Jordan Luka 2 review

Having tested the Jordan Luka 2 through and through, we can readily recommend it to:

• shifty guards who need a great deal of stability and support
• athletes who prefer a firm and grounded cushioning setup
• players with medium or slightly wide feet

The Luka 2 is not going to make outdoor players happy. We verified that it is not durable enough for outdoor use. It appears to have issues with dust pickup as well. The Nike G.T. Cut 2 and the Nike Cosmic Unity 3 proved to have a much stronger outdoor performance.

And if you want a much more reliable traction that's immune to dust, we recommend the PUMA All Pro Nitro and the Nike Lebron NXXT GEN. 

With the Luka 2's hard focus on support, the shoe did neglect proper ventilation.

Pumping smoke into the shoe's upper, almost none of it passed through the tightly woven mesh. Even though it looked promising in our transparency check.

When we looked closer at the mesh through our microscope, we saw that there was indeed very little potential for the airflow.

No pores, perforations, or ventilation holes.

That's why the Jordan Luka 2 felt pretty toasty mid-game on our feet forcing us to give it the lowest possible breathability score of 1 out of 5.

For a basketball shoe with similar features but a much better ventilation capacity, have a look at the Under Armour Curry 10.

There is a good reason why the mesh material of this Jordan shoe is very protected - this fabric is pretty wear-resistant as is.

Drilling it with sandpaper for 12 seconds at a 5K RPM speed and 3.2N pressure, we only got through the topmost layer of mesh. As you can see from the shoe on the right, some mesh uppers fail to survive the same test entirely.

Thus, the toebox durability of the Luka 2 gets a middle-of-the-road score of 3 out of 5.

Inside, the Luka 2 is equipped with a much sturdier material.

In an attempt to put a hole in the shoe's heel lining, we turned to our Dremel once again. With consistent speed (5K RPM) and pressure (3.2N) applied for 4 seconds, the fabric looked barely touched!

As one of the most wear-resistant heel linings in our lab, it earned the highest durability score of 5 out of 5.

P.S. Keep in mind that this fabric is also a bit rough and might chafe bare skin. We recommend wearing taller socks at least for the break-in period.

Jordan chose translucent rubber over hard rubber for the outsole of the Luka 2. Does it mean that it's less durable? Let's find out.

Measuring the shoe's outsole hardness with a Shore C durometer, we got a slightly lower-than-average reading of 76.4 HC. This indicates a bit softer compound that is often more prone to abrasion, especially on hard outdoor courts.

But we were pleasantly surprised by the wear resistance that the shoe's rubber showed in our Dremel test.

Drilling it for 22 seconds at a ramped-up speed (10K RPM) and consistent pressure (3.2N), the rubber got as little as 0.6 mm of damage! That's even less than the average.

Now we look at the amount of rubber packed into the shoe's outsole. With a caliper measurement of 3.5 mm, it is slightly thinner than average but not critically.

To sum it all up, we believe that the Jordan Luka 2 is going to last just as long as your typical basketball shoe if you play indoors.

We wouldn't recommend using the shoe on concrete courts regularly because its translucent rubber, while durable, will lose its soft and thin treading much faster resulting in poor grip.

Even though it is a low-top and not-so-bulky shoe, the Luka 2 carries a bit more weight than we expected.

Putting it on a scale in a men's US size 9, we recorded 14.5 oz (411g). It is only slightly heavier than average.

The Luka 2's stiff construction might as well make it feel heavier than it actually is, especially for lighter players. If you do want a lighter alternative, we recommend the PUMA All Pro Nitro (13.2 oz/373g) or the UA Curry 10 (12.6 oz/358g).

On foot, the Jordan Luka 2 hits a sweet spot between impact protection and court feel.

Measuring its heel stack with a caliper, we got 28.2 mm. This is nearly the same as the average.

There is a moderate amount of cushioning which provides a good deal of impact protection for most players. Sure, you won't get the same bottomless cushioning as in the G.T. Jump 2, but there is just enough for a standard basketball shoe.

The shoe's forefoot stack height of 22.2 mm will most likely feel familiar because it is just the same as the average.

It is neither too high off the ground nor too low and sensitive.

Based on our stack measurements, the heel-to-toe drop of the Luka 2 comes at only 6.0 mm. It is on the lower end of the basketball shoe spectrum.

The key benefit of this setup is that it places the heel on nearly the same level as the toes creating a more stable underfoot experience.

The Luka 2 relies on the Formula 23 foam for its primary cushioning. In our colorway, this foam is black and almost takes up the shoe's entire midsole.

It is caged inside a firmer carrier EVA foam for better stability. That's why the cushioning of this Jordan shoe generally feels firm.

Pressing our Shore A durometer against the Formula 23, we got a standard reading of 26.5 HA. It is no harder than the average basketball shoe cushioning.

Interestingly, the Luka 2 features several perforations in the heel area to add shock absorption. Pretty cool implementation of the "less is more" principle by Jordan.

Smaller apertures are also placed under the big toe. We've never seen a design like this but it offered a pretty nice push-off.

Checking the shoe's carrier foam, we found that it is not that much firmer than the Formula 23.

