Our 2003 Performance Shoe of the Year is a revolutionary construction that pushed the envelope of athletic shoes design to uncharted territories. It is an even more radical design concept than the Air Zoom Ultraflight. With the Flight 2K3's thermo-formed perforated shell, you can see right through the entire shoe from side to side. The daring thought of a shoe's upper consisting nothing more than a support shell simply makes the shoes that much more ground-breaking.

      The lack of interior comforts like a huarache-fit inner bootie is bound to make many consumers unhappy with initial discomfort. Yet Nike didn't wince nor compromise. The purpose is to save weight, increase ventilation, offer superb ankle protection while indulging you in a performance first, less-is-more all around shoe. To scream for comfort features in a high performance contest such as this would be like a Nascar driver pleading for A/C and cup holders to be installed in his race car.

      The Flight 2K3 has its faults. But it didn't waver from what it was designed to do: perform. The biggest complaint with the shoe is its lack of flexibility. Yes, the shoes are stiff - to the point of being uncomfortable at first - but it goes away with proper break-in. Like a true-performance sports car, its ride is jarring and uncivilized, but the outcome is unabashed performance. The Flight 2K3 has more ankle support than any other shoes in this category. The safety-oriented but non-compromising design is so reassuring players can do without the likes of an ankle brace. The Phylon midsole with Zoom Air in the sockliner is every bit as responsive as the Ultraflight but also never feel like it's going to bottom out. The traction is outstanding due to enhanced herringbone pattern in the forefoot and speed nubs in the heel area. Quality & workmanship are both a notch better than the Ultraflight's. More importantly, the Zoom Flight 2K3 just seem to get better and better with time, which is more than what we can say about its nearest competitors.

      Finally, the Flight 2K3 proves to be a more versatile performance shoe as it can be worn by both guards and big men alike - something the Ultraflight can not claim. To put it bluntly, even if comfort, price, styling and quality considerations all got thrown out of the window, the Flight 2K3 would still be left standing as the best performance shoe that we would go into battle with.