PUMA Clyde All-Pro Performance Review

The Puma Clyde All-Pro is our surprise best basketball shoe of 2020, one of the shoes Charlotte Hornets LaMelo Ball has been rocking on court, and the best the years best low top.

While 2020 wasn’t ideal for playing basketball indoors (or outdoors in a lot of places), the brands released some really good on court performers. The Clyde All-Pro managed to beat some really good shoes like the Nike KD 13, adidas DON Issue 2, and others on our Best Basketball Shoes list to take the top spot.

Traction

The traction is simply fantastic. No problems from start to finish. And I don’t feel like I’m done with the Clyde All-Pro just yet as they’re in my bag every time I head to the court.

Coverage is multidirectional in all areas and you can feel the grip bite the floor on every step and change of direction/speed. Utterly fantastic setup. This is traction we haven’t felt underfoot since the Nike Kobe 9.

Cushion

Puma Hoops shoes had one glaring issue on each of its new basketball shoes. That issue was a lack of cushioning. ProFoam is the brand’s go-to foam compound, but ProFoam+ is the best cushion they’re created. Yes, there’s a Pebax puck in the heel for cushion and impact protection, it works great when in use, but the star of the show is the ProFoam+. Whatever they did to change the compound wound up making the midsole a great balance of court feel, cushion, and feedback/responsiveness.

Due to current conditions I tested the Clyde All-Pro 100% outdoors. Playing outdoors is a cushion’s greatest test, and this cushion setup held up well against the rigors of outdoor basketball.

Materials

The build is touted as being a “seamless, lightweight woven upper with multi-zoned materials for targeted support and breathability.” All of which is true. While the materials lean a bit towards the stiff side of textiles, once broken in they feel amazing. Snug, form fitting, flexible and zero stretch in high-impact stress zones. They’ve remained durable as well. Which is a huge plus considering all the outdoor basketball most of us are doing.

Fit

I went true to size and that’s what I’d recommend. Wide footers may want to go up 1/2 size due to the zero-stretch fibers featured throughout the upper.

If you enjoyed the way the Kobe 9 fit, then you’ll feel like you’re right back in the driver’s seat. Snug, supportive and form fitting. There isn’t anything for me to complain about or criticize. The Puma Clyde All-Pro is a great basketball shoe.

Support

The support features are pretty standard at this point. There is a small outrigger, torsion bar, and internal heel counter. The fit/upper is where the support features are allowed to do their thing without giving it much thought. You lace up, play, and enjoy the game. The Clyde All-Pro is everything you want a basketball shoe to be.

Overall

Ever since the first day I played in the Puma Clyde All-Pro, I’ve called them the Kobe 9 reincarnate. While you typically wouldn’t want your shoe to be so closely compared to another brand’s model, the Kobe 9 is one of the greatest basketball shoes of all-time and this is a better version of that shoe. The few areas that needed improvement were improved. What you end up with is a beast that can handle anything on court.

If you enjoyed the Kobe 9, then you will likely enjoy these. If you never played in the Kobe 9, once you play in the Puma Clyde All-Pro, you won’t need to.

Thanks to Puma for sending a pair to test. Puma was not given any editorial control of the review.