adidas Dame Certified Review

The adidas Dame Certified is Damian Lillard’s budget model for the year, a very solid performance basketball shoe overall.

Colorway: Black/ Green / White

Release Date: 2023

Price: $95

The adidas Dame Certified is Damian Lillard´s latest budget signature model, and the only Dame shoe Lillard will be getting during the 2022-23 season. It seems like adidas may be eliminating the main Dame signature line, but they will be keeping the Certified line, which isn’t great news for Dame fans. The good news is that the Dame Certified is no joke and it packs a considerable performance punch. On top of that the Dame Certified retails for just $95, which makes it one of the budget models of the year. It’s also one of the best adidas basketball shoes overall and one of the best outdoor basketball shoes out there.

adidas Dame Certified Traction

Traction might be the shoe’s best feature. The shoe is equipped with a beefy solid rubber outsole, with a grippy wavebone traction pattern. This setup offers really great multidirectional coverage both indoors and outdoors, but what makes it exceptional is the durability of the rubber.

Not every shoe nowadays is well-equipped for outdoor use, but this one definitely is, and that versatility is to be appreciated. But aside from the versatility of the outsole and the traction pattern, the fact is the shoe offers elite grip no matter the surface you play on.

adidas Dame Certified Cushion

The adidas Dame Certified features full-length Bounce cushioning. Bounce usually offers a very well-balanced ride on court with a nice combination of impact protection and reactiveness. In this case, this iteration of Bounce is much more on the reactive side of things. This is great to keep you feeling speedy and agile on court.

This setup is especially great on a bouncy playing surface, like a parquet floor, or a nice plush PVC surface. Outdoors that Bounce cushioning will offer just enough impact protection to keep you on the blacktop for extended periods.

adidas Dame Certified Materials

Materials are another highlight of the shoe. Although there is nothing premium on the shoe the layering and implementation of the materials adidas used on the shoe is great. We have a mix of textiles, synthetic nubuck, and synthetic leather. The combination and construction of the upper make the shoe feel much more premium than it really is.

Where the materials are placed also enhances the performance of the shoe, adding containment and support in all the areas you’ll need it. As far as budget models go, the adidas Dame Certified features the best material setup of the year, rivaled only by the materials on the adidas harden vol 7.

adidas Dame Certified Support

Support and containment are also very good. There is nothing groundbreaking or innovative about the Dame Certified but everything on the shoe works together to offer a very stable and safe experience on court. The shoe features a very wide base with a lot of contact surface with the court, the Bounce cushioning is very stable, and the upper offers excellent containment.

Synthetic leather overlays are placed on either side of the forefoot to keep you on the footbed during linear movements. Synthetic nubuck wings on either side of the midfoot add lateral containment and there’s a heel counter and a TPU reinforcement in the heel for added stability. Nothing special, but everything works together to keep you feeling safe and supported.

adidas Dame Certified Fit

The adidas Dame Certified fits true to size, so go with whatever size you usually use with adidas. The upper conforms well to your foot and requires no break in time.

adidas Dame Certified Overall

The adidas Dame Certified is a very nice performance basketball shoe, which becomes all the more attractive when we consider the price and its versatility. For $95 you get full-length Bounce cushioning, really great traction that grips both indoors and outdoors tremendously well, and excellent materials that have been implemented very well to boost performance.

The biggest drawback of the Dame Certified might be the cushioning system, which might not offer enough impact protection for every type of player. But aside from that, the Dame Certified is a very reasonably priced, well-rounded performance basketball model with amazing traction.