Nike A'One review

We think that the Nike A'One shoe will earn your immediate favour if:

• you want a jumping shoe with excellent impact protection and energy return
• you are a centre, power forward, or big wing player who needs solid stability and ankle support
• you want it all in a budget-frienly package

If the A'One's cheap-feeling and non-breathable upper materials don't sit well with you, you might as well check out the PUMA All Pro Nitro 2. It also showed better results in outsole durability.

And if you need a hoop shoe with a less constricting toebox, you will find more wiggle room in the Adidas Dame 9 and the New Balance TWO WXY V5.

If you value impact protection more than court feel, you will be very pleasantly surprised by the A'One's cushioning!

Packing a full-length Cushlon 3.0 foam wrapped in a standard Phylon carrier foam, this Nike shoe returned above-average shock absorption readings both in the heel (109 SA) and in the forefoot (85 SA)!

It takes really good care of your feet and joints during jump shots and high-force landings.

With no Air Zoom units up its sleeve, the Nike A'One still delivered impressive energy return measurements in our lab!

Powered by Cushlon foam alone, it reached 61.9% in the heel and 66.5% in the forefoot, coming pretty close to the Nike Sabrina 3's 70.9%! That makes the A'One an excellent option for a shot-creation, jumper-heavy playing style akin to A'Ja Wilson's own.

Measuring the stack height of this Nike shoe, we found that it relies on a couple of extra millimetres of foam to deliver its above-average cushioning.

The heel, in particular, measured 30.4 mm, which is just a bit taller than the average.

The same goes for the shoe's forefoot stack. At 22.5 mm, it is only slightly thicker than average.

This leaves us with a standard heel-to-toe drop of 7.9 mm in the A'One.

It is a typical offset for basketball shoes, which is neither too flat nor too pitched forward. Comfortable and familiar for most players.

Our feet were treated to a pleasantly soft underfoot experience courtesy of the Cushlon foam.

The compound proved to be softer than average with a durometer reading of 18.8 HA. Not as plush as Nike's advanced ZoomX foam, but still amazingly comfortable.

It is encased in the firmer Phylon carrier and a stiff midfoot shank, letting you enjoy the cushioning without sinking in or losing stability.

Even though the Nike A'One is unisex, it is based on the women's sizing scheme and is designed to accommodate a female player's foot first. Thus, male players may need to try sizing up a half-size to achieve more wiggle room.

But this may not be the case for guys who prefer a snugger fit or have narrower feet.

Using a digital calliper and a gel mould of the shoe's interior, we found that the shoe's widest area (ball of the foot) is actually on par with the average at 93.2 mm.

However, the A'One's toebox is a bit more aggressively tapered than that of an average basketball shoe. Measuring its width at the big toe, we got a below-average reading of 67.8 mm.

That way, it's not so friendly towards wide feet.

Another potential pressure area is the shoe's limited vertical space.

With a really low toebox height of only 19.8 mm, it might aggravate some toe-related issues and feel too constricting to players with hammertoe deformities.

In addition to its impressive cushioning, the Nike A'One also helped us feel surefooted with its highly reliable outsole traction.

Testing its gripping capacity on a slab of professional court flooring, our machine recorded a high friction coefficient of 0.72. This shoe grants a strong bite for hard stops, breaks, and forceful moves in all directions.

The Nike A'One features a peculiar 'generative' tread pattern that's a far cry from the traditional herringbone design.

What makes it unique and effective is that its serrated treadings move independently and bite the court in different ways, making the grip more adaptable to a post player's strong rotational footwork. This is essential for moves like drop steps, spins, and seals-and-pivots.

Unlike the Nike Sabrina, which prioritises manoeuvrability, the A'One was built with support and stability in mind. And that is reflected in its generally stiffer construction.

Our shoe stiffness test recorded that the A'One requires an above-average force of 22.2N to bend by 30 degrees. This is notably more than it takes to bend the Sabrina 3 (15.5N).

