Our verdict

The Court Legacy shows what a clean, minimalist, and sleek shoe should look like. Its versatile style matched pretty much everything we had in our wardrobe, and its soft aesthetics were perfect for many different situations. We walked around town, went out for lunch, and ran errands in this shoe, and thanks to its lightweight and comfortable structure our legs felt as fresh as a daisy. The best part of it all is that you can get this Nike for only 60 dollars! Just be careful if you suffer from any foot conditions, the Court Legacy doesn't offer any cushioning or arch support whatsoever.

Pros

  • Looks good with literally everything
  • Good mix of durability and breathability
  • Minimal and sleek style
  • Pretty comfortable and lightweight
  • Clean branding and details
  • Grounded platform
  • Lots of plain colorways to choose from
  • Incredibly affordable

Cons

  • Narrow toebox
  • No arch support
  • No cushioning

Audience verdict

88
Good!

Who should buy

Make your wardrobe happy with this mix-and-match gem if you're looking for:

  • A lightweight and flexible pair to walk around town for hours on end.
  • An affordable classic full of clean heritage details.
  • A super versatile sneaker style and occasion-wise.

Nike Court Legacy_outdoor_01

Who should NOT buy

If you suffer from any foot conditions, we strongly advise you to go for a different shoe. The Nike Court Legacy doesn't have a midsole, and it lacks the arch support you might need. There are other brands that have sneakers that focus more on support, such as New Balance.

If you're looking for a super comfortable and durable pair with the same aesthetics, the Vans Old Skool might just be your cup of tea! If you came here looking for a leather shoe, don't worry, we got you covered! The Adidas Superstar is another icon with a clean and timeless look that effortlessly matches lots of outfits.

Just in case you want to keep it low-budget and these recommendations aren't right up your alley, we believe you should have a look at our most affordable sneakers.

Nike Court Legacy_pieces

Cushioning

Heel stack

At 19.6 mm, this shoe's heel stack is way lower than average.

Nike Court Legacy Heel stack_2

This translates into a better ground feel, which increases the stability levels of this Nike pair overall. After all, it doesn't actually have a midsole, which makes a huge difference regarding heel stack!

Nike Court Legacy_outdoor_015

PS: Those elegant details all around this shoe make us want to thank Nike a thousand times!

Test results
Court Legacy 19.6 mm
Average 29.7 mm
Compared to 81 sneakers
Number of shoes
16.9 mm
Heel stack
50.5 mm

Forefoot stack

The forefoot stack is also lower than average at 13.0 mm.

Nike Court Legacy Forefoot stack_1

Once again, we can confidently say this shoe focuses on ground feel, and not so much on impact protection. Not only does our caliper reading work as living proof of this, but also our personal experience walking around town with the Court Legacy during our wear tests.

Nike Court Legacy_outdoor_011

Test results
Court Legacy 13.0 mm
Average 18.8 mm
Compared to 81 sneakers
Number of shoes
9.7 mm
Forefoot stack
28.3 mm

Drop

Once we measure both heel and forefoot stacks, we can calculate the drop of a shoe.

Nike Court Legacy Drop_1

Standing at 6.6 mm, it's a whopping 41% lower than average. But don't worry, this is NOT something bad! Heel drop in sneakers is all about personal preferences; there's not a "better" or "worse" drop.

Nike Court Legacy_outdoor_04

As you can see, this shoe looks really flat on foot, and that's because of the drop. If you want to know more about this, we believe you should have a look at our ultimate drop guide.

Test results
Court Legacy 6.6 mm
Average 10.9 mm
Compared to 81 sneakers
Number of shoes
3.5 mm
Drop
17.2 mm

Insole thickness

Even though the Court Legacy's insole is thinner than average at 3.9 mm, we were pretty grateful it was not thinner than that.

Nike Court Legacy Insole thickness_1

This small piece had to burden the whole weight of the underfoot comfort on its own shoulders. And it did it pretty okay!

Yeah, we can't say it's a plush shoe. But sometimes people tend to associate plushness with comfort, as if it was the only factor that played an important role! During our wear tests, we felt we could walk for hours in this shoe. It might not be the best to explore a new city (walking shoes might work better for that), but you'll definitely be able to show off its trendy style with no problems during a night out with friends.

