Nike Book 2 review

You're gonna love Booker's second signature shoe if:

• You prefer great containment and courtfeel but you don't want to sacrifice comfort.
• You're looking for an ultra-reactive forefoot with a wide landing base.
• You wear your hoopers daily as high-tech sneakers.

The incredibly stiff and unbendable structure of this hooper doesn't only require a break-in period, it also lowers its score in playability. Heel-toe transitions required more effort, so it was harder to make this pair follow our moves naturally. If you're a Nike lover done with break-in hassles, the Ja 2 or the Sabrinas might be what you're looking for.

Sadly, we had to say goodbye to the speedy structure of the Book 1. But the worst part is that, after our detailed and thorough testing, we couldn't find a single way for this second iteration to justify its underwhelmingly high weight. Taking a massive toll on performance, let us show you some quick alternatives from our catalogue.

One quick look at the Book 2 was enough for us to know it wouldn't set a new record for shock absorption in our lab, but we were pretty happy with the results.

With an average reading of 103 SA in the heel and 80 SA in the forefoot, this hooper offers standard impact protection (as expected from a skate-inspired shoe!). You definitely can't judge a Book by its cover!

Nike claims this v2 is more responsive than the previous version, and we couldn't agree more! The standard 64.2% it scored in the heel pales in comparison with the wonderfully bouncy forefoot, which earned a fantastic 75.0 %.

Moving the Zoom Unit all the way up to the metatarsal area was definitely the right call. Get ready for some explosive layups!

Showing off its 28.0 mm heel stack, this pair is pretty close to the category's average, trading its Zoom Unit for some extra foam.

Conversely, the forefoot has now gained some extra height thanks to its new addition: the Zoom Air unit. With an average 21.1 mm, we still got some nice court feel!

After doing our maths, we saw the Book 2 features a standard 6.9 mm drop.

PS: That black line at the top of the foam is a shank!

Even though this pair doesn't feature the softest foam, we can say that Nike had a second look to its Cushloan formula to make it slightly more plush. Our durometer returned 42.3 AC, which is lower than the score of its predecessors.

Our caliper returned 91.7 mm when we measured the Book 2's width. Even though it's only slightly narrower than the average, you shouldn't expect the extra stiff materials of this shoe's upper to give in... at all.

We can't say the toebox of this hooper is pointy, as our caliper returned 69.4 mm, which is literally our current lab average. Nevertheless, as we've mentioned before, its unforgiving upper might make it feel more cramped than it actually is.

After experiencing this Nike's fit in our own feet during our playtests, there's one thing that's crystal clear to us: they feel narrow. Apart from reaching a toebox height of only 20.5 mm, the extra-thick and immensely padded upper of the Book 2 only gave in a little bit after our break-in period. But that's all, as it still sits really low.

SOS: Cramped toes!

The Book 2's outsole does pick up dust, which unavoidably affects its whole performance. Showing a worse result than its older sibling in our traction test, this Nike earned a lower-than-average friction coefficient of 0.75.

With a pattern that reminds us of the Air Force 1, Booker's second hoopers features a sun-like design with two pivot points, one at the forefoot and one at the heel. Despite the brand's claims regarding traction, we can't really say these two rounded sections improved grip that much.

The Book 2 needs a break-in period, and the 26.9N it scored on our stiffness test is just another hint. To be honest, this came in as a surprise (not for our feet, but for our data), as the Book 1 scored 17.1N in this same test! If you prioritize forefoot flexibility, you already know what to do.

This shoe is H-E-A-V-Y, and at 15.6 oz, we can't stress how much of a foot weight it felt like. You'd better say goodbye to the quick and agile ride of the first version, because holy guacamoly... the difference is tangible at all levels.

We didn't expect any other thing than one more 1/5 on our breathability test. As if a shoe with this thick and extra-padded upper could do any better!

Just as our light test confirmed, this shoe could literally be a mini-oven. There is not a single ventilation hole around!

Its thick upper wouldn't let our feet breathe, but it looked incredibly durable under our microscope!

Following the v1's example, this second model was obviously not engineered thinking about summer-lover hoopers.

Thanks to its top-loaded shank, stiff materials, padded interiors, dense upper, and sole flare, our feet enjoyed great containment and side-to-side stability. We found this mix of support ideal for quick cuts or getting a tricky overpass in a counterattack, where you can't miss a step.

The solid 22.1 Nm this pair scored on our torsional rigidity test confirmed what our feet felt. The lack of overall flexibility, which is even more evident in the forefoot, makes the ride pretty flat and the transitions... even flatter.

It gets better after you break it in, though. But don't expect Sabrina's kind of flexibility despite its similar, rather Kobesque aesthetics.

There was no way we could move or bend this ultrapadded heel counter, which translated into a perfect 5/5 on our stiffness test.

We couldn't be any happier with this decision. Nike jumped from a lower-than-average forefoot midsole width in the Book 1 (113.7 mm) to a whole 119.5 mm in the Book 2! The fantastic flares of its sole made us feel really confident and stable even if we had to land uncomfortably after jumping for a rebound.

As you can most likely tell after taking a look at this shoe's outsole, its heel has a narrower design. Personally, we can say this really didn't have a negative effect on our gameplay, as we relied on our forefoot the most. At 85.9 mm, it doesn't surpass our current average, but it's definitely wider than the previous model.

After such a low score on our breathability test, we expected nothing but a solid durability from this shoe. And that's what we got! Our Dremel had a hard time wearing it out, so we gave it a 4/5.

The heel performed even better, and its thick inner pattern withstood the Dremel's attack easily. How could we ever give it anything but a perfect 5/5 on durability?

Last but not least, our Dremel had to face its stronger opponent: the outsole. Improving its predecessor's result by leaps and bounds, it lost only 0.5 mm of its translucent rubber, which is an incredibly good result.

We totally align with Nike's decision to reduce the outsole thickness on this second version. After all, the rubber is way more durable in comparison to the previous one, and as it's already a hefty pair... 3.1 mm sounds good to us.

Consequently, we believe this hooper can survive outdoor games, but there are more suitable choices.

The Book 2 features a standard outsole of 4.5 mm that adds some extra cushioning underfoot.

This newer Booker hooper features a simple yet removable outsole that lost the barcode of the previous iteration. But don't worry, regarding performance, nothing changed!

Even though this shoe didn't show a single reflective element in our lab, when we were playing outdoors, we realised its Swoosh changes colors with the sunlight! So, so cool!

The 9.9 mm of tongue padding made sure we enjoyed the fantastic containment of this pair in every Euro step.

As you can see in the video, the foam of the Book 2 is never-ending! It felt incredibly comfortable and surefooted, but... it made the shoe heavier and incredibly hot.

Even though this black colorway makes it hard to see it, the Book 2 doesn't have a gusseted tongue. Still, we don't have a single complaint about its lockdown feel!

This second edition features a more functional finger loop at the heel.

To be honest, it was hard for us to justify this Nike's far-from-affordable price if we focused on playability alone. As a cool sneaker with slightly avant-garde technologies, it definitely shines, but regarding basketball... it doesn't quite hit the mark to be among the top.