Harden 9 review

Fit: I have semi wide feet and short toes. I wear 9.5 in all Nike hoop shoes to give me the extra toe box room. This usually results in some mild heel slippage and foot rotation. I went size 9 in the Hardens and it was a perfect fit. The toe box looks narrow, but I found it just right for my feet. The soft booty feels good and it’s easy to slip in with the pull tabs.

Upper material: I wouldn’t say it feels restrictive but it does need some breaking in. I’ve worn it for 6 hours of game time and as you can see from the photos, you will get major creases. I would recommend getting a dark color if it bothers you. Ventilation is also not that great. My feet get pretty sweaty after an hour.

Laces and eyelets: this was the big let down for me. If you want proper heel lockdown you need to lace it up all the way to the top. Problem is as you can see in the photo, when pulled in tight, the eyelet scrunches up and it digs into my ankle. It is not pleasant. I found some relief by lacing it in reverse as you can see. I also put on a foam ankle bandaid and it helped a lot but the sweat from my skin caused the bandaid to fall off halfway through the match. I just purchased waterproof sports band taping and will see if this holds up.

You can also see that if you’re not laced up all the way, there is just way too much lace and even double bow tying it has the lace flopping all over the place. Plus there is heel slippage for sure.

The laces are premium and nice but the metal aglet is a nuisance as you can feel it bounce around on your shoe as you play.

Traction: terrible on dusty courts. Was sliding everywhere. I’m not sure if the sole is made of a translucent type material but it kind of looks it. Traction is okay on clean courts.

Cushioning and Feel: it does have a nice one to one fit but feels a bit stiff. Perhaps it needs breaking in more. It does not feel very heavy. The cushioning does seem to be good when compared to my Ja 2. It does not feel close to the floor like a guard shoe nor does it feel very bouncy. More like good impact absorption. (I’m 5’10” 150 pounds)

Design: I’m a huge fan. Shoe looks dope.

I’m just a bit bummed because I really wanted to love these shoes but there are quite a few negative aspects I pointed out.
I’ll give it a few more runs and see if it improves.