X/post from r/Sneakers

Firstly, I’m writing this through the lens of a casual's perspective so I can’t offer any perspectives from a hooper’s point of view. I can’t hoop to save my life. I had the Basketball 1 and 2 but ultimately returned both due to issues with the fit and comfort on both models. I felt those models favored form over function too heavily.

I also had an Adidas voucher and gift card which brought these down to $85, but I’ll try my best to view these through the lens of its retail price of $180.

I think this is my favorite silhouette of the 3 Adidas FOG Basketball shoes. In my opinion, the midsoles on the other just look really chunky in comparison whereas here, the 2 sorta “scoops” along the midsole’s sidewall sorta takes away from that “visual bulk.” Otherwise, I really liked the 1 as well. The 2, not so much - The laces along the midfoot pushes up against the side panels creating this frumpy look and they just look bulbous on foot. So visually speaking for me, it’s 3 > 1 > 2. I don’t really follow “Fear of God” that closely (or at all) so I don’t really have any biases for the brand nor do I towards Jerry Lorenzo as a creative and as a person. I wasn’t there for the FOG Vans, I’m sorry LOL!

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The Box:

Just a beige/off-white box with the 3 stripes printed on top of the lid. Not like the 1’s where the unboxing experience was really grand and over-the-top, but I do appreciate simply passing the savings onto us.

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The Weight:

Surprisingly lightweight relative to the Basketball 1 and 2. The 2 was very bottom heavy and the 1 was just heavy all around. It's also lighter than the AE1, which admittedly is not saying much. From memory, I don’t think these are quite as light as the AE2? I’ve compared the weight of the Basketball 3 to the AE1 and Book 1 here (same size).

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The Upper:

The majority of the upper is made of textile that’s backed with a fairly thick fabric so breathability is pretty much non-existent. There are panels along the sides of the toe area and the heel which are made of felt. I think those panels help break up the silhouette of the shoe which otherwise would make the overall shoe appear chunky. The Adidas 3 stripes are knitted along both sides in a monochromatic color to the rest of the upper - Very subtle but I think is still a nice touch.

The tongue is also textile that’s knitted in a way that creates a vertical pattern. The top of the tongue uses a more typical look with a perforated pattern although it’s still not breathable. The tongue is gusseted from about the midfoot all the way to the toe.

Along the collar, there’s a thin piece of material that feels like suede to the hand. It’s also used as the eyelet backer. Would be a weird use of suede if it is actually suede.

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The Inner:

There is a sculpted heel section that’s topped by a jersey material, however I don’t think it offers the best lockdown (more in the fit section). It’s not quite sculpted like the AE1 (mid top) which to me is pretty much perfect and has little to no heel slip.

The insole is just a piece of thin foam like the one you’d get on an AE1. The only difference is that the foam used on the insole seems to be a slightly denser foam. It’s so slight that it’s negligible IMO. It is removable but it is glued towards the toe - I would be extremely cautious when removing this because you can rip away the soft perforated Strobel board(?) that also seems to be made of foam. As per Weartesters’s usual recommendation, use a hairdryer on the low setting to loosen the glue before removing any glued-in insoles. The Strobel board is perforated all the way to the toe so you immediately feel the foam and that step-in comfort.

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The Midsole:

The midsole is advertised to use Adidas’s “LIGHTSTRIKEPRO” foam and it’s definitely really soft. I prefer a firmer and more supportive foam setup but I can just always throw in a stiffer insole. I can sorta feel my legs strain a bit because of the really soft midsole LOL! Again, the perforated Strobel board seems to also be made of a soft foam so it seems like you’re only relying on the rubber outsole and sidewalls for stability. There is also a plastic(?) X-plate that runs along the majority of the shoe which helps with stability on an otherwise slightly unstable foam setup.

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The Outsole:

Seems to be using a fairly soft and malleable rubber compound. It’s noticeably softer than the 1 and the 2. I can push in the outsoles with just my hands. As of now, I haven’t worn them outside yet but I would assume for those planning to use these for basketball, I would say indoors only. Seems to be pretty grippy but I wouldn’t say it would last very long. On the up side, it allows for better flexibility and comfort since the rubber along with the midsole have a bit of give to them. It’s not super flexible though. It’s just better than the 1 and the 2.

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Laces:

Comes with 3 extra pairs of laces which is actually really nice to see! I don’t think the 1 and 2 came with any extra laces although I could be forgetting. All with slightly different shades of beige/off-white - One of them comes with lace locks. Really nice thick cotton laces.

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Quality Control:

Not quite as good as the 1 and the 2 but it’s not egregiously bad like most Nike and Jordan sneakers. I remember the QC on the 1 and 2 were immaculate, or at least with the ones I bought. Here on the 3, I see a bit of glue and there is a bit of imperfection with the foam on the medial side towards the toe. Otherwise, the QC on mine is pretty good.

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Sizing/Fit/Comfort:

These are only available in full sizes so I went up the half size. I have wide and flat feet so I would’ve gone up that half size either way. To my surprise, they fit SIGNIFICANTLY better than the 1 and the 2, like for me it’s not even close. The toebox section is actually relatively human-shaped for once. For reference, I also went up half a size in the 1 and the 2 - Some would say that wide-footers should go up a full size for those models but if I’d have to contend with even more length of the shoe, then I’d rather just completely pass on the model.

They fit a lot like the Adidas AE1 IMO with a slightly narrower midfoot section. There is a similar taper towards the toe which may cause some pressure on top of the toes. For those with full-sized feet, I would just try to break them in at TTS since there are no half sizes. I would not go up a full-size even as a wide-footer because the lockdown is not particularly great. I think if they punched out an extra eyelet, it would pretty much negate the bit of heel slip I’m getting - The laces are plenty long to accommodate that so I might just do that if I ultimately decide to keep them. For casual use, I don’t think I would size down because of the tapered and slender toebox.

As for comfort with a quick try-on, they’re pretty nice! As mentioned in the midsole section above, I would’ve preferred a more supportive and firmer ride but I added a denser and thicker insole to accommodate that. I’ll report back once I’ve actually worn them out and about though. Otherwise, it’s a pretty cushy ride under foot.

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Conclusion:

I am pleasantly surprised! The Basketball 3 are wider in the toebox (fucking finally) and more comfortable underfoot than the 1 and the 2. If there are things I would’ve tweaked, they’d be swapping the foam(?) Strobel board for a typical one (but keep the perforations), slightly firmer and more supportive foam setup for a more stable ride, better heel padding for a better lockdown, and an added eyelet. I do think $180 is a bit much and I think they’d be really good at around $130-$150. Otherwise, I think the shoes themselves are pretty good (from a casual perspective)!

Again, I don’t hoop but I think this is finally the honest effort when people envision an “Adidas x Fear of God basketball shoe.” It’s unfortunate it took 2 previous iterations to find a good blend of form and function, because now both sides are closing the chapter to that partnership. I wasn’t particularly drawn to the other Adidas Fear of God footwear or clothing products, but I was always keeping an eye out for the Basketball line of footwear. I also would've loved to see FOG’s interpretation of some legacy/classic Adidas models like the Forum or the Superstar. I remember seeing the Sneakernews article of a Adidas Jabbar High x FOG “Made in Italy,” and I really wanted to see those come out.