After a very successful KD 12, the 13th model seems like it barely had areas to improve upon. Same price, near-identical specs, and even the silhouette is super similar. In this KD 13 review, I’ll be breaking down the shoe’s performance, value, differences from the last shoe, and recommending it for the most fitting players.
I. SPEC SHEET
II. 1-MIN REVIEW
For those in a hurry: the Nike KD 13 has made some tweaks from last year’s shoe but it arguably took a few steps back as well. Expect a snug fit – wide footers should go up 1/2 a size.
I liked the shoe overall: solid traction carried over from the 12, the same awesome Zoom Air strobel that felt even a tad bit bouncier, and a basic yet functional textile upper that didn’t bring any issues.
However, it’s the lateral containment of the build that might cause concern for some, especially for shifty guards, heavy dudes or explosive athletes who jump out of the gym. All in all, the KD 12 is the safer option if you can’t decide.
The full review is below
III. COMFORT & FIT
Do they fit true to size or should you go up/down? How comfortable are they? Anything else to know fit-wise?
SIZING GUIDE
KD’s shoe releases are known to be quite narrow and compact, especially in the forefoot area – the KD 13 follows a similar construction to the 12th and it’s also just as narrow as Durant’s other signatures.
So just as for the KD 12, I went up half a size for these since I’m a wide footer and the fit feels extremely close to the last model. After I broke them in which really didn’t take too long (thanks to an upper with a lot of give), I achieved a very snug and condensed fit.
Though not in a bad way – some people prefer a more roomy fit with more space for your foot to operate it, some prefer a tighter, more snug fit like KD’s shoes bring. Regular/narrow footers will want to go true to size for a snug and condensed fit, and half a size up if you want the shoe to feel a bit less condensed and tight.
COMFORT & CONTAINMENT
Comfort overall is nothing special but nothing bad either – I felt comfortable inside the shoe and never felt like it was lackluster in that area. Looks like there’s even more internal padding than on the KD 12 which is always awesome.
Due to the change in the upper, the shoe does feel secure and stable mostly but foot containment took a bit of a hit in the result.
During idle or lesser movements, my wide foot felt perfectly fine, I was extremely secure and stable, seems like the upper was holding my foot in place at all times.
During more aggressive movements such as quick cuts, I did feel like my foot almost wanted to jump out of the footbed, which is not a cool feeling to have when you’re worried about the game at hand.
It’s nothing very major though – I never felt my foot slid out of the footbed completely or the shoe’s upper collapsed – it just felt like the upper is too flimsy and all over the place to properly hold me in place 100% at the time.
My feet never escaped what it shouldn’t have but it’s still a bit bothering to have a feeling of insecurity during movements.
I think this is due to two things mainly: first, it’s the flimsy upper with more give than it should have during movements.
Second, it’s the way my foot sits inside the shoe – usually, for a narrow shoe like this one, you would sit pretty deep into the carrier, making your foot more secure and cupped around the frame since the shoe’s base is narrow to start, so you won’t be getting much stability from that.
On the KD 13, it almost feels like an unfinished job – I did feel my foot was somewhat inside the carrier but not to an extent where it could’ve felt much more stable and secure.
Overall though, I probably made it sound like it’s really bad – it’s not, as the near-sliding-out feeling happens occasionally and on the quickest, hardest movements. Though that’s still something to keep in mind as it might bother some players more than others.
IV. TRACTION
Does it grip various surfaces well? Is dust/debris a factor? How long will the outsoles last outdoors?
The shoe comes in several different outsole variants – there’s the translucent one, there’s a semi-translucent one and there’s the full-on solid rubber option.
I went with the solid rubber version, of course, just to be safe and I wasn’t disappointed – the shoe offers fantastic traction that’s effective on pretty much all courts.
I would say the performance of the traction feels the same as on the KD 12’s translucent outsole option since I only tested that one. The KD 13’s outsole didn’t require to wipe them almost at all, I’ve played on a synthetic rubber court outside and on a wood court inside. Both scenarios brought great results, no complaints there.
OUTDOOR-READY? NOT SO FAST
As for outdoor durability, I do feel the same as for the 12th – I wouldn’t take these as my primary outdoor shoe since the rubber doesn’t seem very reliable. Even after a few games on a rubber court, I can see some chipping here and there on the sides but performance definitely hasn’t suffered yet.
This is once again more of the same from the Nikey formula – you can take these outdoors and they will play well for a while, just don’t expect to be it that way for too long.
V. CUSHION
How’s the impact protection? What about step comfort and energy return of the foam? Is it stable?
The cushion setup on the KD 13 is full-length Zoom Air directly under your foot and an additional Zoom unit placed just under the full-length Zoom in the forefoot area.
It sounds awesome and it plays awesome. These are no joke, seriously – if you loved the setup on the KD 12, then this is pretty much that ALONG with even more bounce, softness, and more fun to jump around in these.
