Adidas Harden Volumen 7 "Stormtrooper"

The adidas design team put together a very intriguing basketball shoe that also brings back the Boost we all know and love.

Traction on the Harden Vol 7 is excellent. Both the solid and translucent rubbers have good grip, and the combination of herringbone and radial traction patterns offers very consistent, multi-directional coverage on the court. This setup is elite indoors and out, but it won't last long on asphalt.

The cushioning of the adidas Harden Vol 7 might be the best feature of the shoe. What we have is a dual density foam setup. In the forefoot and midfoot of the shoe we have adidas Lightstrike foam, and in the heel, we have adidas Boost. The Lightstrike in Harden Vol 7 is much more dynamic and luxurious, and the Boost in the heel is just like the Boost we know and love from the mid-2000s.

The adidas Harden Vol 7 offers a very balanced drive on the court, with enough impact protection and rebound to keep you comfortable while you play, as well as the right amount of responsiveness to help keep you agile. Just some really great cushioning setup from adidas, and we finally have a plusher-feeling basketball shoe in the adidas lineup.

Two of the shoe's most notable design features also affect its performance. That synthetic overlay we see on the front of the shoe, which is similar to what we saw on the Harden Vol 1, adds support in that area and flexes naturally with your foot. On the other hand, the collar of the sock can make it difficult for the foot to enter, especially if you wear anklets.

The adidas Harden Vol 7 fits true to size, but due to the unusual construction, finding the right size can be a bit tricky, and this is again down to the sock collar. If you plan to wear anklets or have wider feet, you may want to go up half your size or try them in the store. But in general, normal size, true to the size of your foot.

Shoes of the year.- The Harden Vol 7 brings back a lot of things that we were missing in adidas basketball: the wow factor, a good cushioning system, a good performing Harden shoe, etc. And we get all of this in one of the most unique looking basketball shoes.

• This colorway of James Harden's seventh exclusive shoe with Three Stripes comes dressed in an official color scheme listed as Cloud White/Core Black-Cloud White.
• Wearing a variety of colorways landing on his seventh signature silhouette, the adidas Harden Vol. 7 now coordinates a simplistic monochrome ensemble. James Harden's seventh exclusive shoe with Three Stripes comes dressed in an official color scheme listed as Cloud White/Core Black-Cloud White.
• Introduced by a very light gray toe box, the silhouette's padded side panels have a dominant bright white hue, immediately contrasting with the jet black ensemble of the tongue and heel construction.
• The model is defined by its mixed material construction consisting of a mesh base along with padded seams and a shiny leather toe box.
• Resuming the latter in the split sole unit, a glossy finish is applied to the dark heel counter while slightly revealing the orange-treated BOOST cushioning system.
• Exposed White Boost on the medial side of the heel atop a semi-translucent outsole completes the look.
• These shoes have a BOOST cushioning system for the sole, which is light and very effective.
• Lightstrike in the forefoot cushions your stride while adidas BOOST in the heel returns energy with every jump, cut or change of direction.
• Blacked out throughout its one-piece construction at the ankle and tongue, "Core Black" mesh peeks through the vertically-stitched sidewalls in a shadowy conclusion.
• Accented by a rarely seen wash of ice blue across the forefoot, cool white 3-Stripes on the heel anchor the tuxedo-inspired effort. Meanwhile enjoy your adidas Harden Vol. 7 "Stormtrooper"