adidas Anthony Edwards 3 review

Let the adidas Anthony Edwards 3 warm up your heart and your feet before a game if:

• You already loved the v2 and you're looking forward to the brand's wonderful improvements in cushioning, comfort, impact protection, and energy return.
• You need something with unparalleled containment and support because aggressive layups and fearless rebounding are engraved in your hooper soul.
• You won't settle for any less than top-tier traction and a wonderfully durable outsole.

The insane support, containment, and lockdown we felt during our wear tests and later on verified in our lab come at a price: weight. If you're an agile guard or you rely on a fast and explosive playstyle, maybe these lightweight hoops are exactly what you need.

If you're looking for a signature shoe from adidas that features great traction and lateral stability, but you're absolutely done with break-in periods, the D.O.N. Issue 7 might be worth checking out.

The Anthony Edwards 3 showed off wonderful shock absorption levels both during our playtests and in our lab. With a higher-than-average score of 116/74 SA on the heel and forefoot respectively, safe landings even if we had to fight centres rebounding were guaranteed.

With an outstanding energy return of 74.0% at the forefoot and 73.2% at the heel, powerful moves with this adidas pair were a piece of cake. Our machine stated it, but our feet felt it: the combo of the brand's Hyperboost foam and a plastic shank is fantastic.

At 28.8 mm, this shoe has a standard heel stack, which translated into our feet being neither too close nor too far from the court. A nice balance!

Our caliper returned 18.1 mm when we measured this shoe's forefoot stack, which means it feels closer to the court than many basketball pairs. To be honest, with the wonderful shock absorption it features, we never felt it was lacking!

After doing our maths, we found out this shoe's drop stands at 10.7 mm, surpassing our lab's current average. Don't worry, this doesn't mean this adidas pair is uncomfortable or anything: your heel will just feel higher than your toes, but that's it!

The full-length Hyperboost foam offered us a soft feeling underfoot in every move. Our durometer confirmed it by marking 33.3 AC, which means it's really pleasant underfoot.

Our caliper marked 97.4 mm, which means this shoe's fit is incredibly spacious. Our feet felt it... kind of, because there's more than just one measurement when it comes to shoe fitting.

The way the Anthony Edwards 3 tapers should be studied, as it goes from a way higher-than-average result to a painfully narrow 67.4 mm.

Fortunately, our toes had some extra vertical space, yet it's definitely not enough for them to wiggle around as they please. At 24.2 mm, this Anthony pair surpasses the average, but only slightly!

Featuring an outstanding friction score of 0.89 in our traction test, the Anthony Edwards 3 offered wonderful grip in our aggressive cuts and fast breaks. We felt incredibly safe and ready to keep up with any defensive system, even if it meant face-to-face!

With a pattern quite similar to the previous iteration, this third version features thick tread lines that definitely worked wonders regarding traction.

The stiffer setup of this adidas pair has made it quite difficult to flex, as we needed 25.5N to move it all the way up to 30 degrees. In other words, during our wear tests, the break-in period was... definitely there, to say the least.

Even though we are always very picky when it comes to testing, the Anthony Edwards 3 has earned superb scores, yet this comes at a price. During our wear tests, this hoop felt quite heavy, but the realization hit when we took it to our lab... and our scale returned 15.0 oz/425g!

We enjoyed this shoe's lateral support in every wear test. As you can see in the video below, the rubber reinforcements the Anthony Edwards 3 features on its sides act like strong walls that stop our feet from overextending.

The stability we felt in every game showed in our torsional rigidity test too, as this adidas hoop scored 20.5 Nm, which is higher than average.

Last but not least, the Anthony Edwards 3 features a strong heel counter that scored a 5/5 on our stiffness test. Consequently, there's no heel slippage, and its generous padding makes sure comfort stays a priority.

The strong lateral support, the wonderful Hyperboost foam, and the spacious landing base of this adidas pair worked hand-in-hand to protect us time and time in our defensive rebounding. At 120.3 mm, it surpases the average by a lot!

The same goes for the heel, as our caliper returned an amazing 93.2 mm!

Even though our Dremel dodged the protective rubber layer, the Anthony Edwards 3 managed to score an outstanding 5/5 on our toebox durability test!

The heel lining is definitely not as resistant to wear and tear, as it managed to score only a 2/5 on our Dremel test. Nonetheless, its abundant padding should save it from giving up too soon.

The outsole lost a total of 0.8 mm of rubber after our Dremel test, which is an outstanding result. We believe this pair can withstand the abrasion of outdoor courts, which is great news!

Even though this shoe's outsole is only 2.9 mm thick, its durable rubber has let adidas use less material without sacrificing its durability.

Unfortunately for our feet, this adidas pair felt like a portable oven, and it only scored a 1/5 on our breathability test.

As you can see, its ventilation absolutely pales in comparison to the Curry 11, which shows the brand definitely had other priorities. Nevertheless, we need to say this disappointing score didn't really catch us off guard, as its textile upper is tightly woven.

See, not a single ventilation gap!

Making sure comfort doesn't fall behind, adidas added some extra padding to this shoe's tongue, leveling it up to 8.4 mm, from the 5.5 mm of its predecessor, by using to different foam pieces.

With the very same functioning semi-gusseted tongue, this Anthony Edwards pair offers great lockdown and containment, the cherry on top for a supportive design that let us confidently go for daring and risky moves on the court.

Our caliper returned 3.4 mm when we measured this hoop's insole thickness, and even though it's thinner than average, the wonderful Hyperboost midsole made sure we never felt like comfort was lacking.

This shoe's insole is removable, so you can change it if you want or need to. Nevertheless, it's important to bear in mind that this shoe tapers quite a lot, which might make it harder to find a suitable replacement.

There are no tabs around, as the adidas logo is still the protagonist of the heel.

This third iteration features almost the very same reflective detail as the previous one at the forefoot!

To be honest, the Anthony Edwards 3 comes completely full of advantages, so we do believe it's definitely worth the price... and the hype!