Jordan viii

Description:


The Air Jordan VIII is a shoe that stands out for a multitude of reason, the most obvious being the straps that criss-cross over the upper. But the shoe also stands out because it marked an end of sorts to the Air Jordan line. What do I mean? Read on to find out...

figure 1. Here's a look at the outsole of the Air Jordan VIII Retro. Given that the outsole is largely flat I assumed that traction would be poor, but I was happy to find that, as long as I kept the outsole reasonably clean, traction was excellent from my first wearing through my sixth. Note also the shaggy chenille Jumpman logo patch on the tongue of the shoe on the left. Its' one of many funky design touches on the Air Jordan VIII.

figure 2. Here's a look at the Air Jordan VIII Retro with its midfoot straps partially undone. You can actually pull the straps completely off the velcro closures attached to the heel (which is how Kobe Bryant wore the VIII for much of the latter part of this past season). I found that doing so had no discernable impact on the performance of the shoe while helping to improve the shoe's ability to dissipate heat through the tongue.