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Experts are basketball players, who post reviews at youtube, directly at RunRepeat or at their own websites. Each expert is categorized from level 1 to level 5 based on expertise. See stats on expert reviews and how we calculate scores here.
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93 / 100 based on 24 expert reviews
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The adidas Dame 3 was my current top pick for 2017 but the Dame 4 just replaced them. It offers very similar performance features but you can feel the evolution between the two after playing in them.
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The Dame 4 is an absolute banger on the court.
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The adidas Dame 3 was my current top pick for 2017 but the Dame 4 just replaced them. It offers very similar performance features but you can feel the evolution between the two after playing in them.
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With good cushioning, good fit, and good materials, the Dame 4 is good at everything.
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Three years in a row we get a $115 superb shoe that constantly sticks to its root while improving some details here and there. That’s a shoe line you can trust and the Dame 4 is absolutely a great deal.
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However I felt that this shoe is still behind the times.
The Dame 4 might just be Lillard's best Adidas basketball sneaker yet. It features a breathable textile upper, full-length Bounce midsole, and an evolved traction pattern to keep him one step ahead of his competition.
One of the league’s best offensive players, Damian Lillard has quickly ascended the NBA ranks and evolved into the king of the clutch. For his fourth signature sneaker, Lillard is all set to let us all know what time it is—Dame Time!
Cushion. Like the Adidas Dame 3, Bounce cushioning is also used on the Adidas Dame 4. However, Lillard requested for the midsole tooling to be reworked. “If BOOST didn’t exist, BOUNCE would be the greatest cushioning technology in the market, in terms of energy return and responsiveness,” says lead designer Jesse Rademacher.
Jesse Rademacher continues, “We really feel that BOUNCE is best for him and he really agrees. Going from the [Dame] 3 into the [Dame] 4, we changed up the BOUNCE setup. We really wanted to amplify all the benefits of BOUNCE. BOUNCE is really meant for Dame’s style of play. With those extreme angles and unpredictability, BOUNCE actually provides Dame with that cushioning setup he’s looking for.”
The shock absorbing quality of the Bounce cushioning offers ultimate court feel while also providing enhanced flexibility and comfort, allowing Lillard to take control of the court with his quick movements.
Traction. The Adidas D Lillard 4 has a rubber outsole with an evolved traction pattern that is inspired by the passage of time. Jesse Rademacher explains that the wavy tread pattern has a specific flow to it. “With Dame and any great athlete, you’re always trying to get into a flow state. That’s where time slows down. Your focus is extremely sharp. The flow and the movement of the outsole pattern is derived by Dame’s movements and his attacking style. It changes direction where Dame needs the change of direction. These lug patterns are actually split and divided based on that type of mentality. It allows greater deflection of the lug. To get the best grip possible, you want the lugs to actually deflect before they slip. If they don’t deflect, then they’re going to have grip for a moment but then they’re going to slip.”
Length and Width. As with the Adidas D Lillard 2 and the Dame 3, wide-footers are advised to stay true to their size when ordering the Adidas Dame 4. Narrow and regular footers are urged to go down half a size to get a snug fit.
Lockdown. With an all-new lacing system, the Adidas D Lillard 4 enables users to customize the fit according to their preference.
The Dame 4’s unique lacing system features reinforced lace cables that deliver supportive lockdown while its mid-top design heightens ankle support.
The Adidas Dame 4 has a lightweight textile upper for breathable comfort and flexible support on the hardwood. The upper features a cleatie construction lined with comfortable textile for a snug one-to-one fit.
A Neoprene compression collar works seamlessly with the inner-bootie to totally encapsulate the foot, enhancing the overall comfort and fit.
With key performance and aesthetic updates, the Adidas D Lillard 4 keeps you looking and feeling great on and off the court. Its breathable mesh upper is lined with numbers that represent significant moments in Lillard’s life, and on the heel a message that reads YKWTII (You Know What Time It Is) is written.
Recognizing Dame D.O.L.L.A.’s musical genius, the Bounce midsole also have teeth-like grooves that are meant to imitate audio files he produces in the recording studio.
