I’m going to come clean right off the bat — when Nightwing said this was the reincarnation of the Kobe 9, I got really excited. I never had the 9, but the Kobe 8 is my all time favourite ball shoe. I wore them into the ground, even when they ripped on the lateral side (near the front of the foot), I still couldn’t move on because the shoe played that damn well. Could this shoe finally be what I’ve been looking for the past 8 years? Absolutely it is, so understand, everything negative I say here is nitpicking. That being said, let’s get into it.
Traction:
It’s tremendous. The pattern is a cross hatch in the forefoot, with a pivot point, nothing too crazy (but very recognisable when you look at the original Puma Clyde). It holds on every move, bites even on a dirty court with minimal wiping, and is durable enough to take outside if you want (I don’t, but you do you).
The nitpick, one court I was playing on (the last one for a while…) started picking up moisture. A couple of people started crashing all over the place, and I was no exception. I hit a spin move on the baseline, down I go, and now I’ve been rehabbing a torn meniscus for the past three months. Was it the shoes fault? No. But if I have to nitpick, don’t use the All-Pro on a wet court. Apart from that, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better traction right now.
Cushion:
Ah — the part of the shoe that becomes more and more important to me as the days pass me by. Last year’s model was nice, but a little firm, and thankfully Puma decided to uncage the Pro Foam+ for the All-Pro. A stroke of genius and I thank them so much for doing this. The cushioning is soft and comfortable without sacrificing stability (I hope Nike is taking notes for a follow-up model of the Air Zoom BB NXT). Toss in a Pebax® disc under the heel for solid impact protection, and you have a monster in the cushioning department.
When you move up to the forefoot, it’s not explosive but it’s still responsive. The Pro Foam+ plays well but that’s where the praise ends. Zoom Turbo it is not, it’s not the fastest cushioning in terms of responsiveness, it’s not double stacked Zoom for crazy explosiveness. It’s just a nice solid foam cushioning, I love it, I don’t need anything more. If I have to nitpick I could ask for a bit more tech in the forefoot, but I don’t actually need it, I’d actually rather keep the $150 CDN price point.
Fit:
The fit is nice, true to size (maybe a hair long). The width is fairly standard, if not a touch narrow. The toe-box is roomy without making you feel like there’s dead space. The heel is where I can nitpick.
It reminds me of the Adidas Harden Vol. 3. The heel lockdown isn’t the best, but it’s not a problem either. I find myself lacing the shoes, playing, and then after warm-ups I’m re-lacing it for better heel lockdown. After that I’m good to go the rest of the day. It annoyed me a little on the Hardens, and it annoys me a little on these Pumas. Not nearly enough to put on a different shoe, but it can be a little annoying, they could have added in some Achilles pillows to hold you in a bit better.
Support:
This is where the Kobe 8 won my heart and soul. This is also where the All-Pro convinced me it was up to the task of being my go-to shoe.
No matter how hard I was planting to change direction, the shoe held me and helped launch me where I wanted to go. The reinforced stitching that goes through the upper is super light and deceptively strong. I just don’t think it can be bested right now.
On top of that, it’s gentle on the foot. I’m a big guy, my change of direction is powerful, not shifty. Which means a lot of force goes through my feet when I plant quickly. A lot of shoes I’ve played in can’t hold me when I need them to (Curry 8); and others torture my feet (LeBron 18). It’s tough to find a perfect blend of soft and strong, but I’ve found it here. No nitpicking, the support is the best I’ve had in years.
Materials:
That reinforced stitching I mentioned is actually called the Matryx Evo engineered knit. It’s insanely light, crazy strong, pretty breathable and just really nice. To the touch, it’s a little scratchy at first but breaks in nicely. On foot it’s golden — moves with you, and keeps supporting you in every way as I alluded to earlier. The tongue is fairly well padded, so pulling the laces tight is no problem; I didn’t experience any pressure points from it.
When you keep the price point in mind, Puma knocked these materials out of the park. Nike isn’t giving you materials this nice, or well thought out, until you spend $50 more. German engineering strikes again — well done boys, well done (and also to all the women, who undoubtedly played a tremendous role in the production of the All-Pro; just doesn’t roll off the tongue as well).
In conclusion — if you ask me which brand makes the best basketball shoes? I will say Nike. They have the best lineup across the board. If you ask me what brand makes the best basketball shoe, singular? Puma.
If money isn’t an issue, the Puma Clyde All-Pro, in my opinion, is the best basketball shoe on the market right now. When you factor money into the equation, it wins by an even greater margin. I haven’t played in a shoe this nice in almost ten years. It’s a rare shoe.
Thanks for reading!
~ Clinton aka Phoenix, for HS.
Price:
The Puma Clyde All-Pro retails for US$130 (CA$150, AU$190)
Weight:
Featherweight
Score:
4.9/5 (nitpicking on the heel lockdown)
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