With a reading of 30 HA, it is only 13% firmer than the primary cushioning.

We found that it's hard enough to provide great stability but doesn't feel too hard to cause discomfort or make the underfoot experience dull.

The Jordan Luka 2 features a moderately thick insole to buffer the foot from the shoe's firmness.

Measuring it with a caliper revealed that it is 4.5 mm thick in the heel - just the same as the average.

Designed to accommodate Luka Doncic's aggressive playing style, the Luka 2 shoe is packed with stability components (much like the Luka 1 was).

Our wear tests showed that it offers ridiculously strong side-to-side containment and a stable base for hard and quick cuts, sidesteps, and stepbacks.

The Jordan Luka 2 features stability elements both inside and around the shoe.

Inside, there is a strong zigzaggy plate running between the outsole and the midsole. It is called IsoPlate and its stiff nature treated us to a very stable footing, especially when we performed hard lateral shifts.

On the inner side of the Luka 2, there is a firm and rather big medial sidewall. It prevented our arches from collapsing inwards.

A TPU panel on the lateral side had a similar function of stabilizing our feet.

Finally, the shoe comes with a sturdy leathery cage that wraps around the entire upper. It is connected to the shoe's exceptionally secure lacing system which we cover in more detail below.

All of the aforementioned stability features are reflected in the Jordan Luka 2's exceptionally rigid build.

Twisting it with our hands proved to be impossible. The torsional rigidity of this Jordan shoe undercuts many other models we've tested earning a solid 5 out of 5.

Don't mind the fact that it is a low-top shoe. Your ankles are safe with the Jordan Luka 2.

What makes the Luka 2 THAT much more supportive is its stiffer-than-average heel counter.

Giving it a good push and squeeze in our manual test, we confidently rated it with the highest stiffness score - 5 out of 5.

What it means in practice is that you get a death grip around your heels and ankles. That heel counter just wouldn't let our heels shift one millimeter. Not did it let the ankle buckle one bit.

Mind-blowing support and stability right there!

This Jordan shoe doesn't even have a particularly wide base but it does have a considerable outrigger in the forefoot.

Measuring it in the widest part with our caliper returned 113.9 mm. It is exactly the same as the average basketball shoe.

The heel of the Luka 2's sole turned out to be even narrower than average. We measured 84.1 mm I'm the widest part.

But it didn't feel narrow by any means! On foot, it felt a lot like most other hoop shoes we've tested.

Even though the Jordan Luka 2 is stiff, it's not as unforgivably stiff as some of the other models.

We bent the shoe to a 90-degree angle in our flexibility test, measuring how much force it would take to do that. With a gauge reading of 32.1N, it turned out to be 27% more flexible than our current average among basketball shoes.

So don't worry - a pinch of patience and the shoe will grow on you.

We also noticed a peculiar outsole split near the toes. It added a touch of flexibility in the area where we didn't think we needed it - in between the toes! It came into play at the toe-offs allowing the big toe (our main pushing force) to compress independently from the rest of the forefoot.

It is not a game changer by any means but a welcome touch indeed!

The only complaint we have about the Luka 2 in the flexibility department is that the thick overlays on the toebox were digging into our metatarsals pretty badly. The pinching caused chafing and made band-aids a must for this Jordan shoe.

When it comes to court bites, the Jordan Luka 2 did fairly well.

Even though it is not the strongest grip we've experienced in basketball shoes, it is pretty reliable.

Unfortunately, the shoe's translucent rubber is a magnet for dust which requires more frequent wipes. But we have zero complaints about its performance on clean indoor courts.

We discovered that the Jordan Luka 2 fits precisely true to size in our regular men's US 9.

But its rounded toebox shape offered a bit more toe room than usual.

Measuring the Luka's toebox in the widest part, our caliper showed 102.1 mm.

This is just the same as the average of our lab-tested hoop shoes in a men's US size 9.

However, the shoe's generous toe space is felt closer to the big toe. That's where we measured the width at 85.1 mm - over 8 mm wider than average!

This Jordan shoe is a bit more friendly to wide-footed players than most hoop shoes.

We should also mention that the shoe's mesh fabric has no stretch to it at all. This is very important for its capacity to stay supportive in the long term.

P.S. Please keep in mind that the rest of the shoe feels very much true to size offering some of the best containment we've come across.

The Luka 2 features a semi-attached tongue that works together with the insanely secure midfoot cage.

We rarely see the implementation of this lace cage in basketball shoes. The closest one is probably the Adidas Harden Vol. 7.

Even though it adds some bulk and stiffness to the shoe, we found that this wrapped cage design provides some of the strongest footholds.

The cage is accompanied by three lace loops throughout the tongue that help to secure the tongue in place.

It is also very easy to cinch up the fit with this setup and the laces stay securely in place throughout the game. 

Contributing to the in-shoe comfort is a very generously padded tongue.

Based on our caliper measurement of 15.1 mm, it is notably puffier than average.

There are no finger loops or pull tabs to assist in putting on the Luka 2.

You have the option to remove the shoe's stock insole if you want to customize the in-shoe experience.