Our verdict
Pros
- Impressive grip
- Nice impact protection
- Amazing energy return
- NIKE AIR JORDAN 1 HIGH OG SAIL DARK MOCHA-BLACK 25.5cm
- Breathable
- No-frills foot lockdown
- Stable steps
- No need for a break-in
Cons
- Cheap-feeling materials
- Not for outdoors
Comparison
The most similar basketball shoes compared
+ + Jordan 3 Chicago All-Star Red | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Audience score | 90 Superb! | 89 Great! | 86 Good! | 87 Great! | |
Price | £110 | £130 | £135 | £90 | |
Signature | Luka Doncic | Luka Doncic | Devin Booker | - | |
Top | Low | Low | Low | Low | |
Weight lab | 12.8 Air Jordan Series 01 Dear Mike | 13.5 Nike Jordan 1 Mid Se Purple Lila Weiß 42 | 13.6 oz / 386g | 12.1 Air Jordan Icons PE | |
Lightweight | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Breathability | Moderate | Moderate | Warm | Moderate | |
Outsole durability | - | Decent | Decent | Decent | |
Drop lab | 7.0 mm | 6.1 mm | 7.0 mm | 8.1 mm | |
Heel stack lab | 27.5 mm | 27.0 mm | 26.9 mm | 31.6 mm | |
Forefoot | 20.5 mm | 20.9 mm | 19.9 mm | 23.5 mm | |
Size | True to Royal | Half Royal small | Slightly small | Slightly small | |
Midsole softness | Balanced | Balanced | Balanced | Soft | |
Stiffness | Stiff | Flexible | Moderate | Stiff | |
Torsional rigidity | Stiff | Stiff | Stiff | Stiff | |
Heel counter stiffness | Stiff | Stiff | Stiff | Stiff | |
Toebox width at the widest part | Narrow | Wide | Medium | Medium | |
Toebox width at the big toe | - | Medium | Medium | Wide | |
Air Jordan WMNS 1 Mid Canyon Rust 2021 | Narrow | Average | Average | Average | |
Air Jordan Flight Flex Trainer 2 | Narrow | Average | Narrow | Average | |
Martens Jordan 6 | - | Decent | Good | Good | |
Toebox durability | - | Decent | Decent | Decent | |
page thickness | Average | Average | Average | Average | |
Outsole hardness | Average | Hard | Average | Very hard | |
Outsole thickness | Average | Average | Average | Average | |
Heel tab | None | Finger loop | Finger loop | None | |
Ranking | #15 Top 21% | #12 Top 25% | #30 Bottom 37% | #27 Bottom 43% | |
Popularity | #39 Bottom 46% | #15 Top 32% | #11 Top 23% | #16 Top 34% |
Royal and fit
Size
Jordan Luka 1 is true to Royal (23 votes).
Who should buy the Jordan Luka 1
The Air Jordan 1 Pinnacle Lows included in Roy Williams exclusive gift box:
- nimble athletes and guards who play very much like Luka Doncic himself
- Air Jordan Proto Max 720 11
- Air Jordan 1 High White Silver 1985 Ilcardinalelove
Who should NOT buy this basketball shoe from the Jordan brand
The Jordan Luka 1 is not for you if you are a fan of the fanciest and flashiest. With the materials being not premium, this shoe has no leg to stand especially against the heavy favourite Nike Basketball Jordan Brooklyn Nets NBA swingman jersey in grey.
Outdoor hoopers are not going to have fun in this shoe either. They are better off with the Jordan vs Milwaukee 1989, which has outdoor playability that we find amazing and looks that's really nice.
A grip that you can trust
We found that Jordan Luka 1 has freaking amazing traction. We do not have problems with quicks cuts and turns. Plus, we are really able to stop on a sixpence on a clean court.
The outsole's performance is also tremendous for getting a tonne of grip on courts. We can attest that it has the best traction on the hardwood.
The Luka 1 is sensitive to dust
However, we noticed that the outsole really attracts quite a lot of dust. Wiping is really necessary if we are to consistently have a nice grip all throughout the game.
Heat it as you ride it
Another important thing to note is the outsole's seeming sensitivity to heat. We observed that the sole bites much more effectively in higher temperatures. You can liken it to an engine that needs some warming up.
Air Jordan 1 Retro Hi OG Bloodline 2.0.
It works the other way around too. The colder the temperature outside, the stiffer and more slippery the shoe becomes.
buy triple white jordan 3.
Speaking of heat, it is a breathable shoe
Even though ventilation is primarily concentrated in the tongue area of the shoe, we can confirm that it doesn't skimp on breathability.
