Do you see a resemblance between the AJ XIII and the Jumpman Team Flow? The similarity between the two is uncanny down to the bottom of the soles. However, we quickly discovered that imitating the legendary AJ XIII has its drawbacks - you got to bring more than just good looks to the table.

      The similarities with the XIII did not carry over during the actual testing part of the Team Flow. While comfort is adequate upon first wear, we immediately noticed that the fit and finish seemed almost-generic and bulk-produced. To confirm our apprehension on the material used, the shoes quickly creased after the first wear and only got worse with each additional wear. We emphasis this point because most consumers buy this shoe for the look as it appears fantastic when new. However, the shoe ages quickly and its look appeal diminishes drastically over time. Part of the reason is that the Black/White/Chrome colorway as tested uses a type of smooth leather not found on the other colorways White/Metallic-Silver and White/Obsidian instead use full-grain leather that looks richer and fuller that also seem less likely to crease.

      Tongue – The Jumpman Team Flow uses an asymmetrical tongue with wrapped around collar – similar to the tongue used on the Jumpman Pro Quick. While this is an innovative approach to a rather standard part of a shoe, we do not necessarily find any additional benefits. If anything, it makes the shoe that much harder to put on – as the tongue tends to slide down into the shoe when you are trying to place your foot in. We find this approach analogous to the tachometer that you see today's automobiles. The traditional circular needle speedometer is clear and ergonomically easy to read while an electronic bar tachometer found on a Honda S2K for example is refreshingly different but not necessarily an improvement. One good quality about the tongue is that the material used is a soft-suede that is extremely comfortable. This material is exclusive to the black colorway as shown.

      Medial side of the shoe faked us out a bit. Upon purchase, we falsely assumed that the triangular patter you see in the middle of the shoe is carbon fiber based. Instead, it is made out of plastic that only “appears” like it is carbon-fiber. In fact, each colorway in the Flow model lineup uses a different pattern. The white/obsidian has pores for pattern while the white/metallic-silver colorway uses a solid silver design. Another interesting note on the shoe is a circular mesh grill that sticks out at the very rear of the shoe. It may only serve as a design cue but it remind us of a cross between mesh grill or an exhaust on a sports car.