As they slowly disappear from NDC, I thought I’d take moment to memorialize the GT Hustle 2, my hands-down favorite ever ball shoe. They never really got any respect or hype, but I didn’t want them to go away without singing their praises. I’m nine pairs in, planning to buy more, and hope to be playing in these until I can’t play any more.
A perk of no one caring about these shoes is I was able to get what I believe are extremely rare colorways—that were never for sale—for bargain prices. I paid $200 for the EYBL (which is also my favorite colorway) and $120 for the Kay Yow. That is just crazy, but I’m not complaining. Included here are some photos I took of those colorways to show some of the details.
My review:
I'm a huge fan of the GT Hustle 2, I think they are the best basketball shoes I've ever used, and I've been playing for decades and have worn (and still wear) Kobe 4, 5, 6, 8 and 11s, and currently have and wear the Sabrina 1 and both versions of the LeBron 21s. For me, the Hustle 2 is superior and the shoe I always find myself wanting to grab off the rack when I'm headed to the gym. I recently bought my 9th pair off of eBay and will likely buy at least a few more before I’m done because I want to be playing in these for many years to come. I’m so obsessed that I’ve been selling my original Kobe 6s and 8s to make more room in my rotation for these.
They are extremely light (lighter than Sabrina 1) and have
a very low stack that gives remarkable court feel and yet somehow also gives the best cushioning feel I’ve ever played in with the full-length zoom strobel delivering a ton of bounce and comfort. It’s honestly kind of magical, it doesn’t seem possible that the cushioning is so good while also having your foot so close to the ground.
The lockdown is also amazing, my foot doesn’t move at all in the these and there is zero heel slippage (partly because not having a shank means the shoe isn’t trying to pull the shoe flat when you flex it). They are super comfortable and feel so cozy right when you put them on the first time. They took literally no time to break in and I’ve never had a second of foot pain anywhere while wearing them—this is the only ball shoe I’ve ever worn that I can say that about.
The main knock you hear about these is their lack of shank and it is what it is. It hasn’t had any negative impact on me and I feel these have totally adequate support. Of all the reviews I’ve watched and read no one has said the lack of support is an actual issue when playing, they just point out the lack of a shank. I’m in my mid-40s, 6’2” and 225 pounds, played point guard in high school and have been playing since I was ten *and* had to stop playing for four years when I got rheumatoid arthritis because it totally ****** up my knees (and to a lesser degree my feet). Now that my RA is under control through medication and I can play again, my knees are in far-less-than-ideal shape and yet I have the *least* amount of knee pain when wearing these shoes and even though I’ve had to deal with plantar fasciitis twice before in my life, I have had zero issues in the ten months I’ve been wearing the Hustle 2. As someone who has always thought shanks were essential, and always had them in my ball shoes, my experience in these has totally turned me into a skeptic. Of course, some people might need shanks, but this has proven to me that not everyone needs or benefits from shanks.
All that said, I think the Hustle 2 was worth the full retail price of $170, but that doesn’t matter any more since they are widely available for less than a $100 (I’ve bought four pairs for $70 each or less), and at that price you aren’t going to find a better bang for your buck. You can get them for those prices at NDC and eBay today. There is a very thorough breakdown of the details of the shoe here:
https://runrepeat.com/nike-gt-hustle-2
I feel like the high initial price and not being a signature really killed any hype for these and they just slipped by since not many people were actually trying them out. But if you watch some reviews, even with zero hype, some people really liked them. The
Weartesters review says “But the Hustle really opened up my eyes as it almost damn near made me Gush over how much I loved playing in the shoe.” And “One of the best guard shoes of the year.” And “The G.T. Hustle 2 is absolutely pure JOY to play in.” And then . . . no one cared. But you can benefit from that because the prices dropped through the floor.
