Yawn…anything good out there? As I finish up catching up with the entire Kobe line, I figured I might as well finally get around to these. I did not buy the Elite IX simply because I don’t like looking like I’m wearing snow boots. I’ll try to get to the VII soon which is not nearly as bad as some people make them out to be.
Pros: traction, firmer and more refined Lunarlon cushioning, fit, containment
Cons: little midfoot support , does not pass my tippiness test (3rd degree sprain back in the day with these but that’s me and my gait)
Best for: guards who value traction and a nice balanced cushioning set up
Weight
13 ounce which is about average for today’s standards.
Traction
Errr yea these are awesome 24/7
That’s all, that’s why I always use it a lot as a measuring stick for my other shoes. Soft pliable rubber than doesn’t pick up a ton of dust? Sign me up!!
Cushioning
I’m not a fan of drop ins as you well know but at least Nike has improved and removed most of the more bothersome aspects of the drop ins over the years. My main complaint has been low walls that allow my foot to pinch between the upper and insole and Nike started to raise the walls with the IX. Can it keep a caravan out ? I doubt it #politics
The IX feels slightly firmer then the Kobe VIII and don’t have that squeakiness that I always encountered in the Kobe 8. Like all Lunarlon, it doesn’t keep that springy feeling that long but since it is a drop in you don’t quite notice the drop off as much since there isn’t a strobel board between the cushioning and your foot.
Overall it is what it is which is not my favorite set up but it works fine.
Fit
Like the Harden V1 to V3 the Kobe 9 just fits a little better than the 8. Everything is slightly tighter from heel to toe and I love how the heel is ultra locked in with the 9. The Achilles and ankle collar just clamps the heel in like it’s supposed to. Simple no frills lacing just works. Simple works, it’s that easy folks.
Materials
These are engineered mesh and it works. Reinforcement on high pressure areas yet flexible where needed. Nothing fancy at all at the $140 price point. Amazing thst Nike hasn’t moved the Kobe price point even more although they have move it $20 bucks here and there. But as history shows us, no sig player on court equals slower sales. Never mind I just answered my own question.
Support and Stabilty
Support is fine since these are lows with and excellent heel fit and very firm heel counter.
Midfoot support is okay but comes solely from the insole like a lot of other drop in insoles shoes
Stabilty in the heel however killed this shoe for me and I should have never even bothered since I have a thing with tippy shoes in the heel.
The outsole isn’t that rounded but it’s rounded just enough at exactly the wrong place. I went up for a rebound got pushed in the air landed on my heel and that’s all she wrote for 6 weeks. Perfect landing don’t hurt, it’s the not so perfect ones you gotta look out for.
As I’ve said before that’s just me and my wanky ankles and gait. Plenty of people have used these with no issues but I can’t do rounded heels. At least the forefoot is nice and flat with an outrigger.
So close to being acceptable stability wise yet so far. I don’t want to ever sit again for 6-8 weeks. I almost threw up because of the pain. Thanks Lebron X and Kobe IX for teaching me a painful yet helpful lesson with my shoe selection.
Containment
Zero issues here. The entire foot sits below the grey raised midsole
Conclusion
I can see why players love the Kobe IX and I definitely would have as well if not for the outsole and the bad mojo I had with the shoe. Fantastic traction, great fit, and nice balanced cushioning are all things I love but that damn heel just kept me from wearing them.
As far as where this ranks in the Kobe line, I’d say it is a top 5 Kobe if not for my own ankle issues. Personally I’d still take the IV, VI, I and probably the NXT and AD Mid ahead of these because they all gave me excellent traction and cushioning without fear of turning my ankle. The 8 is up there and the Exodus would be there as well but it’s a little more rounded (not as bad as these) than I’d prefer. (But sleep some more on the Exodus and wake up to grab them on the cheap the next few months). Actually I can’t really say any Kobe is bad, they just have outliers that play a little stiffer than the rest of the Kobe line and get sht on for being different. Want a low top with almost zero chance of heel slip and great traction with nice court feel and cushioning without worrying about sizing?
K O B E
Kobe 8 or 9?
