Reebok Zig Encore John Wall - All Star

Reebok, an almost forgotten brand name when it comes to basketball. The most famous signature from the brand was definitely the Iverson line like the recent retro release for the Question. Other than that you'll probably remember the few old school Shaqs and that's about it. Until John Wall came to the league and signed Reebok, which did not capture much of an attention although the Zig-Zag series has been quite popular in their running shoes world. 

 

Here you go the Reebok Zig Encore, first signature shoe for the famous # 2 John Wall. This one you either like it okay, or you simply hate it. There is nothing in between. I never really liked it until the All-Star version came out, which I found it looks quite flashy and sharp just like the way John Wall hoops.

I like the way this one added on many additional details than any other colour ways such as the blue with multiple stars on the boot area differentiating the All-Star and regular version; Spotty splashes through out the Zig Zag outsole, and of course, John Wall's signature and the Season 2 marking.

I have added a new Gary Fong collapsible diffuser on my flash when taking these pictures, thank you CW for your kind gift, it does make a significant different turn out compare to the old time.

Other than John Wall, the primary selling point of the Zig Encore is definitely it's ZigZag sole, which is designed to optimize energy return during pressure. But the way I see the Ziggy sole is waooo, the insole feels kind of weird like sticky soft, but the sole itself feels really darn stiff. No wonder why there were always a hype for Air Max / Zoom bag, how can people be running on this thing for long?

To be fair it was only my initial feeling by just trying it on real quick, need to actually ball on it before judging.

To conclude my initial thought after departed from Reebok since I was a kid, it is still TBD. This is a very narrow and slim shoe which you might want to consider going half a size up. I like the details of this shoe making it different than other Encores, but it doesn't provide enough confidence just by trying it on. I will comment more in the future once I tried balling on it. It has utilized synthetic and upper mesh material which should be quite durable. There is also a TPU heel clip on the heel area providing addition support.

Maybe I should say I am unsure if I will be buying another Reebok, except for the Iverson line. Come on Reebok, stop making limited number of awesome kicks like the Question...  =)