The Jordan Jumpman Team Elite has a lofty name, but the shoe doesn’t quite live up to it or the Jordan label.

by Professor K, posted January 10, 2002.

The Jordan Jumpman Team Elite is similar in many ways to last year’s Jordan Jumpman Team Masterpiece. Like the Masterpiece, the Jumpman Team Elite is targeted primarily at college and high school teams and players. And like the Masterpiece the Jumpman Team Elite employs Nike’s highly regarded Zoom Air in the forefoot and double-stacked Zoom Air-units in the heel. Unfortunately, like the Masterpiece, the Jumpman Team Elite also fails to live up to its grandiose name.

The shoe is definitely not all bad. Upon putting the Jumpman Team Elite on for the first time I was very impressed by its comfort. The Lycra-lined inner feels great as does the soft foam-backed collar (see figure 2). And the wide, squared-off toe box — very similar to that employed on the Air Jordan XVI — provides plenty of room at the toes and adds to the shoe’s comfortable, almost airy feel. The Jumpman Team Elite is the most comfortable shoe right out of the box that I can recall testing.

figure 1. Visible above is the way that the design of the upper of the Jordan Jumpman Team Elite is carried through to the midsole and outsole. That’s a nice touch, but the overall design of the shoe is a bit questionable.

The cushioning provided by the Jumpman Team Elite is also very good. Though the Zoom Air-unit in the forefoot and the double-stacked Zoom Air-units in the heel don’t provide anything near the springy, responsive cushioning of the Nike Air Flightposite III, they do do a great job of absorbing the impact of big takeoffs and hard landings. And, even though the midsole is Phylon-based, it’s quite firm. Overall, the cushioning provided by the Jumpman Team Elite should suit even very heavy players at the guard/forward position.

The shoe also provides good stability through a combination of the firm midsole, a surprisingly stiff hard plastic midfoot support shank and a solid heel counter that supports the heel and keeps it upright.

My problems with the Jumpman Team Elite started once I was warmed up and began to make sharp cuts and hard drives to the basket. I found myself constantly having to adjust and tighten the laces on both shoes to try to get a better fit. This was because I could feel my forefoot moving around inside of the shoe. Through the course of my testing I never reached the point where I felt like the shoe was providing a good, locked-down fit.

figure 2. Visible here as the black strip at the ankle area of the Jordan Jumpman Team Elite is the soft foam-backed collar, which feels great.

I think that this is mostly due to the design of the upper, which seems to emphasize comfort over fit, and the tongue, which is not connected to the sides of the inner in any way and eventually slides down to the lateral side of the foot. And it doesn’t help that the upper is constructed primarily of leather. As the leather stretches with wear the fit of the Jumpman Team Elite will continue to degrade. The upside of the leather upper is that it should prove quite durable.

I wish I could say the same for the inner of the shoe. By my second wearing of the Jumpman Team Elite the liner that covers the footbed inside of both shoes became detached, exposing most of the foam base of the footbed. This is bad because, with continued wear, the foam of the footbed will begin to break away due to constant abrasion against the foot. Also, the lack of a smooth liner on the footbed makes the shoe less comfortable for use while playing and for general-purpose wear. That this happened in both shoes just halfway through my second wearing is disconcerting, particularly given the Jumpman Team Elite’s steep $115 price tag.

figure 3. Here the double-stacked Zoom Air-units are visible at the heel. While not as responsive as the Zoom Air in the Nike Air Flightposite III, the Zoom Air-units in the Jordan Jumpman Team Elite do provide very good cushioning.

To sum up, the Jordan Jumpman Team Elite is a shoe that offers a lot of promise in its comfort and cushioning, but disappoints in the areas of fit and build-quality. Also, at least in my opinion, the design of the shoe is less than compelling. I get the sense that it’s made up of leftover parts from previous Jordan Brand shoes that were sitting around in a warehouse somewhere. What is certain is that the Jumpman Team Elite is extremely comfortable. If you’re looking for a comfortable shoe for everyday wear that can double as a hoops shoe every so often, the Jordan Jumpman Team Elite is a good choice. But, if you’re looking for a serious hoops shoe that provides superior fit and is durable enough for heavy-duty balling, the Jumpman Team Elite is not the shoe for you.

Who’s Worn It
Chris Mills (F- Golden State Warriors)