With the new SIBL season starting, I thought it was about time to get a pair of new shoes. The plan was to actually get the Air Jordan XX3 in white/red but those have yet to be available in China. I still go check the Jordan store every week to make sure I can get them! When looking around the Nike Basketball store, I saw the Zoom Brave 2 in a special colorway with patent leather. I'll be the first to admit they're not the hottest looking shoe and that the colorway could be better but once I tried them on, it was really hard for me to not get them. I was really close to getting original Zoom Brave when I saw them at an outlet a couple years ago but they just didn't feel as comfortable to ball in as my Stutter Steps. Fast forward to 2008 and I'm looking at the Zoom Brave 2 on sale. After trying them on, I knew I had to get them. Although not as super comfortable as the Zoom BB right out of the box, they did feel really solid but more on that later.
The Zoom Brave 2 were worn by Jason Kidd last year but are mostly a Japanese market shoe (JDM!). The regular colorways tend have the whole upper a single color. This special colorway on these has the front half in white and the back half in a navy patent leather. The most pronounced feature on the Zoom Brave 2 are the little stubs on the forefoot. This design feature stems back from the Zoom Flight V that Jason Kidd wore back in the day and has been carried over from the original Zoom Brave as well. In fact the whole outsole seems to be the exact same as the one from the Zoom Brave with the herringbone pattern taking up half of the inside half of the forefoot to the whole heel of the shoe and the other half of the forefoot having the stubs along with concentric circles. This combination gives incredible traction that I have never felt before. Even on the shitty dust-ridden gyms we play in, I had absolute confidence that the shoe would hook up and let me cut in the direction I needed to. Although the shoe is lacking an outtrigger like those found on most basketball shoes, the forefoot is amazingly stable. This is due to the wider forefoot and the "finger" like portion of the outsole that run up onto the midsole, much like those found on Air Jordan XIV's. The lateral stability of the Zoom Brave 2 really blew me away and coupled with the incredible traction, I did not have to worry at all about rolling my ankle.
The confidence that the stability of the shoe brings is an absolute must due to the fact that it is not a mid-top. The ankle area is not low enough to be a low-top but not high enough to be a mid-top. The lacing system of the Zoom Brave 2 is a lot more normal compared to that found on the previous iteration of the shoe. I remember the Zoom Brave being a weird shoe to lace up how far back the lace holes went when you got up to the upper holes. It did bring a great fit, however. The more traditional lacing system in the Zoom Brave 2 also does a great job at keeping the foot locked in. I had no problem with any slip at all.
Although the rear section of the shoe is not as perforated as the original Zoom Brave, the tradition is still carried on at the heel with some additional perforations found along the inner section of the forefoot. This kept my foot dry throughout the whole time I was balling. An interesting design note is that of the solid heel counter, which is basically placed at the perforated sections of the heel. That section is embossed with the Zoom Brave logo, giving the shoe a little "street" feel to it. A nice touch by Nike. This is also similar to the design found on the original Zoom Brave.
I have had a good 4 hard balling sessions in these shoes and I must say that I absolutely love them. Although they are a tad bit heavier than my Stutter Steps, they are still light enough that I completely did not notice them at the end of games when fatigue starts to kick in. The Zoom unit in the heel is very cushy and the expected Zoom Air bounce can be felt when stepping. The forefoot Zoom unit is a lot thinner than the one in the Stutter Step and less noticeable. Although the bounce isn't as pronounced, it does help the shoe feel a lot closer to the ground. I haven't felt this connected to the hardwood ever. Even with this great court feel, I had no issues with the cushioning bottoming out when landing. The cushioning as a whole doesn't feel mushy at all. It is incredibly solid and gives great confidence on the court. 
I really have nothing but good things to say about this shoes. Some people might want more ankle support but I have always felt that ankle support was overrated. A stable shoe is a lot more important than actual ankle support since you can always add ankle support via ankle braces or taping. The incredible stability of the Zoom Brave 2 made it really easy to not worry about my ankles while the traction and great cushioning made it a joy to ball in. I absolutely recommend this shoe to any guard that loves running and can get over the fact that this is a lower cut shoe.
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