Nike Court Legacy_outdoor_017

Test results
Court Legacy 3.9 mm
Average 5.1 mm
Compared to 81 sneakers
Number of shoes
3.1 mm
Insole thickness
11.5 mm

Size and fit

Size

Nike Court Legacy is slightly small (255 votes).

Owners of this shoe, how does this shoe fit?

1 size small ½ size small True to size ½ size large 1 size large
Compared to 97 sneakers
Number of shoes
½ size small
Slightly small
True to size
Slightly large
½ size large

Toebox width - widest part

As expected, this shoe's toebox is narrow.

Nike Court Legacy Toebox width at the widest part_1

When our caliper returned 92.3 mm, it was crystal clear to us: the Court Legacy is not a shoe for wide-foot sneakerheads! Its sleek and slim build will most likely make people with big toes uncomfortable.

Nike Court Legacy_outdoor_03

Test results
Court Legacy 92.3 mm
Average 98.9 mm
Compared to 81 sneakers
Number of shoes
91.3 mm
Toebox width - widest part
105.3 mm

Toebox width - big toe

And things get even narrower at the big toe!

Nike Court Legacy Toebox width at the big toe_1

The Court Legacy tapers quite a lot, and even our standard-sized feet found it tight. Consequently, we didn't have any space to wiggle our toes or even spread them a little bit! At 69.8 mm, it's a whole 7% narrower than average. It might not sound like much, but trust us, it makes a big difference for your feet!

Nike Court Legacy_outdoor_018

Test results
Court Legacy 69.8 mm
Average 75.0 mm
Compared to 80 sneakers
Number of shoes
65.7 mm
Toebox width - big toe
83.0 mm

Stability

Lateral stability test

The low profile of the Court Legacy makes it a pretty stable shoe.

If we don't take into account specific stability features, the closer your feet are to the floor when you put on a shoe, the more stable it is! In this case, the absence of a midsole and the thin insole and outsole are clear evidence of such.

Nike Court Legacy_outdoor_016

We can summarize our experience using just one word: confidence! The close-to-the-ground structure of this shoe made us feel confident in every step, as we felt pretty stable. Additionally, its clean and trendy design that matched most of our wardrobe gave us that self-trust boost that we love so much!

Nike Court Legacy_outdoor_09

Torsional rigidity

Right in time for the Olympic Games, we might have a new gymnast! The Court Legacy bent as easily in our hands as it did in our feet.

Just look at that! No resistance whatsoever! This allowed our feet to move comfortably, and we could also happily say good-bye to any kind of painful break-in period. Consequently, we gave this shoe a wonderful 1/5 on our torsional rigidity test.

Test results
Court Legacy 1
Average 3.5
Compared to 80 sneakers
Number of shoes
1
Torsional rigidity
5

Heel counter stiffness

After seeing how pliable this shoe is overall, we did expect its heel counter to match Shannon Miller's flexibility levels. It bent easily alongside our feet. It did not rub us the wrong way or hurt our Achilles, which we always celebrate!

All in all, the Court Legacy got a 1/5 on our heel counter stiffness test, which is the lowest result.

Test results
Court Legacy 1
Average 3.2
Compared to 80 sneakers
Number of shoes
1
Heel counter stiffness
5

Midsole width - forefoot

We could already tell this shoe didn't have the widest base. Our caliper didn't even need to stretch before measuring the Court Legacy's midsole width in the forefoot.

Nike Court Legacy Midsole width in the forefoot_1

At 99.7 mm, it's narrower than average. Nevertheless, we still felt stable and comfortable. A measure that matches this shoe's sleek profile, that is!

Nike Court Legacy_outdoor_013

Test results
Court Legacy 99.7 mm
Average 108.5 mm
Compared to 81 sneakers
Number of shoes
95.1 mm
Midsole width - forefoot
121.0 mm

Midsole width - heel

The extra narrow heel made sure our feet stayed in place. At 67.7 mm, our caliper stated it's an incredible 19% less wide than average!

Nike Court Legacy Midsole width in the heel_1

We believe these measures match amazingly well with the Court Legacy's clean, simple, and minimalistic vibe.

Test results
Court Legacy 67.7 mm
Average 83.2 mm
Compared to 81 sneakers
Number of shoes
67.7 mm
Midsole width - heel
103.1 mm

Flexibility / Stiffness

Right to the point: 8.8N. Yes, you read it right. Just 8.8N!