I’d call this a near-perfect setup, hell it might even be perfect for certain players. One of the rare occasions where the setup is balanced and versatile and doesn’t sacrifice any major elements pretty much every player is appreciative of.
The ride overall is silky smooth, it’s bouncy and it’s seriously comfy to play in, no matter the movement. Thanks to an extra Zoom unit in the forefoot, the forefoot area rarely feels as alive and springy as on the KD 13.
Forget the usual dead feeling you get in the forefoot area on most hoop shoes today – the KD 13 delivers more than enough forefoot cushion without making it feel clumsy or slow.
Whether you’re a shooter, a quick guard, an explosive forward, whatever – this setup will get the job done and then some.
VI. SUPPORT
How much all-around security does it offer? What about the build’s stability and foot containment? Any restrictions in result?
THE GOOD STUFF
The support area is where some issues might occur for certain players. Let’s start with the good stuff first.
The shoe does have critical support features in place – you got your internal heel counter, the mid-cut ankle collar is pretty stiff and thanks to the extra plastic midfoot strap connected to the laces, tightening these up results in superb ankle & heel lockdown.
There’s also a torsional plate implemented under the foot for torsional protection which is also nice and works well.
THE BAD STUFF
The slight issue is the overall foot containment I was talking about earlier. I don’t know what’s up with Nikey and the air jordan 37, but it seems that we rarely get to see quality outriggers implemented to his shoes for proper lateral coverage. The KD 13 doesn’t have those either.
Pair that with the upper not holding your foot in sometimes along with the way your feet sit inside the shoe (which is kind of half-assed) and you might have some containment/stability issues at hand if you like to play aggressively.
I for sure like to play with force and driving to the hoop is my #1 weapon, and I felt like that was taken away from me or at least altered my intentions at times. Not saying all the time but it was enough to where I was thinking about it pretty often.
I mean you got a shoe that’s got a narrow base and your foot doesn’t sit deep inside the carrier. What could be done about that?
Place proper outriggers on the lateral areas of the shoe. Implement some kind of internal webbing system to hold the foot. Reinforce the upper with TPU or something to make it more sturdy. Put a cage inside the shoe to handle the load for containment.
You can see that many things could’ve been done to correct the issue but I feel like they were overlooked due to either making the shoe still retail at $150 or keeping the shoe’s weight in check along with mobility.
I don’t know why exactly some of this stuff wasn’t thought of but from a pure user’s perspective, I’d say there’s room for improvement here. Or maybe just go back to the KD 12 and go from there.
VII. THE BUILD
What are the materials used? How well do they perform on-court? How’s the quality & reliability of the build?
The upper is pretty much made of a soft synthetic textile along with some stitch work on certain areas for durability.
I’m not mad at this setup – I am totally a performance-first guy when it comes to basketball shoes and the upper didn’t bother me. It’s still comfortable enough to not be thinking about it, breathability won’t be that good though since it’s all one-layer synthetics.
The upper requires virtually zero time to break in as it’s really soft and flexible. So for any wide footer, this eases up the process and helps us out.
For $150 though, this is far from premium and doesn’t look too durable. Plus, that containment issue is likely partly due to the flimsy upper, so I would surely have to give the edge to the KD 12 in this area.
I don’t see any chippings or frayings on the upper thankfully but don’t expect these to hold up well if you’ll be wrecking them outside.
I don’t see this upper worth this price tag but since the rest of the shoe is awesome, it could be justified I guess.
VIII. OVERALL
Rounding things up: are they versatile? Who’s best suited for the shoe? Is it a good deal amongst the competition?
I liked the Nike KD 12 and I liked the KD 13 as well. However, I feel like some steps were taken forwards while some were taken backward, which seems to be common these days in the performance basketball market.
QUICK RECAP
The shoe is absolutely fantastic in most areas, it’s extremely versatile and meant to be a suitable fit for many different players. Its cushion setup is one of the best EVER, traction’s great, the shoe is super comfortable.
The containment scenario is something to think about before getting these. The $150 price tag is not too bad when you think about it – for that amazing Zoom setup and great traction, I think the price is justified even despite the little hiccup.
IX. ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS
Not sure on the KD 13? Check out the potential alternatives that should satisfy your needs
If you’re someone who doesn’t rely on driving and throwing yourself around hard on the court – the KD 13 is definitely a viable option to check out. But even then, there’s no guarantee your specific build and the way you play won’t interfere with this particular issue some are having.
Looking a year back, the KD 12 would be the safer bet since I didn’t have any complaints regarding the shoe’s lateral containment & stability.
The newer KD 14 has launched in 2021 and I’ve recently put just over 4 months (and counting since I’m having a blast with it) for the review.
It’s now my favorite KD sneaker out of the last three and it’s even tougher to find any real flaws with that one.
So there you go – you’ve got options