shoes…ever. The traction was extremely inconsistent, the cushion system was subpar (and also very misleading with the fake Zoom etchings on the back), and the upper was stiff and uncomfortable. The only reasonably decent portion of the shoe was the support, as the stiff upper cradled my foot well and forced my heel into the heel counter. When it comes down to it, I will never wear the Kobe A.D. on the basketball shoes court again.
For the price point of $160, there are literally dozens of shoes available that not only outperform the Kobe A.D., but also cost a good deal less. Though you can likely now find the A.D. for reduced prices at outlets, I can’t recommend them to anyone who is looking for a solid pair of on-court kicks.
Thanks for checking out the Quick Kicks Performance Review of the Nike Kobe A.D. Let us know what your thoughts about the A.D. are in the comment section below, and stay tuned to kd10sale.com for future performance reviews.