Nike Zoom Freak 4 Review 2023

 Here is the summary of the Nike Zoom Freak 4 Review. For a detailed review, continue reading!

Our Verdict:

Best for Centers and Versatile players

Nike Zoom Freak 4 has a few subtle but necessary improvements to the last shoe. Its traction, cushion, and material are very supportive for heavy Centers. The cushion is flexible and responsive. However, it lacks a torsional plate in the shoe base. But even so, the base is stiff with a beefy cushion in the midsole. Nike Zoom Freak is one of the few latest shoes in which many basketball centers consistently score high.

Pros

• Comfortable cushion
• Wide, stable base
• Breathable material
• Impact protection
• Stable shoes
• Increase jump height

Cons

• The outsole is not good for outdoors
• Material looks chea

Detailed Nike Zoom Freak 4 Review

I have this freaking awesome pair of Giannis Zoom Freak 4 that has a robust construction to go with Gianni’s brutal footwork. Does it look FREAKIN’ Awesome?

Yeah, I am pretty excited to tell you that I liked the design aesthetics. It felt lighter on my feet, and the Zoom unit is super bouncy

The inverted swoosh, which is the part of the Giannis Zoom Freak sneakers, is pretty big on the lateral side.  The Giannis logo on the tongue and computer-generated traction ( As Nike said) are the things that I noticed right out of the box.

You can check our top 10 recommendations for  basketball shoes for centers here.

What’s Exciting About Nike Zoom Freak 4

Nike Zoom Freak 4 is definitely the better-looking sneaker of all the previous 3 Freak line shoes.

And the second thing is its wide base which looks more stable than any other shoe this year. It gives a nice push in the forward direction with its curve shape.

As a player who uses shifty footwork in my game, I am certain that its the ONE basketball sneaker that will reserve its place in my top 5 favourite basketball shoes of the year.

1. Traction

Nike Zoom Freak 4 has a unique traction pattern. Nike labelled it as computer-generated traction.

The grooves on the outsole are nicely separated. It does need a little break in time to fully show its potential. After that initial period of a few hours, you get very good reliable traction.

The outsole also does not pick up dus. So, you don’t need to worry about dust pickup for all four quarters of the game. It’s multidirectional traction that can handle sudden stops.

2. Cushion

Nike Zoom Freak 4 has outdone the job by introducing a cushion which gives a little bounce.

And yet they have kept the weight of the shoe pretty under a range to go with the shifty footwork of the guards and do not bottom out from the heavier weight of big guards.

Any player would enjoy the cushion, which is a full-length Phylon and 2 Zoom Units on the forefoot parts. You can see the zoom units from the outsole. Also, a react foam runs in the midfoot.

The cushion gives solid impact protection and a good amount of bounce for vertical jumps. Overall the cushion provides impact protection for hard landings. It gives great step-in comfort.

I appreciate the tech that Nike has applied. Because it gives the bounce yet, you do not have to compromise on the court feel at all.

3. Material

Nike Zoom Freak 4 use different materials on the shoe. One pretty obvious and basic material every sneaker has nowadays is mesh. The toe box and sides have a mesh upper with fuse overlays on the pressure points.

Swoosh has a plastic/ TPU material. The material is thin and comfortable. It has good padding in the ankle area and tongue.

The overall material is comfortable and not so stretchy at all. It conforms to the foot and gives great comfort. Being a big player, you will appreciate the lasting material underfoot as it wont give you any lasting discomfort..

4. Support

You can guess from the shoe’s wide shape that it will be the best in lateral containment.

The shoe’s lateral side has a big swoosh to give you good lateral stability on the lateral moves. The midsole area is not the one that you can easily bend in any direction. But it has a decoupled outsole and lacks any torsional plate.

So it would not be an ideal basketball shoe for many players looking for a rigid midsole. But it has rigid foam in the midsole. Therefore you cannot bend it easily.

The back of the heel has an internal TPU heel counter. In the low-cut Nike Zoom Freak 4, your ankles are safe with nice padding on the ankle area and a TPU heel counter.

Overall, it’s a supportive shoe.

5. Fit

The shoe has a perfect fit that wraps around the foot like a glove. I highly recommend everyone to buy a true-to-size pair.

Except if you have very wide feet, you would be more comfortable in half size than the actual size. It gives a secure lockdown.

The fit is amazing; there are no void spaces in the toe box, and you won’t experience ny heel slippage.

6. Looks / Appearance/ Colorways:

Nike has done an amazing job in designing Zoom Freak 4. I loved the use of different materials and the aesthetics of this sneaker.

It is in many colorways, including Unknown, Lightening, Greek Coastline, Letter Bros, Birthstone, Cookies and Cream, and Safari.

It looks superb in all colorways, especially The Greek Coastline has used a great colour scheme.

7. Outdoor/Durability:

Nike Zoom Freak 4 is not the ideal choice for outdoor use. WHY? Because the shoe has a narrow outsole tread. It will flat out on the hard outdoor surface sooner than later.

But it grips perfectly on any outdoor or indoor basketball court. It is perfect for rapid turns and side-to-side moves on the outdoor courts. But the grooves are very thin. Hence, I recommend that you only wear them on indoor courts.

8. Breathability/Ventilation:

Zoom Freak 4 is a very breathable sneaker. The toe box and lateral sides have thin mesh material. Especially on the lateral sides; it’s a see-through mesh.

Therefore these sneakers will give you extra air flow to help you cool down. Ventilation on Zoom Freak 4 is something that I truly appreciate.

9. User Review

There is a lot to like about Zoom Freak 4. Therefore it has received positive feedback from users globally. It has received a 4.8 rating out of 5 for its phenomenal performance on the court.

10. Expert Review

Tommy Liu

“Finally, with Zoom Freak 4, Nike is getting back on track with performance. But the only drawback is it does not feel premium. But that has never been a selling point of the Zoom Freak line. Zoom Freak 4 is my favorite from Freak line and my favorite shoe this year.”

Evan Yee

“The Nike Zoom Freak 4 has introduced nothing new in this one. In anime terms, this one is just a filler episode. I hope Freak 5 will be a better-looking, better-performing basketball shoe.”

Hoop and Life

“I give it 3.5/5. It’s very similar to Zoom Freak 3 in performance. There are some enhancements as well as drawbacks. Traction and cushion are pretty good after broken in. material is not the greatest. Support is not very good. It fits the big man hooper as well as the small man hooper.”

RunstretchTech

“These are not for outdoors. I will give them 8.7/10. Among both of Gianni’s signature sneakers, i.e., Giannis immortality 2 and Zoom Freak 4, I like the Immortality 2 better. But as long as you stay on your toes, you’ll be fine in them.”