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Kobe 8 only bc of the tippy heel of the 9. Otherwise I’d go 9 if I didn’t have that issue
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I tore my acl in these. Same color tooI
Wish I’d sprained my ankle instead 😦
They were fun to play in but the mid-foot support sucked really bad for me.
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Yikes! Yea I’d never even touch the shoe again after that bad mojo lol
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I threw them DEEP into the trash.
I usually donate my shoes but NOT those lol.
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Lol
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I also think the drop ins contributed to Kobe’s Achilles tear – they just compress too rapidly in the heal without the caging or strobel board. I would say these shoes are great but a little overrated – my mamba instinct 2’s are a little better overall (outside of the traction of course). I also didnt think the fit was great in these but the extra space allowed me to put a LeBron 11 drop in anyways so that was a good thing, lol.
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It’s possible but who knows. Probably more to do with age .
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Hi Schwollo, long time lurker first time commenter lol. Been looking forward to this review because I love the Kobe 9’s performance (specifically the elite lows) but its unfortunate to hear you didn’t have such a great time. I’ve been looking at a lot of the older performance shoes that got great ratings a few years back but I didn’t have enough money to buy, and so I wanted to ask if you ever played in the Melo M10? Thank you for the awesome reviews!!!
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Thanks ! I’ve never played in the m10 since I had the aj xx8. From what I recall they play very similar to the xx8 but stiffer materials which may or may not be a good thing depending on your preferences. Not sure if they had the air pocket pop like the xx8 either. Sorry couldn’t be more help with these !
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I love your reviews bro, but can you review the puma clyde court disrupt? thanks ahead of time!
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Waiting for heavy discounts on those . Not really that interested in them
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Schwollo what does bottoming on mean? And what boost models bottom out for you?
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When it feels like your foot is actually hitting the ground or a hard spot. Just doesn’t feel plush or cushioned. Adidas crazy explosives
Bottomed out on me in the forefoot bc of the cut out portion in the forefoot.
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Not related to these Kobes at all but did you see they brought back the And1 Tai Chis?
I had to pick up the white/red pair just because of the nostalgia factor.
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Yep saw that!
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No Rose 9? Drose having great season playing in it.
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I’ll wait for Marshall’s and Ross . It ain’t the shoes that are making his season he put in the work .
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I’ve bought 5 pairs of Kobe 9’s just because it has the GOAT traction lol.
Also kinda off topic sry, but was wondering if you knew of some low top and high top shoes with some of the thickest forefoot cushioning?
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Lol that’s a good reason to stock up
Kd xi is thick rose 6 LeBron xvi xv crazylight 16 18 pretty thick too .
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Thanks
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what happened to the AJ10 review that I just saw a couple hours ago
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It got published on accident haha will repost soon
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This is the only Kobe model I have left in my current collection (except for the Kobe V sitting somewhere in my parents house back in Malaysia). I own the Elite version with flyknit and carbon fibre, though I am not too sure if Flyknit made a difference to the performance of this shoe. I remember how most were skeptical over the ‘foot mapping’ traction (is that what they’re called?” or is it “topography” ), they they work real well! In hindsight, the 9 was quite easy to get, as they released so many versions (high, EM, Elite). Wish I got the Purple Elites. Those were fire. Peace…
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Haha yep traction is fantastic with these. The rubber and the thickness of the pattern is perfect. Wish I didn’t have wobbly ankles
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I think these would be so much nicer if the insole had zoom bags (swap in the lebron insoles) or if the wasn’t a drop-in midsole. any chance you’ll be doing a review on the PUMA Clyde Court Disrupt?
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Not sure if I am going to . Not really that interesting to me and I hate that they are playing the fake sellout game already . Just waiting for better prices.
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Is the Kobe 1 traction better than the Kobe 9’s traction?
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No Kobe ix is better but not by much
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Is the Kobe 9’s traction better than the Kobe 8s? And what Kobe has the best traction?
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Kobe ix has the best
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Retail for Kobe 9 EMs was $160 just a heads up. Kobe 8’s retailed for $140.
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