The fourth D Lillard basketball shoes are released in numerous colorways. The following are some of the most popular:
- Black-Scarlet-Black ‘Dame Time’
- Black/Red
- Core Black/Cloud White/Core Black ‘Static’
- Core Black/Cloud White/Grey
- Core Black/Footwear White-Grey Five ‘Tribal Print’
- Cloud White/Crystal White-Core Black ‘Stats’
- Cloud White/Grey/Scarlet ‘Rose City’
- Grey/Core Black/Grey
- Onix/Cloud White/Onix
- Scarlet/High-Resolution Red-Black ‘Red Gum’
- White/Black-Red ‘Rip City’
- White/White-White ‘Un-Dyed’
Adidas Dame 4 BAPE
In collaboration with Japanese streetwear brand BAPE, Damian Lillard and Adidas release the most hyped basketball sneaker they have ever created.
Lillard has been a long time admirer of the famous Japanese brand. His fondest memories of BAPE were made during the peak of rapper Lil Wayne’s career. "I just remember him having on all of these wild colors, and that was when it became hot to me," Lillard says. "Also, when he had on all the Bape on the cover [of Vibe], he kind of set that trend for hip-hop fans and inner city people."
This limited-edition Dame 4 collection uses classic prints that BAPE fans have come to love. Dressed in red, green, and black hues, the Adidas Dame 4 BAPE sneakers are tricked out with BAPE’s famed shark teeth design printed on the midsole, duck camo blanketing the upper, and signature WGM (World Gone Mad) phrase styled in varsity jacket letters.
Retailing for $150, these unique Adidas basketball shoes are slated released on Feb 16, 2018 in Los Angeles’s very own 747 Warehouse St.
Adidas Dame 4 Black History Month
To celebrate Black History Month, Adidas and Lillard dropped a new colorway of the Dame 4.
The Dame 4 BHM’s upper is covered with a white graphic that pays homage to the Savoy Ballroom and the Apollo Theater, which are two of the iconic landmarks during the Harlem Renaissance. Completing the design is the Roman numeral MCMLI printed along the heel.
Adidas Dame 4 Camp Shoes
Adidas greets Damian Lillard’s annual basketball camp with the release of a special edition colorway of the Dame 4. These camp-themed basketball shoes are dressed in core black, high-resolution blue, and high-resolution green.
Upon closer inspection, the multicolored upper features a unique graphic that displays notebooks, basketballs, and clocks.
Adidas Dame 4 ‘Glow in the Park’
This skate-park-themed basketball shoe is a nod to Lillard’s love for skating. “When I was younger, we were skating all the time. There were always skates at my grandmother’s house and we’d do that at home,” Lillard explains in an interview. “When I got to high school, every Saturday we’d drive to the skating rink and we’d be there all night skating. Every weekend that’s how it was. Everybody skated. We put a lot of time in working on our game. But when you think about it, this is the one life you get to live. You’ve got to find other things that interest you. That’s why I do music and that’s why I skate. Because you got to let your mind go other places, create that balance and enjoy it. Skating and rapping is that for me.”
The Adidas Dame 4 ‘Glow in the Park’ adopts classic elements found in his favorite skating rink in Oakland. These Dame sneakers feature a dark grey upper with burgundy and neon blue accents. A glow-in-the-dark outsole completes the shoe’s silhouette.
Adidas Dame 4 ‘Start to Finish’
Dubbed ‘Start to Finish’, this colorway of the Adidas Dame 4 pays tribute to a promise Lillard made to his mother. “My proudest moment is when he graduated college. I wouldn’t allow Damian to go to the NBA early until he finished school,” his mother Gina said. “When they talked me into letting him go months before he was done with school, all I could tell him was ‘You need to make sure you finish. I’m not playing.’ I didn’t even know he was going to back to school and when he told me he graduated, I was so happy because that was the main goal in everything I did for [my kids].”
These all-white basketball sneakers are finished off with grey and purple detailing as a nod to his career at Weber State. Completing the theme are the numbers “25.6.4” that commemorate his final year at the university before garnering national attention.
Adidas Dame 4 ‘CNY’
To celebrate the Year of the Dog, Adidas launched their Chinese New Year collection that includes a pink-tinged Dame with a multicolored outsole. Famed designer Renzhe Ren helped craft the collection.