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I wore them today for the first time. Here's my review


The Air Max 180 B-Ball combines nike'e newest technology, Max 360 with the popular Zoom Air system. It brings the Max / Zoom setup that was prevalent in many of the shoes from the late 90's to the current generation of kicks.
A nice touch on the 180's is the tribute to the past. The old Nike / swoosh logo appears on the back of the shoe, and the big swooshes on both sides of the shoe are reminicent of the older Nikes.
Nike has built a large ad campaign around these shoes. So, are the Air Max 180's a bunch of hot air? Or are they the future of basketball?

Sizing
These shoes fit true to size. I wear 11 in most Nikes and the 11 fit perfectly.


Fit
Surprisingly these shoes felt very narrow when I first tried them on. The culprit seems to be the elastic band around the midfoot.
The strap that has the Max 180 logo is not just for looks. It has an elastic strap on either side of the shoe that provides a tight fit, but it makes the shoe seem a bit narrow. This felt better as I wore them
7/10


Comfort
The shoe was comfortable when I put them on. They seemed to provide good cushioning. There was one spot where they rubbed a bit when I first put them on. The back of the shoe has a tab that is a little higher than the rest of the shoe to support the achillies. This may rub a bit if you are wearing no-show socks or the very short ones. I wear 2 pairs of thick crew socks so this didn't bother me.
8/10

Ankle Support
These had very good ankle support. They have an ankle strap which is removable, but the strap didn't seem to do much other than look cool. It wasn't really effective in making the fit around the ankle much tighter.
If you lace these shoes up well your ankle will be protected. The inner bootie plus the elastic straps along the midfoot doesn't allow for much movement side to side, and the heel counter is relatively high so your ankles will stay in place. I never felt at risk for my ankle turning over while wearing them.
10/10

Cushioning
I was very excited when I read the features of these shoes containing max air in the heel and zoom in the forefoot. Some of the best shoes of the 90's like the Air Team Max Zoom and the Air Force Authority contained this setup. It's a good setup for people that want the impact protection of max air but also like the lower to the ground feel of zoom.
So, how did these shoes measure up to the previous incarnation of this setup?
Well, I liked the cushioning, but it didn't really compare to the older max / zoom combo.
The new 180 Air is much higher off the ground than the older max air. While it provides excellent impact protection in the heel, it limits itself to bigger players.
Because the max air is much thicker than the older version of max, the zoom has to be thicker, not giving that low to the ground feel under your toes that most guards like. The thicker zoom prevents the shoe from having the drag racing car effect (high off the ground in the back but low to the ground in front).
I liked the cushioning personally, because I prefer the thicker, more cushioned shoes, but guards that swear by zoom air won't like these.
9/10

Traction:
Excellent traction. I felt as if I could stop on a dime. I didn't have to wipe the soles of my shoes too often and I felt that stick to the court feeling.
10/10

Weight/Position
I'm about 190 and play primarily in the post. These shoes are good for post players, and may be ok for smaller players that are primarily shooters, but small, quick guards that like that zoom air "court feel" shouldn't wear these.



Overall:
8/10
I took off a point for the initial comfort. I like to wear shoes out of the box without a break in period. They were very tight initially, plus had that one heel place that rubbed when I tried them on. I wore thicker socks when I actually played in them so this didn't bother me.
The other point I took off was for the fact that they just didn't feel like the old Max / Zoom setup that I remembered from the older shoes. I'm sure that most people are anticipating a similar feel with these, but you won't get it. I like these shoes and they feel good on. They're very similar to the AM 360, just not as cushioned up front. A good shoe for the $120 pricetag.