Our force gauge only had it that easy with the Adidas Spezial (at 5.8N). This explains why this shoe felt so comfortable and forgiving in our feet, and we could walk for hours and hours with it.

Nike Court Legacy_outdoor_010

This also helps a lot with the fact that it doesn't have a midsole. Even though we can't say this shoe is plush, its pliable nature makes it fun and nice to wear. And don't get us started with its style. Trendy, trendy, and trendy again!

Test results
Court Legacy 8.8N
Average 22.9N
We use an average of four tests. The video shows one of those tests.
Compared to 81 sneakers
Number of shoes
5.8N
Flexibility <> Stiffness
51.8N

Weight

The sleek appearance of this shoe reflects its weight perfectly. How light it felt on our feet when we walked around town or when we had to run some errands is one of our favorite aspects of the Court Legacy. It's just like a feather!

Nike Court Legacy Weight_1

At 10.1 oz/286.0g, this pair is a wonderful 40% lighter than average. This translates into easy and happy strides, as your feet won't get tired as fast as they would with some heavier sneakers! Trust us, we verify our lab results with our wear tests and vice-versa!

Later on, when we got to the lab, we cut the shoe in half to see what it was hiding. Then we checked the upper, and its lightweight nature became totally clear to us. There's no padding at all!

Test results
Court Legacy 10.09 oz (286g)
Average 13.86 oz (393g)
Compared to 81 sneakers
Number of shoes
8.50 oz (241g)
Weight
20.49 oz (581g)

Breathability

The fully covered canvas upper of this shoe deceived us at first glance... but no one can fool our smoke machine! We grabbed the Court Legacy and started pumping up smoke, check it out!

The smoke came out pretty easily we'd say. Also, compared to the Nike Blazer Mid 77, which has a similar build if we judge it just by looks, the Court Legacy performed way better! We decided to give it an average result of 3/5 in our breathability test, which is not bad at all!

The material lets our light shine... even if it's just a little bit. We can't say it has ventilation holes, though, as the light doesn't go all the way through. But it's not like the canvas is incredibly thin either! We believe this combination will bring a great mix of breathability and durability.

Nike Court Legacy Breathability_3

Our microscope just confirmed it: no ventilation gaps to favor airflow!

Nike Court Legacy Breathability_4

Before we move on, it's important to say that in this review we're analyzing the canvas version of the Nike Court Legacy. There's also a leather iteration that would definitely get different scores on our tests. Please, keep that in mind before deciding to buy this shoe!

If you're looking for a leather shoe, then we believe you should have a look at our leather sneakers catalog.

Test results
Court Legacy 3
Average 3
Compared to 80 sneakers
Number of shoes
1
Breathability
5

Durability

Toebox durability

Even though the Court Legacy's structure reminds us of Converse's sneakers, it doesn't have a rubber layer in the toebox to protect it. To check its durability, we grabbed our Dremel and started drilling our way in.

After 4 seconds of attack at 5K RPM and 3.2N of force, we could see the toebox didn't have a full-on hole. It did have some damage, though; a little bit more than what we'd consider just a scratch.

Nike Court Legacy Toebox durability_2

As you can see in the picture, the tool managed to get to the very final layer at the top of the mess it created. Yet it couldn't make its way through!

We decided to give it a 3/5 in our toebox durability test. As we predicted, the Court Legacy shows a nice combination of average breathability and durability!

Test results
Court Legacy 3
Average 3.8
Compared to 80 sneakers
Number of shoes
1
Toebox durability
5

Heel padding durability

Even though the heel is usually the weakest part of a shoe, we make all the pairs that come to our lab go through our heel padding durability test!

When the tool started rolling, we could see some white threads flying around. Which, honestly, scared us a little bit... but when we put the Dremel away, we saw the results weren't that bad!

Nike Court Legacy Heel padding durability_2

There's a little bit of a mess back there, yeah. But, as you can see, the heel did pretty well despite being thin and unpadded, so we gave it a 3/5 on our heel padding durability test.

Test results
Court Legacy 3
Average 3.2
Compared to 80 sneakers
Number of shoes
1
Heel padding durability
5

Outsole hardness

When we grabbed our durometer to check this shoe's outsole hardness and it showed 87.5 HC, we couldn't help but nod.

