Nike Ja 1 review

We think that this signature shoe from Nike is a suitable match for the following:

• quick guards who want a lot of energy return
• bigger athletes who benefit a lot from heel plushness
• players who want shoes that are comfortable and aesthetic enough to be worn off the court
• athletes who play mostly indoors

The Ja 1 from Nike is not for players who like premium materials in their shoes. Even though our lab tests showed that the shoe's upper is highly resistant to abrasion, we must admit that they don't have a premium vibe. High-quality shoe lovers are better off getting the more upscale Nike KD 15.

Ja Morant's first signature shoe is also not for those who want kicks that they can immediately use straight out of the box. Several parts of this shoe, particularly the midsole tooling and the upper, take some time before they unleash their true potential. The Jordan Luka 1 is a better pick for them.

Immediately upon wearing it, we noticed that the Ja 1 brought us closer to the floor. This allowed us to gain more ground feel and better movement control.

Our caliper measurements confirmed our experience. This lab device reported that the Ja 1's heel stack is thinner than usual at 27.5 mm.

The thickness of the forefoot is just around the average at 22.3 mm. What's even more interesting about this part is the Zoom Unit embedded in it.

This energizing unit gave us all the propulsion that we needed to drive toward the basket and make our games extra exciting.

With a drop of only 5.2 mm, this Nike basketball shoe indeed felt flatter than the typical hoop shoe. We appreciated this setup because (1) it made us feel more grounded and (2) it provided just the right blend of impact protection and court feel.

This shoe was perfectly suitable for those among us who have more hybrid playing styles and on-court roles.

With a softness rating of 26.5 HA, the midsole of the Nike Ja 1 does not deviate in a significant way from the average.

Fortunately, its apparent averageness did not result in any negative experience. On the contrary, its midsole setup actually allowed us to enjoy a good balance between cushioning and firmness, which helped greatly with our movements.

We attribute the comfortable feeling underfoot to the insole, which we found to be a little thicker than average at 5.0 mm.

Compared to the average, the toebox of the Ja 1 from Nike offers a bit more space. Using a caliper, we learned that the toebox opens 103.0 mm at its widest.

At 75.6 mm, the toebox at the big toe is just as wide as the average. Given that the widest part of the toe box has a bit more space, we are happy that this shoe can indeed accommodate those players with slightly wider feet.

Even if the materials felt cheap, they never fell short in providing much-needed support. When we moved from side to side, we felt so much response from the sidewalls.

It is important to note that while it was supportive, it never felt restrictive. The upper still afforded us some flexibility to accommodate splays and some inevitable in-motion foot displacements, as can be seen in the video below.

There was practically nothing to complain about when it came to this Nike shoe's torsional resistance. We felt so protected from twists even on awkward angles. Hands down, this shoe truly deserved the perfect 5 it got from us.

What we liked about the heel counter was that it was straight-up stiff. The moment we put the shoe on, we already felt its grasp on the rearfoot. It was secure but not tight.

After giving it a good squeeze in our lab, we gladly give the heel counter a solid 4 out of 5 for stiffness.

The shoe felt stable at the forefoot, and we attribute this stability to the wide platform in that area. Using our caliper, we found that the midsole platform is wider than average at 115.4 mm wide at the forefoot.

Surprisingly, the heel area is A LOT narrower than usual. Fortunately, this did not result in any performance issues. On the contrary, tapering the platform in the heel area quite a bit helped in reducing the weight of the shoe.

To test for flexibility, we measured how much force is needed to bend the shoe at 90 degrees. We found that the Nike Ja 1 only needed 34.7N, which is 16.4% lower than the amount of force that the typical hoop shoe would need. 

The shoe's quite flexible structure allowed for more natural twists and bends of our feet, effectively comfort and our range of motion.

At only 12.7 ounces or 361.0 grams, the Ja 1 from Nike is truly lighter than the typical basketball shoe. On the court, its lightweight structure allowed us to be speedier and less restricted with our movements.

In our lab test, the smoke that we pumped into the shoe escaped through the tongue well. Though the smoke's rising was not as smooth as in the Under Armour Curry 10, the Ja 1 still deserved a solid 3 out of 5 for ventilation. This score still makes it more breathable than many other basketball shoes on record.

Nike Ja 1 (3 out of 5) vs. UA Curry 10 (5 out of 5)

Putting the upper material over the light source quickly revealed that the upper material wasn't as well-ventilated as we hoped. Much of the ventilation for this shoe was through the tongue.

We examined the upper material through the microscope and saw that a tightly woven lining underneath the mesh hampered its ability to "breathe."

It's very clear in the close-up shot below how the lining effectively closes off the mesh patterns where air could have flowed.

Toebox durability is where the Nike Ja 1 shone like a gem it is. Not even our high-pressure Dremel-drilling for twelve seconds could poke a hole through it. So hands down, it's a 5 over 5!

For context, take a look at the damage the same amount of pressure placed on the Adidas Harden Stepback 3, which only got a 3 out of 5.

The durability of the heel counter padding was also another highlight. If only it could laugh, it would have LOLed at our Dremel test! If we could give a score higher than 5 out of 5, we would!

As you can see, four seconds of drilling barely left a dent on the heel counter. 

The hardness of the outsole wasn't so bad during our test games. In the lab, our HC durometer showed that it is just around the average in this regard. 

Just like the upper and the heel counter padding, the outsole was also subjected to our standard Dremel drilling to see how abrasion-resistant it is. 

Using a tread gauge, we measured the dent depth at 1.6 mm. This is notably deeper than average, indicating that the material is softer. Using this frequently outdoors might not be such a good idea.

Our caliper showed that the outsole is only 3.5 mm thick, making it just a tiny bit thinner than average. Coupled with its not-so-impressive durability, we can say that this shoe is best for well-kept indoor hardwood courts.

We couldn't find anything to complain about with the grip. It was multidirectional. We were able to stop on a dime whenever needed.

Durability-wise, the outsole is not really for the outdoors; but performance-wise, it could still work well there. If longevity isn't a concern, then this shoe is a beast outdoors as it is indoors!

The tongue is slightly more padded than average. Our caliper measured its thickness to be 10.4 mm. Because it contains this much material, the top of our feet felt sufficiently protected from lace pressure. 

The Nike Ja 1 has a semi-gusseted tongue, and it truly contributed a lot to the lockdown that we enjoyed while playing in it. We never had to worry about any unnecessary internal slides and shifts.

The Ja 1 does not have any heel tab. But there is absolutely no need to worry because this shoe was quite easy to put on and take off even without this extra feature.

The Nike Ja 1 is ready for players who might want to wear custom orthotics during their games. Its insole is removable so that space can be freed up when needed.