361° AG3 Performance Review

I was so excited to receive a pair of Aaron Gordon’s third signature sneaker with Chinese brand 361°. I said with the Zen 3 that I previously reviewed that I thought they were a terrific-looking basketball sneaker even before I had the chance to be sent a pair; with the AG3, I thought they were the best looking sneaker on the market, even before I received a pair or had a relationship with 361° Australia.

In-hand, they do not disappoint. They are well-built, demonstrating extremely sturdy construction, with high-quality materials. They look just as great in-person as they do in images.

I’ve tried them out on court and played a few games in them now, so keep reading to hear my thoughts about them on the hardwood (and once again, a big thank-you to Morty from 361° Australia for sending these my way).

Traction:

There’s an interesting, albeit aesthetically pleasing outsole present on the AG3.

The traction is made up of two pretty distinct patterns — a wide radial-style on the lateral forefoot and medial heel, with a multi-directional “coral” style pattern on the medial forefoot and lateral heel (much like the pattern we’ve seen on Adidas’ Crazy Explosives and New Balance’s Kawhi sneaker).

Similar to the Zen 3, the traction pattern is quite flat, and the outsole rubber is firm yet extremely tacky. Also like the Zen 3, the outsole offers enormous bite and a great squeak on indoor hardwood floors. I’d say the grip of the AG3 is amazing, one of the best tractions I’ve ever experienced.

There’s minimal dust pick-up, and even when they do pick up a layer of dust, it is an extremely quick & light wipe (aided by the flatter traction grooves), and you’re right back in business. In my assessment, the traction is one of the best features of the AG3.

Cushion:

ENRG-X is what the midsole foam implemented in the AG3 is named.

I found the midsole cushion of the AG3 to be mostly bouncy with a bit of spring; not overly plush at all, not uncomfortable per se, just more on the firmer side.

However, this didn’t affect my enjoyment of the shoe at all. I had heard some people found the midsole stiff, but this wasn’t the case for me. I felt confident in the AG3 as I was sure the midsole foam cushion was supportive without sacrificing comfort.

I never had any issues with impact protection, so I always felt like the cushion was ample without feeling “dangerous”. Admittedly, I prefer the cushion set-up on the Zen 3, but the AG3 is still one of the better set-ups I’ve tried in the past couple of years.

Fit:

As a wide-footer, the AG3 fit me really well.

I have no issues with the way they fit.

They do fit similarly to the Zen 3, but they do feel slightly more snug through the mid-foot. I suggest going true-to-size with these (I recommended normal/narrow footers go down half-a-size with the Zen 3).

Support:

The AG3 is a very supportive sneaker.

It has everything you need in a modern basketball sneaker to provide support — wide, flat forefoot base, lateral TPU midsole wrap, mid foot TPU torsional shank, extremely sturdy heel counter, and rigid collar area.

Basically, once you get into these things and get them laced up, you don’t feel like you’re going anywhere you’re not supposed to.

Materials:

The upper of the AG3 utilises something 361° calls “Prana Weave”, as well as the usual textiles and synthetics you’ve come to expect on a modern basketball sneaker.

For a signature model, admittedly there aren’t too many (if any) premium hits. They’ve tried going for a soft-feel suede/nubuck style material at the top of the ankle collar and the tongue, and it feels fine, but you can tell it’s a synthetic material. I’m not going to be overly critical of 361°, though, as this is pretty much standard practice across the industry in 2023, even for signature basketball sneakers. What is offered with the AG3 is just competing in the marketplace.

As I always say though, although the materials of modern basketball sneakers aren’t anything particularly special, they definitely get the job done.

And as I mentioned in the introduction, the sneaker upper is well-built, durable and supportive. You can’t really ask for too much more than that.

Overall, the AG3 is an excellent performance basketball sneaker, and I would highly recommend them to anyone who can afford to grab a pair.

They are a little more expensive than the Zen 3 — you can still receive 30% off your order at 361australia.com by using my code HOOPS30 at checkout — but they’re definitely a high-level basketball sneaker.

There are other sneakers over on the 361° website, too, for what it’s worth, that are worthwhile checking out.

The AG2 and AG2 Icon are on clearance, so you can get yourself a really good deal on those, while they are also offering the Kontrol 3, the shoe Spencer Dinwiddie was wearing prior to his recently-debuted signature DVD1/SD1 signature with 361°.

Overall, I can’t recommend 361° enough, especially if you’re looking to try something other than Nike or Jordan, or eager to wear something you can’t just grab at Foot Locker or Rebel Sport.

~ Dan, aka Hoops Sneakers.

Price:

The 361° AG3 retails for AU$235 (AU$164.50 with discount code HOOPS30)

Weight:

The 361° AG3 in a men’s size US 12 weighs 547 grams (19.3 ounces)

Score:

I give the 361° AG3 a score of 4.8/5.