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[ Air Jordan XVII ] [ Air Kidd ] [ Air Payton IV ] [ VC Shox ]

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AND 1     [ Kg Select ] [ Silky Smooth ]

REEBOK     [ Answer V ] [ X-Beam Franchise ]

AND 1 - KG SELECT

With the And 1 KG Select, Kevin Garnett's first true signature shoe from And 1, the upstart company from Paoli shows that it, like KG, is mature beyond its years.

by Professor K, posted March 28, 2002

Just a couple of weeks ago I reviewed the And 1 Spree Mid and concluded that it was the best hoops shoe to come out of And 1 to date. That was true then, but with the release of the KG Select, And 1 has raised the bar once again.

It's pretty remarkable to think that And 1 has existed as a company for just a bit less than eight years. It hasn't even produced shoes for all of that time yet the company is already running with the big dogs in terms of performance technologies. I guess it goes to show how much can be achieved when a company is seriously focused on developing products for a specific category; in And 1's case, basketball.

The KG Select is the second shoe from And 1 to incorporate visible Harmonix technology (for details on how visible Harmonix works see our review of the And 1 Spree Mid). The implementation of visible Harmonix in the KG Select is, however, somewhat different. The Harmonix airbags in the KG Select contain small cone-like structures that are vertically stacked. These structures, which are made of dense and durable polyurethane, give the KG Select a firmer feel than the Spree Mid.

And this isn't limited to the heel. Overall cushioning provided by the KG Select is more firm than that provided by the Spree Mid. In my opinion this is a plus because it allows the shoe to provide a better feel for the surface of the court. Much like a performance car with a taught suspension, the KG Select provides a highly tuned balance of cushioning and stability. There's plenty of impact protection, but also enough feedback to give you confidence that your feet are doing what you want them to be doing.

The only thing that I didn't like about the cushioning setup of the And 1 KG Select was the thickness of the midsole, which leaves the foot relatively high off of the court. Given the tuning of the cushioning in the shoe this did not cause any stability issues, but a slightly lower feel would have made the KG Select even better. The upside of the thick midsole is that it allows the shoe to provide enough impact protection for everyone from small guards to big centers. And the combination compressed EVA/polyurethane midsole should prove very durable both indoors and out.

Moving up to the upper, the And 1 KG Select proves, once again, that simplicity is a good thing. While the shoe does not incorporate any sort of inner-bootie system, internal stitching is kept to a minimum and the well-lined inner is comfortable and free of any hard points. The straightforward lacing system also did a good job of keeping my feet locked in place. The upper of the KG Select is not as stiff as the Spree Mid, so I found it easier to get a good, solid fit right away and did not have to make adjustments to the laces to keep the fit optimal.

The extremely solid heel counter does a great job of keeping the heel stable and also helped to prevent heel slip. The combination of the firm cushioning system and the substantial heel counter gave me the confidence to cut and drive hard without worrying that I might roll my ankle in the process. The only downside to the heel counter is one that will likely only affect a very small minority. In the spot where the heel counter meets the midsole on the medial side of the shoe there is a very small bump that can be felt from within the inner. If the arch of your foot is shaped in a particular way, and if you are wearing very thin socks, this could cause chafing that could eventually lead to a blister.

I happened to discover this on my third test wear when I (unwisely) wore the KG Select with very thin running socks for over two hours of almost non-stop two-on-two hoops. The result was a large blister on the arch of my right foot. In later tests I had no such problems so long as I wore even just lightly padded socks. As long as you wear standard athletic socks (stay away from super-thin running socks) this should be a non-issue. But, if you happen to have a history of problems with blisters forming at the arches of your feet, you should take special note of the feel of the KG Select at your arch when trying on the shoe.

One last thing that I wanted to note before summing up is that the And 1 KG Select, in addition to providing very good stability, also provides good ankle support. The KG Select is cut to the same height as the And 1 Spree Mid, but, because the KG's lacing system runs closer to the top of the shoe, it provides a bit more support at the ankle. If you've tried on the Spree Mid and liked the feel, but wanted more ankle support, the KG Select should be a perfect fit.

So, to sum up, the And 1 KG Select sets a new performance standard for And 1 and is further evidence that the company is very much a serious player in the basketball footwear space. With very good cushioning, very good stability, very good fit, and good comfort, the KG Select provides all of the things that a serious player needs from a high performance hoops shoe. And the high level of cushioning makes it a great choice for everyone from small, quick guards to big, powerful centers. It's the most expensive hoops shoe from the company to date, but the And 1 KG Select delivers a lot of performance for its price. If you're an all-around player with an all-around game it is definitely worth a try.




Who's Worn It
Kevin Garnett (F - Minnesota Timberwolves)

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