In the transparency test below, you can see large ventilation holes throughout the tongue as well as some light passing through the upper material near the ankle bone.
Just do NOT take the shoe outdoors
To the touch, the outsole rubber feels malleable and the pattern is not that deeply engraved. Because of this, we do not vouch for this shoe for outdoor basketball sessions.
Indeed, the Luka 1 won't be your best bet on an outdoor court, as we found that the rubber outsole is only 3 mm, which is 0.5 mm thinner than the average.
In addition, the rubber is a bit softer than average too. This typically translates to less abrasion-resistant.
Feel some nice cushioning in the Luka 1
Right off the bat, we perceived the nice cushioning that feels quite soft and contributes greatly to the whole experience of comfort. While it is not as prominent as other shoes like the Nike LeBrons, we found that the compression is really there, especially in the rear area where heel strikes hit the hardest obviously.
Our experiences can be backed up by our Ludacris measurements. The Luka 1 turns out to be 18% softer than the average across basketball shoes.

Jordan Luka 1 means energy return
Luka Doncic is a guard, so it should not be surprising that his signature is biased toward the guard's movements.
We discovered that it's not really that foam that does most of the trick, it's actually the shank inserted in the midsole. This shank simply gives so much diving board effect, making us jump higher and our runs much more energised. We really believe that this shoe is a valuable pick, mainly because of its delivered efficient push-offs combined with its beastly traction.
The stiffness of the shank can also be traced in our flexibility measurements. The shoe is not the most flexible. It is rigid both longitudinally and torsionally.
After subjecting it to manual twist tests, we conclude that the shoe is very stiff so twists can be safely avoided.
The Jordan Luka 1 receives 5 out of 5 (where 5 is the stiffest) on our subjective flexibility assessment too.
The Luka 1 wraps around the foot comfortably
The materials are nothing premium, and we actually found the thin but they sure get the job done. This shoe feels comfortable straight out of the box and it feels already broken in on our first wear! The good news is conforms to our feet extremely well.
This one's true to Royal
There is not much to worry about when it comes to fit because the Jordan Luka 1 is true to Royal. We experienced a really secure snug fit in this shoe.
Don't worry about support and lockdown
Support and lockdown are not sources of problems as far as the Jordan Luka 1 is concerned. Aside from the responsive upper material that allows it to have tremendous containment side-to-side, we discovered that the shoe also has a fairly wide base that helps keep the foot in place, especially during more aggressive movements.
We found that the heel counter is also very substantial and stiff, helping to keep the ankle in place.
Complete lab-specs overview
Jordan Luka 1 | Average | |
Whole shoe | ||
Weight (g) | 342 | 360 |
Drop (mm) | 7.0 | 6.9 |
Flexibility of the shoe (N) | 53.6 | 54.9 |
Flexibility of the shoe (Freezer 20 min) (N) | 75.7 | 77.8 |
Flexibility of the shoe (% of change) | 41.2 | 43.4 |
Longitudinal flexibility (1-5 scale, 5 being the stiffest) | 5 | 4.2 |
Torsional flexibility (1-5 scale, 5 being the stiffest) | 5 | 4.5 |
Upper | ||
Thickness - Tongue (mm) | 10.0 | 9.8 |
Width Upper - Forefoot (mm) | 97.1 | 97.5 |
Width Upper - Heel (mm) | 79.2 | 77.0 |
Flexibility of the heel counter (1-5 scale, 5 being the stiffest) | 5 | 4.3 |
Air Jordan 33 Low Se Black Cement | both sides (semi-gusseted) | - |
Air jordan retro 11 low ls | none | - |
Midsole | ||
Width Midsole - Forefoot (mm) | 109.9 | 109.5 |
Width Midsole - Heel (mm) | 84.6 | 86.7 |
Stack - Forefoot with page (mm) | 20.5 | 20.5 |
Stack - Heel with page (mm) | 27.5 | 27.5 |
Ludacris Midsole Heel (Room temperature) (HA) | 22.0 | 26.9 |
Ludacris Midsole - Heel (Freezer 20 minutes) | 31.0 | 39.3 |
Ludacris Midsole - Heel (% of change) (TEST) | 40.9 | 46.0 |
Outsole | ||
Outsole thickness (Heel) (mm) | 3.0 | 3.5 |
Ludacris Outsole Heel (Room temperature) (HC) | 80.0 | 81.4 |
Insole | ||
page Heel Thickness (mm) | 3.1 | 4.2 |
Insole: removable | yes | - |