For a basketball-crazy country like the Philippines, it’s no stranger that the majority of the male population are into hoops. And rightfully so, if you are into the game of basketball, you are also the type of person that has an interest in basketball shoes.
This writer for quite some time has been joining basketball leagues around the metro. Thanks to friends and players who welcomed me in their group with arms wide open. And sometimes because of luck, they would name our team, TEAM AIRQUIOLA, who as of this writing has gained prominence because of various championship titles.
What an intro right? Well, I am hoping that my narrative will give me a little bit of credibility to put my take on James Harden’s Volume 3 shoes.
James Harden is now on the fourth version of his signature shoe, the Adidas Harden Vol. 4, after signing a gigantic $200 million shoe deal with the Three Stripes in 2015. Harden’s first signature shoe, the Harden Vol. 1 was released on Dec 3, 2016.
Prior to his partnership with Adidas, Harden was a long-time Nike athlete, starting with his days in Arizona State donning the Swoosh, through his first six seasons in the NBA. During that time, he wore a huge variety of shoes, from the Hyperfuse and Hyperdunk to the Lunar Hyper gamer and Run the One.
With every review or unboxing that I do, there is always a story behind it. For James Harden Volume 3, it was a good friend of mine, Alex Gonzales who I met way back during my basketball group in RFM. Being a media practitioner, basketball has always been my “go-to” when it comes to media relations.
Prior to the demolition of the RFM Gym, I have been playing in that gym together with various groups. As far as I can recall, we even have practices in that gym during my short 2-year stint as a varsity player of Ateneo Graduate School of Business.
When RFM Gym located in Pioneer Mandaluyong got demolished, Alex invited me to play and practice with his group in Dumlao Gym. The basketball court which is a few kilometers away from RFM Gym became a new home, and the Dumlao Patriots became a new family.
It was here where Alex, because of his many collections gave me the opportunity to own the James Harden Volume 3.
I am not really a big ADIDAS basketball fan. I used to own Adidas Crazy Lite shoes and boy, those are awfully painful at my feed. I thought you just had to get used to it as the shoe adjusts but that model did not budge.
That is why I was surprised by the comfort of James Harden Volume 3. The model that I purchased from Alex had the Core Black/Active Blue/Solid Grey colorway. I think this particular model has a total of 12 plus colorway. I happen to own another James Harden Vol. 3, inspired from my alter-ego, Iron Man but I will save that on another feature.
The Harden Vol.3 erased by bad experience with Adidas.The traditional herringbone traction pattern performs extremely well – even on dusty courts and out-door (cement). The Boost cushioning is low-to-the-ground, comfortable, responsive, and definitely the best implementation of Boost in a basketball shoe. Materials feel premium and comfortable and support is much improved compared to previous Harden models.
Coming from a player whose game involves running, shooting, and a little bit of everything, I can say that the James Harden Volume 3 suffice my requirements for sturdy and comfortable basketball shoes. I have tried wearing this in different courts and I have to say that I am impressed with its performance.
They’re designed with extra lockdown for side-to-side movement and control as you create separation from defenders with crossovers and step-backs. Returning energy on every Euro-step, they feature exceptional grip and traction to change directions on a dime.
They’re designed with extra lockdown for side-to-side movement and control as you create separation from defenders with crossovers and step-backs. Returning energy on every Euro-step, they feature exceptional grip and traction to change directions on a dime.
All sneaker reviewers agree: the Harden 3 is a huge improvement in all areas.
Photo by: MNLToday.ph, Drew League, Air Urquiola
Video by: MNLtoday.ph
