Floppy Divac's Basketball Shoe Reviews

Dissecting a basketball shoe...rubber parts and cheap labor

I always wondered what exactly are the parts of a basketball shoe when I was young. I've even take apart a few shoes here and there just for fun.Well, I'll give you a quick overview on the three basic parts that comprise your typical basketball shoe.

Upper

• The upper is the "upper portion" of the shoe and comprises most of what you see in a shoe. It is everything that you see on the outside minus the outsole. The upper can generally be categorized as high-top, mid-top, or low-top, depending on much support you prefer. Materials can range from leather to synthetic (most common). An excellent fit is synonymous with a "snug" upper.

Midsole

• This is portion of your shoe that exists for the purpose of shock absorption and stress reducer. As a kid, I always admired the shoes with the coolest, largest gel midsoles. I always thought that it would make me jump higher, but all it really did was make reduce the amount of money in my college savings fund. The cushioning material (and its quality) typically depends on the particular brand and style of basketball shoes.

Outsole

• This is the bottom of the shoe (usually made of rubber). This is something that's commonly looked over and neglected, as it is very important in providing traction on the basketball court. A worn-out outsole is an ankle injury waiting to happen. The outsole is mostly flat and consists of various design patterns that give you unique footprints on a sandy beach.

Reebok Above the Rime (ATR) The Pump Basketball Shoe Review

(A quick and dirty synopsis is at the bottom of this section for those of you with short attention spans. Click on the thumbnails for full-sized images of the shoe.)
 

Here it is, ladies and gentleman. My very first basketball shoe review. Since it's my very first review, I have to choose a special shoe. You know that one shoe that you love so much that you need several pairs of it just in case you lose one or break one? Yup. This is it. I actually bought 4 pairs of Reebok's ATR (Above the Rim) The Pump basketball shoes simply because I think it's an intelligently designed pair of basketball shoes. 

Comfortability/Fit: The pump was designed to ensure a "perfect" fit for your feet. Unfortunately, I don't really notice the difference when it's fully pumped or not. I think it's all psychologically. Luckily, even without the pump, these shoes are as comfortable as the  other side of your pillow. I've used this shoe for years now so I know what I'm talking about.It is also pretty lightweight (approximately 1lb or 16oz). They don't feel heavy at all, as I can move around pretty quickly in these shoes with an adequate hint of breathability. 

score: 18/20

Safety/Support/Stability: This is the category where I believe the shoe really shines. In the 2+ years that I've played in these shoes, I have not sprained my ankle severely in these shoes (knock on virtual wood). I even had some guy tell me that those Reebok's saved my life after I had a nasty one-legged fall after being fouled on my way to the basket. The velcro strap lacing system actually provides a good amount of ankle support (more than your average mid-cut basketball shoes).

score: 18/20

Durability: In terms of durability, this shoe holds up relatively well compared to other basketball shoes I've worn in the past. The lacing system and velcro strap still works surprisingly after repeated abuse. However, I doubt the pump works anymore; I can barely hear the hissing sound after I press the release valve. An important thing I noticed getting worn down is the sole of the shoe. Like with any other shoe, the soles eventually get worn out and you feel like you're sliding all over the wooden floor of the basketball court.

score: 15/20

Style: I've received several compliments on the courts about my shoes. Almost everyone recognizes the "Pump" shoe with a huge Reebok logo. I remember those old-school commercials and slam dunk contests where the player pumps his shoe repeatedly before the dunk. The shoe design is pretty clean and basic. The various color combinations that this shoe comes in are all pleasing to the eye.

score: 15/20

Value: Pricewise, I got a pretty good deal on these shoes while it was on sale (which is why i bought 4 of these in the first place). It should cost around $50 or so. I'll post a link if I can find a reputable seller online that still stocks this pair of Reebok ATR the Pump Shoes.

score: 19/20

Pros:

• Excellent ankle support
• Lightweight, relatively durable
• Good value for its price

Cons: 

• Pump seems to be a gimmick (does not add to fit/comfort). And no, it will not make you jump higher.

Final grade:  B (85%)
Reebok ATR The Pump

The perfect basketball shoe: Grading Scale

Here are some factors that I like to take into consideration when reviewing basketball shoes:

Comfortability/Fit (20/20)

• One of the most important factors. What is the point of spending $100+ on a pair of shoes if they’re not even comfortable? I don’t care if your favorite player wears that particular pair of shoes. Your favorite player’s feet and body build are different than yours. This is one of the reasons why I hated having “team” basketball shoes when I was playing high school ball. During my junior year, the Nike shoes we ended up with were made of a weird, surprisingly heavy foamy material that was stiff and lacked ankle support.

• How “breathable” are the shoes? Will your shoes smell like a gas station bathroom after you’ve been shooting around for 30 minutes?

