Sneaker Tribe Nike Zoom Freak 3 Review

Sneaker Tribe is looking at Giannis Antetokounmpo’s third signature shoe, Nike Zoom Freak 3 in our review this week. The current MVP is currently playing for the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA. In 2016–17, he led the Bucks in all five major statistical categories and became the first player in NBA history to finish a regular season in the top 20 in all five statistics of total points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.

Because of these, Giannis received the Most Improved Player (MIP) Award in 2017. After this, Giannis went on to win Back-to-Back NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards in 2019 and 2020, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as the only players in NBA history to win two regular season MVPs before turning 26. In 2021, Antetokounmpo helped lead the Bucks to their first NBA championship since 1971, and was named Finals MVP by unanimous vote.

A natural born athlete with freakishly long arms and legs, allowing him to take massive strides to the hoop, Giannis is famously known as the “Greek Freak.” Watch his highlights and you can probably see a few where he takes just ONE dribble from half court and finishes at the rim! That’s how he earned his nickname.

Because of his unique skill set, Giannis needs a sneaker that can allow him the freedom of movement and do as much damage as he can using whatever advantage he can get. The energy-returning Zoom cushioning, KD-like wrap on the upper and multi-directional traction help “freaks” like Giannis create space and stay in control.

Design

Upon unboxing the shoe, the brightly-colored salmon orange shoe came across as most striking, due to the unique use of colour. Salmon, is of course the “taste of the season” as we see a number of shoes from different brands donning this colorway. At the point of publication, the Nike Zoom Freak 3 has 3 colorways and may probably have a couple more to come!

When you flip the sneaker over to inspect the outsole, you can explore the “terrain” akin to a geographical outline of hills and valleys. Open the velcro tab on the upper and you will find several lines of words on each side, one showing the names of Giannis’ family members, including his two NBA brothers (who are NBA Champions as well), and the other side saying “I am my father’s legacy,” adding to the family oriented elements of this sneaker.

Usage

The mesh forefoot of the shoe is made to be flexible enough to facilitate Giannis' trademark motions. This allows the wearer to perform side steps without exerting too much effort. The forefoot of the sneaker is also reinforced with fuse materials to prevent it from breaking easily. Additionally, the mesh material integrated on the heel is designed to strengthen the uppers and provide additional breathability, while the forefoot delivers optimal comfort with added durability. The sturdy mesh heel should be able to absorb any impact, given that the forefoot will be subjected to a lot of breakage.

Is It worth the money?

The Nike Zoom Freak 3 is retailing at $199 SGD at Limited Edt, which I would say is a pretty decent price for such a good performer. Most critics agree that it's an improvement over the Zoom Freak 2.

Summary

Overall, The Nike Zoom Freak 3 is a high-tech sneaker with a low-price tag. In comparison to prior versions, they represent a performance and aesthetic improvement. After breaking it in, the cushion feels wonderful, the materials do their job, and the traction is good. To see the shoes in action, we have concluded a functionality test and video version of the review on our YouTube Channel here.