Air Zoom '95
Remember these? I had them when I was 13, which I guess was ages ago now, but I remember them being the best basketball shoes I’d ever had. They were even better than the Zoom ’95s, which was a tall order.
Last month I was hanging out in Santa Monica and I wandered into Foot Locker. I was thrilled when I saw these on the shelf, and even more thrilled when I saw that they had the ever elusive size 13 available for me. I snatched them up (along with the ’95s, incidentally) and promptly wore them on the court.
First possession, and, woah, disappointment. They slid all over the place, they felt all clunky, and they didn’t provide very much support. Those laces, man, what were they thinking? They’re like dental floss holding the entire integrity of the shoe together.
One thing I will say for this shoe however, is that they still look great. Nike really had some great years between 1994 and 1997 where they were just churning out magnificent footwear. All of the Zooms are great. All of the Max’ are great. And the Jordans as well. Almost any shoe retro released from this period sells like gangbusters. I’ll probably either archive these shoes or stick to wearing them on the street.
Style: 9/10
Performance: 4/10
Comfort: 7/10
Overall: 6.7/10