Safety/Support/Stability (SSS) (20/20)

• Now that you invested all that money in your shoes. The important question is: Will your ankles shatter the moment someone unleashes a nasty crossover on you?  I normally play shooting guard/point guard so I prefer lightweight shoes with adequate ankle support (mid-level cuts are my preference). I’ve seen countless people playing ball with New Balance running shoes. Well, not surprisingly, thirty minutes later, I see them on the ground, writhing in pain and clutching their ankles while someone gets him an icepack.

• One commonly overlooked aspect of a basketball shoe is the shoelace. I can’t count the number of times that I had to lace up my shoelaces because they were repeatedly unwound or because I couldn’t find a nice snugness in the lacing system. You know…the type of snugness that isn’t too tight or too loose…it’s just so perfect when you run up and down the court.

• Cushioning is also very important. Some of you young’uns out there may not realize this, but repeatedly sprinting and jumping around will give your knees and ankles quite a beating. This is coming from a guy who just recently had knee surgery to remove a torn meniscus (thank God it wasn’t a torn ACL). Cushioning is especially important if you frequently play on concrete, outdoor basketball courts. Ever wonder why whenever you play against one of the old ballers out there that they don’t seem to elevate much in their jump shots and prefer set shots? Well, it hurts like hell after they land from a jump.

Durability (20/20)

•  Now you gotta worry about the durability of your shoes. How long will it last? The soles of your shoes are bound to wear out eventually. Just ask anyone who’s wearing shoes with worn-out soles. They seem to be constantly rubbing the dirt off their soles during a game so they won’t slip and fall. Heavy emphasis is placed on the quality of the materials that the shoe is made of. Even though most prominent basketball shoes are made in China, not all of them are made of equal quality.
  

 Style (20/20)

• A playa’s gotta look good especially when he’s shooting the J, right? Make sure your shoes razzle and dazzle so that other players remember you for your slick shoes rather than your lack of ball handling skills. Do your shoes make you stand out on the court because they’re so damn cool or because they’re butt ugly? Don’t hate the playa. Hate the shoes. 

Value (20/20)

• This category can be thrown out if you have a lot of money (or rich parents). But in these tough economic times, we have to learn how to spend our stimulus package money wisely. Did you get your money’s worth on this pair of basketball shoes? You need to decide wisely before you invest your hard-earned money on a pair of basketball shoes. This is where I come in and help you decide which shoes are superb and which are just plain rubbish.  

For all you math geniuses out there, everything adds up to 100. So my grading scale should be familiar to all of you out there smart enough to have stayed in school.

A+97-100%, A 94-96%, A-  90-93%

B+ 87-89%, B 84-86%, B- 80-83%

C+ 77-79%, C 74-76%, C- 70-73%

D+ 67-69%, D 64-66%, D- 60-63%

F <60%

You never forget your first time...Floppy Divac's first pair of basketball shoes

Hello everyone,

First off, I would like to thank you personally for visiting this website. My name is Floppy Divac, and I am one of the most misunderstood basketball players in NBA history. Few people actually appreciate the art of the "flop". In Europe, I am a hero for flopping is commonly used in the world's most popular sport, soccer. Players like Shaq used to hate floppers, but he recently flopped against Dwight Howard so I guess he's coming around.

I just want to give a brief history about myself. I've been playing basketball since the 4th grade. I still remember my VERY first basketball practice. We were lined up in anticipation of doing a standard layup drill. This is my 1st attempt at a layup. My heart pounded heavily as it was almost my turn to do a layup. During the course of this one sequence, I manged to travel, double dribble, and carry the ball while charging full steam towards the basket. I jumped and threw the ball up in the air, as the ball bounced off the bottom corner of the backboard and richoted into my beloved face. I tried to walk it off like nothing happened, but the damage to my ego was done. In my defense, this happened in an outdoor basketball court so it was REALLY bright.

I still remember the very first pair of basketball shoes that I ever got. Recognize the picture on the right? It's one of Shaq's Reebok old-school shoes. And no, I couldn't afford to buy my own pair of fancy basketball shoes so I had to settle for a pair of knockoff Shaq-branded shoes that my sister bought for me in a  Korean shoe store.

I am dedicating this site exclusively for the sole purpose of reviewing basketball shoes on a frequent basis. I always remembered the frustrations of finding good reviews on basketball shoes online. The sites were usually cluttered with crap or updated every 6 months. Well, I'm going to try to change all of that. I'll try to review basketball shoes that I have tested on and off the courts. I'll evaluate the quality, build, and durability of the shoes. Because of budgeting concerns, I'm going to have limit the types of basketball shoes that I will be reviewing. In other words, sorry no $100-$200 Air Jordan XXXX shoes will be reviewed initially.

Spread the word. Floppy Divac is back and on a rampage. Feel free to email me with any feedback/suggestions. Sorry for the following links below. I'm trying to boost the ranking of this site.

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