Nike Court Legacy Outsole hardness_1

As we'll see later on, this shoe doesn't have a midsole, which explains why we didn't feel it super soft underfoot. Its outsole is also harder than average, but don't worry, this doesn't mean the shoe is uncomfortable! In fact, we did have a great time walking around town with it.

Test results
Court Legacy 87.5 HC
Average 85.4 HC
We use an average of four tests. The photo shows one of those tests.
Compared to 80 sneakers
Number of shoes
76.1 HC
Outsole hardness
91.3 HC

Outsole durability

Our Dremel's last battle against the Court Legacy is about to start, and we can't wait to see it!

This time at 10K RPM and 3.2N of force, the tool was ready to give its all in a duel that lasted 22 seconds. We measured the damages using a tread gauge, and it returned 1.3 mm.

Nike Court Legacy Outsole durability_2

The dent is 23% deeper than average, which caught us by surprise, to be honest. The Court Legacy has a harder-than-average outsole, we did expect a higher level of durability regarding the material used.

Nike Court Legacy_outdoor_06

Test results
Court Legacy 1.3 mm
Average 1.1 mm
Compared to 80 sneakers
Number of shoes
0.0 mm
Outsole wear
2.0 mm

Outsole thickness

There are many things that can only be measured if you cut a shoe in half, and that's exactly what we do here, in RunRepeat! The outsole thickness is just one of them, as we need our caliper to be able to stand right in the outsole limits.

Nike Court Legacy Outsole thickness_1

At 5.5 mm, the Court Legacy's outsole has an average thickness. 

Test results
Court Legacy 5.5 mm
Average 5.4 mm
Compared to 81 sneakers
Number of shoes
3.1 mm
Outsole thickness
8.6 mm

Misc

Grip / Traction

With the classic herringbone pattern that follows Nike Blazer shoes tradition, the Court Legacy showed standard traction levels on urban surfaces.

Nike Court Legacy_outdoor_012

It's not the best pair for wet surfaces, that's for sure. But overall, we can't complain about its grip!

Nike Court Legacy_outdoor_08

We also want to mention we really liked the stylish set-up of the sole. It reminded us a lot of the Converse models, especially the Chuck 70 Low Top, as it's also a low-top shoe. The black strip all around the rubber layer and the Swoosh patch at the back just make the Court Legacy a thousand times more stylish. If that's even possible!

Reflective elements

No reflective elements around! Just make sure you walk on well-illuminated roads if you're heading home at night.

Nike Court Legacy Reflective elements_1

Test results
Court Legacy No

Tongue padding

The Court Legacy has broken a record in our lab data: it holds the thinnest tongue so far!

Nike Court Legacy Tongue padding_1

At 0.7 mm, our caliper claws look like they're just touching each other. When we saw how minimal this shoe's tongue was, we decided not to tie its laces too tight... no lace bite, please and thank you!

Nike Court Legacy_outdoor_014

Even though this meant this Nike's tongue would dance around a little bit, we understand the brand's strategy to go minimalist and as lightweight as possible. It looks like the brand was also aware of this, that's why it decided to add a little lace loop to hold the laces in place.

Nike Court Legacy_outdoor_07

Another wonderful move from Nike!

Test results
Court Legacy 0.7 mm
Average 9.1 mm
Compared to 81 sneakers
Number of shoes
0.7 mm
Tongue padding
23.0 mm

Heel tab

No heel tab! The clean and minimalist vibe of this shoe goes from the tip to the heel.

Nike Court Legacy_outdoor_05

We really liked the fact that Nike added a big leather patch with its name right where the heel tab should be. The letters look really clean and it gives the shoe a wonderful final touch!

Test results
Court Legacy None

Removable insole

This shoe has a removable insole, which means you can use your own orthotics if needed.

Nike Court Legacy Removable insole_1

Nevertheless, after all the tests the Court Legacy has gone through, we do want to give you a couple of warnings:

  • Don't forget there's a lot of this shoe's overall comfort levels that depend on the insole! If you go for a thinner one, you might regret it.
  • It's not a wide model. You can see it just by looking at it, but remember the forefoot already feels quite tight. If you go for an extra thick insole, your feet might run out of space.

Nike Court Legacy Removable insole_2

Test results
Court Legacy Yes