James Harden Vol 4: A Must-Have On-Court Shoe Review

Well, let me tell ya ’bout these here James Harden shoes, the vol 4 ones. My grandson, he’s crazy ’bout basketball, always yappin’ ’bout this Harden fella. So, I took a gander at them shoes, and here’s what I reckon.

First off, they look kinda… different. Not like them old shoes I used to wear to the fields, no sir. These got all sorts of fancy lines and stuff. Adidas, that’s the company, they done changed things up a bit, they say. Switched things up, like my grandson says. I guess that’s supposed to be a good thing.

• Now, the young’uns say the best thing ’bout these shoes is the grippy bottom. They call it “traction,” sounds mighty important. Means you don’t slip and slide all over the court, I reckon. But, and this is a big but, they say that grippy bottom gets dirty real quick. Like a fly on molasses, that’s what they say. You gotta wipe ’em off all the time, or they ain’t no good. Seems like a lot of work to me, but what do I know? I used to walk barefoot half the time!
• Then there’s this “cushioning” thing. Means they’re soft on your feet, I guess. Like walkin’ on clouds, the commercials say. Well, I ain’t never walked on no clouds, but my grandson says his feet don’t hurt so much after playin’ ball in these shoes. So, maybe there’s somethin’ to it. He jumps around like a jackrabbit, that boy, so I guess he needs all the cushionin’ he can get.
• And they talk about “stability” and “containment.” Big words, I tell ya. Stability, I figure, means you don’t twist your ankle. Containment, well, that sounds like keepin’ your foot from slidin’ around inside the shoe. All sounds important if you’re runnin’ and jumpin’ like them basketball players. Back in my day, we just wore whatever boots we had, and we were lucky to have them!

My grandson, he got a pair of these Harden Vol 4 shoes. He was so excited, you’d think he won the lottery. He got the “Barbershop” colorway, whatever that means. Looks like a barber pole to me, red and white and blue. They came out in October, I think he said. Then there’s another one, the “Pink Lemonade” color, for some cancer awareness thing. Pink shoes? Well, I never… But I guess it’s for a good cause.

The CGS Team, whoever they are, got a bunch of these shoes. My grandson listens to their podcast, “True to Size” he calls it. They talk about shoes all day long, can you believe it? But I guess that’s their job. They seemed to like the shoes, but they also mentioned that sticky bottom problem. So, it ain’t just my grandson sayin’ it.

Now, these shoes, they ain’t cheap, let me tell ya. Costs more than a whole week’s worth of groceries, I swear. But my grandson says they’re worth it. He says they help him play better. I don’t know about all that, but if it makes him happy, I guess it’s alright. He saves up his money, he does. Works hard at his part-time job, just so he can buy these fancy basketball shoes. Kids these days, I tell ya.

So, there you have it. That’s my take on these James Harden Vol 4 shoes. They look fancy, they got a grippy bottom that gets dirty, they’re soft on your feet, and they cost a pretty penny. Whether they’re any good or not, well, I guess that depends on who you ask. Me? I’ll stick to my old work boots, thank you very much.

But if you’re a basketball player, or just someone who likes fancy shoes, maybe you’d like these Harden Vol 4’s. Just remember to bring a towel to wipe off that sticky bottom!

And one more thing, Adidas, if you’re listenin’, make shoes that are easier to clean! Us old folks ain’t got time for all that fancy wiping.

Tags: [James Harden, Harden Vol 4, Adidas, basketball shoes, sneakers, review, performance, traction, cushioning, stability, containment, Barbershop, Pink Lemonade]