JORDAN 2.5 TEAM

Now I know this isn’t one of the newest shoes out in the market, in fact the JORDAN 2.5 TEAM has been out for well over a year. But after wearing them in my company basketball league, where we sadly lost in the conference finals, I thought this shoe deserved some recognition.

STYLE

The JORDAN 2.5 TEAM is what I like to call a hybrid shoe. Jordan Brand (JB) designers took elements from the original AIR JORDAN II and AIR JORDAN III to come up with the 2.5’s design. (Hence the name) At first glance, the 2.5 looks very much like the AJII with its sleek hi-top body design along with the original AIR JORDAN logo on the back which was eventually replaced by the more popular JUMPMAN logo starting with the AJIII. Upon closer inspection, you’ll start to see subtle elements of the AJIII from the five eyelets at the front of the shoe, to the visible air sole unit at the heel and the elephant print which made the AJIII standout from the crowd. I’m a big fan of the AJIII and would have liked to see more of the AJIII design elements dominate the shoe but overall the design works. The 2.5 was released in a variety of colorways and even had a low top version. If nothing more, the 2.5 brings back nostalgic memories of two classic AJ designs.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5


This shoe is full of neat details like the red "II" and "V" stitching on the side. The elephant print on the heel and lace area give the shoe a distinct Air Jordan flare.


PERFORMANCE

The great thing about hybrids is not only the fact that they have design elements of two great shoes but it also features latest technology making the 2.5 a better performer on the court. The “ride” or “how the shoe feels when worn” of the 2.5 is much more comfortable compared to the AJII and AJIII. Improved cushioning reduces shock to the heels during running and jumping. This reduced the stress on my knees thus allowing me to play relatively pain-free. Ankle support on the shoe is nothing out of the ordinary but will do the trick in keeping your ankles from turning during normal court movement. The lacing system did its job and kept my foot in place which made me think less about my feet and more on what I needed to do on the court. The snug fit of the shoe, though I would recommend wearing two pairs of socks, also reduced foot fatigue while making blisters non-existent. The outsole design provided good lateral movement and traction during hard cuts and drives to the basket while stability was also good during play in the low post. I recommed the 2.5 to those who play a guard or small forward type of game but big men would still benefit from wearing this shoe due to its excellent cushioning and stability.

I would recommend "breaking in" these shoes before competitive play as the 2.5 tends to fit snug out of the box causing some discomfort until the leather and stitching start to loosen. Light jogging or walking a day prior should do the trick.
Rating: 4 out of 5

OVERALL

The JORDAN 2.5 TEAM is a great shoe and anyone who consider themselves a fan of the AJII or AJIII should own a pair. The design is distinctly “Air Jordan” without it being too flashy or too plain. The 2.5 will definitely grab people’s attention whether you’re sporting them on the basketball court or just hanging out with friends. One will also benefit from the technological improvements found in the shoe. Given that these shoes have been out for more than a year, you probably won’t find them at your local athletic shoe retailer where they usually phase out shoes after 6 months on the shelf. Your best bet would be to check out the outlet stores in your area. There's no guarantee that you'll find them there or if you do that they’ll have your size but sometimes half the fun is in “the search”. And if by chance you stumble on a pair in your size, they’ll probably sell for half of what they originally cost and you’ll be the proud owner of a great pair of shoes with enough cash left over to buy a sweet pair of basketball shorts to go with your new kicks.
Rating: 4 out of 5


Aside from basketball shoes, art is my other passion. Here is a pencilled and colored rendering of the Jordan 2.5 Team.

“Before we officially begin…”

As I was sitting at home contemplating what I wanted to write about for my first official blog entry, a thought occurred to me that I should provide a bit more detail on what my blog is and isn’t about. Let’s start off with what my blog isn’t about.

My blog will not be a source of the latest basketball shoe releases. In fact, I may find out about a shoe’s release at the same time you (my readers) will. Besides, there are plenty of cool sites one can visit that has up to the minute news on basketball shoe release dates and upcoming new models such as www.sneakernews.com and www.kixandthecity.com. One also shouldn’t expect an in-depth breakdown of the technology in every shoe I write about. I do plan write about it to some extent but I definitely don’t want my blog to read like a product manual. Again, there are plenty of sites that cover that specific topic.

Now that we covered what you shouldn’t expect, here’s what you can expect from reading my blog. You can expect to get an in-depth review of the latest and sometimes not so latest basketball shoes in the market from a basketball shoe wearer’s perspective (on and off the court). I‘m still a fairly active recreational player (I also coach) which provides me with insight on a shoe’s performance from cushioning, lateral stability, ankle support, traction and the ever important “coolness” or style factor because let’s face it, no matter how good (or bad) you are on the court, part of your game (or performance) will always be based on the shoes you wear. I also plan to touch on the affordability and what I like to call the “Bang for your buck” topic since we are not professional athletes, who get their shoes for free, and we all have to reach deep down into our wallets so we can own a pair (or two or three) of these great shoes.

Now that we have all those details squared away, let the shoe blogging begin!

“What’s wrong with Rubber Shoes?”

Actually nothing…so before I get started with my blog, I want to clear the air on this subject. There is nothing wrong with the term “rubber shoes” and there is absolutely nothing wrong with people who use that term. Technically speaking, a shoe’s outsole is made out of rubber. Manufacturers may have fancy names for it but when it comes down to it, it’s just rubber. So now I’m sure you’re curious why I chose “No Rubber Shoes Allowed” as the title of my blog? Well, it’s all about being an enthusiast. I am a basketball shoe enthusiast and, just like a sports car enthusiast, using such a general term to refer to a shoe (or car) is almost blasphemous. You’ll never hear a car enthusiast say, “Oh look at that car that just sped passed us” when it was a Ferrari or Porsche that they saw. A true enthusiast may even mention the model and year. Why? Because they consider themselves fans. So in the same respect, a true basketball shoe fan would always mention that they saw their favorite basketball player wearing a pair of Air Jordan 11s or Air Max Lebron 7s or Zoom Kobe 5s.

So yeah, there's really nothing wrong with the term "rubber shoes". But, I seriously doubt you’d get what you want the next time you walk into a store looking for basketball shoes and asked the sales person for a pair of "rubber shoes".

So as fellow basketball shoe enthusiasts, as fans, let’s show and give these great sneakers the respect they deserve. “No Rubber Shoes Allowed”


The inspiration for the Air Jordan XIV (above) actually came from the Ferrari Maranello 550 (below) which Michael Jordan owned at the time. You may notice that the emblem on the AJ XIV is unmistakeably similar to the Ferrari logo.

Now who in their right mind would simply refer to these objects as just a car or just another pair of "rubber shoes"?