But it's no surprise given that the A'One caters to centres, bigs, and power-based playing styles.

We are genuinely amazed at how Nike managed to keep the A'One's weight below the average, given the amount of cushioning and support it packs!

The shoe weighs a moderate 12.9 oz (366g) in a women's US size 10.5 (men's US 9). It's not that much heavier than the Nike Sabrina (12.4 oz/352g) and still makes it into our catalogue of lightweight basketball shoes!

Nike had to make sacrifices to keep A'Ja Wilson's first signature release within a budget-friendly range. And the choice landed on the shoe's upper materials.

What was described as 'light and breathable mesh' turned out to be a rather cheap-feeling, heat-trapping material, as our smoke-pumping machine test confirmed.

Not a single ventilation channel showed up in our LED test either.

What looked like thin, airy fabric at first turned out to be super-densely woven and plasticky through our microscope lens.

Unfortunately, the Nike A'One fails to provide sufficient ventilation for long games and practises, especially in hot weather. On a 1-5 breathability scale, it earned the lowest score of 1.

When the time came to test the Nike A'One in some forceful lateral movements and post play, we were impressed yet again by how much this affordable shoe has to offer.

Its side-to-side containment and ankle support are, in fact, on par with those of the more advanced shoes in our roster. We never felt off-balance during stepbacks, cuts, crossovers, jab steps, or drop steps.

The primary stability component of the Nike A'One is, of course, the stiff TPU shank.

It is placed not only inside the shoe's midfoot but also forms large external wings on both sides of the platform.

The photo above also demonstrates how the medial wing stretches up to form large, sturdy eyelets to secure the midfoot lockdown even further.

All of these elements help to elevate the A'One's torsional rigidity to the maximum possible score of 5/5.

In the rearfoot, an exceptionally sturdy and padded heel counter holds the heel with the power of a death grip.

Easily scoring the maximum 5/5 in our manual stiffness test, it eliminates heel wobbles, even under high pressure of landings, hard side steps, and backpedals.

The shoe's forefoot platform has a nice, broad base, measuring 115.1 mm at its widest point. It is on par with the category average.

The 'extended bump along the heel' mentioned in the shoe's product description was reflected in our calliper measurements as well. Showing 91.0 mm between the widest points, it came in slightly wider than average.

The A'One walks a fine line between offering a stable base without being too clunky or bottom-heavy.

Putting the A'One's upper materials through our Dremel tests, we found that it's actually not as hopelessly frail as some might think when first touching it.

The shiny fabric that makes up the toebox and most of the shoe's upper showed moderate wear resistance, getting a middle-ground durability score of 3/5.

The textile lining inside the shoe's collar didn't fare well on the durability scale either, with a moderate score of 3/5.

And as much as we loved how the shoe's serrated treading grips the court, its lifespan doesn't look very promising.

The Dremel easily burned through the rubber, leaving a fairly deep 1.4 mm dent. While it's not a horrible durability result, it is a definite no for outdoor courts.

But at least the amount of rubber in the shoe's outsole proved sufficient for a long, happy life indoors. Our calliper recorded its thickness at 3.7 mm.

A well-padded insole complements the A'One's soft midsole. Measuring its thickness at the heel, we obtained a standard reading of 4.5 mm.

The insole can also be removed and swapped for an orthotic if needed. But make sure that the alternative insert fits the shoe's tapered toebox.

The shoe's tongue and collar are both very generously padded.

The tongue, in particular, measured 10.2 mm in thickness, keeping pressure points and lace bites at bay.

Because it is well-padded and semi-gusseted, we experienced zero to no tongue shifting.

This has got to be one of the best aspects of A'ja WIlsone's first signature shoe with Nike. At a very affordable £120, it offers immense value for money with minimal compromises on quality.

The shoe features no finger loops or pull tabs, but its sculpted heel counter makes it quite easy to slide into the A'One.