Overview
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s signature shoe is back with another edition, the Nike Zoom Freak 4 which is the subject of our review section this week. The Milwaukee Bucks NBA star debuted his first sneaker four years ago, being one of the several players Nike have a deal with. Titled after his nickname, they were originally designed as a budget basketball shoe but like for many others the price went up gradually to what it is now, $130. The brand did come up with a more budget friendly sneakers, the Giannis Immortality witch is already at its second edition. Nike have tried to compensate with a more sophisticated look and some upgrades and they accomplished their goal with this 4th iteration of the shoe. They also launched it in various attractive colorways that surely make up for what the shoe lacks.
How They Fit
The pair we got was the more simple colorway in white and black, one that we were able to find on sale at the beginning of 2023, almost a year after its release. At a first look the shoe looks pretty dope, arguably the best Zoom Freak sneaker so far. They fit true to size and are quite comfortable from the get-go. For a Nike size chart you can check out this link. The outsole feels a bit awkward at the beginning but after some use it becomes quite great in terms of traction, especially indoors.
Upper
The toebox of the Nike Zoom Freak 4 is quite roomy which makes it suitable for those with wider feet. Given that the upper textile materials the shoe molds nicely to your feet. Nike did not use premium materials for this shoe but the ones they did hold up nicely and provide some nice support and breathability. They used a few types of mesh with various densities which add some cool looks in addition to providing some nice air flow where is most needed. The TPU overlays contribute to the stability of the shoe and the much needed on-court lockdown. Nike even added some foam in the reverse Nike swoosh which is an extension of the midsole. This feature adds more stability to the shoe along with the cool looks. Overall the upper provides good support, stability and breathability which is something that you’d expect from Nike to provide in such a shoe.
Sole Unit
The midsole is where the Nike Zoom Freak 4 shines as a basketball shoe. When Nike is creating all these basketball shoes they do it with the player’s needs in mind and this one does not disappoint. The main feature is the two Zoom units in the forefoot which are slightly tilted forward for a more springy feeling on the court. What we came about during this Nike Zoom Freak 4 is that both this feature and the outsole feeling need a bit of time to get used to. The Zoom units are visible from the sides but also from the outsole which add some more cool looks to the shoe. The Zoom units are known to be an asset to any basketball shoe due to the energy return given to the player when suddenly moving side to side or front to back during the game. The rest of the shoe is made of a foam that seems to be engineered EVA which does a good job in terms of cushioning and support. If you remove the insole you can actually see on the inside the way this EVA foam is cut on the inside in a waffle like pattern with space for it to expand with every landing and give some decent energy return. The outsole has a computer engineered pattern that provides good traction but given how its lines are on outdoor courts it will likely wear out easily.
Bottom Line
All in all, the Nike Zoom Freak 4 review concluded that this is an excellent sneaker that is up to par with the other performance basketball shoes like the Luka 1 or the Air Jordan 37 , both released in the same year. Even if the materials used are not the best from Nike the shoe delivers in terms of performance and offers a good value, especially when you get it on sale nowadays like we did. It also has a cool, unique look that makes it an excellent lifestyle sneaker as well or even a gym shoe. It offers great support and lockdown while is comfortable and lightweight. If still not convinced if you want to spend $130 on these you can take a look at some of the best budget basketball shoes on the market under $100, the Nike Precision 6 and the Nike Air Max Impact 4
