My oldest son is a competitive post-high school basketball player. He played 3 years of varsity high school basketball and will be trying out as a walk-on at college this fall. I say this not as brag tape material but to establish that he plays the sport at a fairly high level. The past several seasons he has played his ball in Adidas Pro Model shoes. Having gone through several pairs, he decided it was time to try something new when his current pair finally wore out.

In his search for new shoes he settled on the Nike Hyperize. He originally went looking for Hyperdunks but was unable to find them in his size any longer. The Hyperize is Nike’s follow-up to the hugely popular Hyperdunk. He purchased his pair at a local Sports Authority outlet for $125, the normal retail price.

Hyperize Construction

The Hyperize shoe is a melding of several new technologies developed by Nike. The shoe combines LunarLite foam and Flywire threads into an ultra light shoe that provides exceptional lateral support and efficient cooling.

Flywire is a thread developed by Nike composed of Vectran which is used in the uppers of the shoe. If you look at the pictures of the shoe, you can see the Flywire thread woven into the uppers. The idea of Flywire is to minimize the weight of the shoe while maximizing support. Vectran fibers are thinner than a human hair and are woven into the Flywire threads Nike uses in the shoes. Vectran is very lightweight, flexible and has a tensile strength five times stronger than steel. Flywire strands wrap around the shoe encompassing the foot and providing superior support for sharp lateral cuts and quickness.

The Hyperize is indeed very light and weighs in at .2 ounces lighter than a comparably-sized Hyperdunk. This is mostly because the uppers are very thin and the Vectran fibers are placed only where support is needed. The presence of the Flywire threads eliminates the need for multilayer uppers for support.

The extra benefit of the thin uppers is two-fold. First, heat build-up is kept to a minimum so the shoes are cooler and more comfortable for longer periods. Second, because support in the uppers doesn’t come from multiple layers of material, the shoes are inherently more flexible.

The shoes also utilize a LunarLite foam cushion in the forefoot that provide for a combination of cushioning, stability and lightness. The heel utilizes a Zoom Air unit to provide cushioning, stability and super-responsive movement. The Zoom Air unit has been incorporated into a number of Nike shoes in recent years. The shoe also has a herringbone outsole designed for exceptional traction.

Game Time!

So, the advertizing hype sounds great. But how do the shoes really play? My son has been playing in the Hyperize now for a couple weeks. The shoes have had time to break in and he has had time to become accustomed to the shoe. Break-in time was minimal as the thin uppers were indeed quite flexible as were the soles.

The soles of the Hyperize are narrower than the Adidas Pro Model which took a little time to get used to, especially when landing after leaping. Traction was excellent and no slipping was experienced upon stopping or during sharp cuts. The shoes provided great lateral support when attempting quick cuts as when he attempted to cross up a defender.

The shoes fit like a glove. This is not to mean that they were tight or uncomfortable just snug. There was no sliding of his foot within the shoe on quick cuts or during jump stops. He also commented on how light the shoes felt. He didn’t feel that the Hyperize helped him jump any higher just quicker, particularly from a standing position.

As advertised, the shoes were noticeably cooler to wear. After 3 hours of continuous play he normally is anxious to remove his shoes. Not so with the Hyperize. This and the snug fit should help minimize the occurrence of blisters. He also noted less foot fatigue after long practices and scrimmages.

Shoe construction appears to be excellent. These shoes are well made. Because the shoes are so light and the uppers so thin, there is a little concern about durability over the long haul. However, as he purchases new shoes for each new season, this will only be a problem if they can’t make it through one year. In all fairness to Nike, we know several competitive players who wear the Nike Hyperdunk that have experienced no durability problems with their shoes. So, we probably won’t either.

Overall, my son is very happy with his purchase. He has stylish, comfortable basketball shoes that provide the traction and support to play competitive basket ball. All considered, the Nike Hyperize gets two thumbs up from my son.

The Hyperize currently comes in several color combinations and retails for $125. You can see the Hyperize yourself at the Nike website or at many local sporting goods stores.

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