Sometimes our blog introductions can be a bit roundabout, or even vague at first (and hopefully interesting :D), but today we will go straight to the story!
Jordan React Elevation first appeared on the sneakerhead radar perhaps as a smaller dot, but as time went on and more and more players tried out this amazing sneaker that dot became bigger…and then it took up most of that imaginary radar when the incredible Luka Dončić wore them in the super exciting first round of the playoffs between the Mavs and the Clippers – and when he did this:
You almost certainly saw it and by doing this he became the youngest player in NBA playoffs history with a game-winning-buzzer-beater shot. Additionally, legendary commentator Mike Breen followed this play by saying his famous “BANG” twice, with which he had previously honored only Steph Curry (vs. Thunder on February 27, 2016) and Eric Gordon (vs. Lakers on January 19, 2019).
But what does all of this have anything to do with sneakers? Well, let’s check out what Google has to say, specifically Google Trends:
So this leap in the searches for the term “Jordan React Elevation” was directly related to Luka’s shot!
Now, so that it doesn’t turn out that all of this is just hype, let’s move on to the sneaker. For starters, it is the de facto successor of the hugely popular Jumpman Diamond as Jordan’s team performance model. In other words, it is a model to play in that has great technology, and since it is not directly tied to a player, then it also has a great price. As with Diamond, React Elevation has combined some more positive/proven/successful trends, and the result is a top-notch sneaker. Speaking of other models, we can add that many fans made the first connection to the also excellent Jordan Why Not Zer0.2 and we can agree that there are certain similarities in appearance.
And now, the details. Apart from “popping out” from the shoe’s name, React does the same thing when you look at them, or rather the heel, and we can tell you that this amount of foam works wonders for comfort, and leaves you with extra energy for the end of the game. Even for the last second of overtime. 😉
Moving towards the front of the foot, there is a clear break in React, and this is best seen in the now more frequent decoupled sole, after which we come to a Zoom Air cushion under the front of the foot.
Speaking of the sole, there were no major experiments with it, so a herringbone pattern was used, which works great. Still, one interesting detail is a “hole” in the sole under the heel through which you can reach the React foam and which is just kind of great to press with your fingers. 🙂
The upper part is standard mesh, but here we also have a great combination of colors and a “bolder” look that again reminds of Russell Westbrook and his Why Not series. Of course, the front part above the toes is additionally protected, and a very good addition are the leather side panels with holes for the laces and which can offer a feeling of extra stability to the foot.
All in all, we already wrote in the intro that this is an amazing sneaker and now we can repeat it even louder and wait for more colorways to come! Until then, check out the current Air Jordan React Elevation collection HERE >>
