Nike Cosmic Unity
Released 3/2021, Low Top,
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Performance Ratings
8.8
EXPERT RATING
4 reviews
8.7
USER RATING
20 ratings
Performance Summary
The Nike Cosmic Unity is made from 25% recycled trash but doesn't perform like trash at all.
Pros
Balanced cushion
Great support
Cons
Inconsistent traction on dust
Best Suitable For: Best for players who need a good mix of impact protection and court feel.
Category Performance Ratings
8.3
Traction
Herringbone pattern with rubber outsole. Great bite on clean indoor courts, dust-sensitive and mixed outdoor grip.
9.3
Cushion
Full-length Zoom Air Strobel with Phylon midsole. Low-to-ground, bouncy, responsive, good impact protection after brief break-in.
9.0
Materials
Thick knit and textile upper with recycled materials. Premium feel and durable, slightly stiff at first and not very breathable.
8.8
Support
Midsole wrap, wide base and supportive knit upper. Strong lateral stability and secure lockdown once broken in.
8.8
Fit
True to size with snug toe box and secure lockdown. Wide-footers should consider half size up.
33%
Outdoor
Standard rubber wears quickly on rough courts. Reports of fraying make it a poor choice for heavy outdoor use.
small
large
Sizing
Runs true to size for most; wide-footers should consider half size up for comfort.
narrow
wide
Width
Fits narrow to regular widths best. Wide feet may feel constricted and benefit from half size up.
Comparison to Similar Shoes:
 Nike Cosmic Unity |  Li-Ning Wade 808 5 Ultra |  Air Jordan 40 |  Nike Air Zoom G.T. Cut |  Li-Ning Way of Wade All City 12 |  Nike GT Cut 3 Turbo | Add shoe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expert Rating | 8.8 | 8.9(0.1) | 8.8(0.0) | 8.8(0.0) | 8.9(0.1) | 8.7(0.1) | |
| User Rating | 8.7 | 9.5(0.8) | NA | 9.3(0.6) | 9.4(0.7) | 9.5(0.8) | |
| Best Price | $149.99 | $159 | $169.99 $205 | $190 | $149 | $105.97 $210 | |
| Type of Cut | Low Top | Low Top | Low Top | Low Top | Low Top | Low Top | |
| Weight | 400g - 410g | NA | 440g - 440g | 410g - 430g | NA | 350g - 360g |
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Expert Reviews of the Nike Cosmic Unity:
Expert Rating: 8.8 (ranks #49 of 381)
10 - Amazing
0
9 - Great
4
8 - Good
0
7 - Average
0
6 - Subpar
0
5 - Poor
0
9.0
March 21, 2021
Overall, I have loved playing in the Nike Cosmic Unity. They provide the stability and cushion I want and love. There's nothing I can complain about!
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8.8
March 21, 2021
The Nike Cosmic Unity retails for $150 and is a really solid shoe for the price. The only thing I didn't like in these was the traction on dust. I'm hoping the other colorways have better traction.
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8.8
March 26, 2021
The Cosmic Unity is super nice! Similar to the KD 13, but better quality and a little bulkier. I feel like any position or type of player would enjoy playing in these. These will be in my rotation and I really liked playing in them.
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8.6
May 6, 2021
The Nike Cosmic Unity is a great shoe. The cushion felt very good after breaking them in, and the materials feel premium. My only complaint about the shoe is the extra weight coming from the protruding heel cup.
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User Reviews of the Nike Cosmic Unity:
User Rating: 8.7 (ranks #166 of 381)
10 - Amazing
2
9 - Great
12
8 - Good
5
7 - Average
1
6 - Subpar
0
5 - Poor
0
8.4
January 26, 2022
I had a black outsole and the traction never panned out, on clean courts the bite is good not great, on dust the bite is decent, if dust is present you will be sliding frequently (Black Outsole!)
Cushion is bouncy, very low to the ground as well
Support, lockdown, and fit are the best aspects of the shoe, as they keep your fit locked in greatly
True to Size
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7.3
September 28, 2022
These shoes have great traction for the first couple of wears then they collected dust and became terrible if your going to wear these shoes for a long period of time they can create blisters on the heel/ arch of the foot so wear thicker socks
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8.2
January 27, 2023
overall, cosmic is pretty good but I think the fitting is pretty weird since the insole is very soft so it sometimes run big when tie laces tight.
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8.6
August 16, 2022
User didn't add a summary.
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Traction of the Nike Cosmic Unity:
Expert Traction Rating: 8.3 (ranks #259 of 381)
User Traction Rating: 8.3 (ranks #237 of 381)
10 - Amazing
1
9 - Great
9
8 - Good
10
7 - Average
3
6 - Subpar
1
5 - Poor
0
9.0
March 21, 2021
The herringbone traction is a beautiful thing. Nothing too special about the outsole but herringbone just works well. I only got to play in these outdoors and the outsole did a great job.
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8.0
March 21, 2021
The herringbone pattern is pretty spaced out here and worked well on clean courts. On dusty courts, I was sliding here and there even after some wiping.
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8.0
March 26, 2021
The herringbone outsole performs pretty well. It doesn't have the best stop, but there weren't any slip outs and the experience was consistent overall.
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8.0
May 6, 2021
The cushion is good but not top-notch.
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Cushion of the Nike Cosmic Unity:
Expert Cushion Rating: 9.3 (ranks #48 of 381)
User Cushion Rating: 9.3 (ranks #57 of 381)
10 - Amazing
10
9 - Great
11
8 - Good
3
7 - Average
0
6 - Subpar
0
5 - Poor
0
9.0
March 21, 2021
This cushion uses a full-length Zoom Air Strobel unit similar to the KD 12 and 13 but is low to the ground like a Kyrie. This gives you a ton of court feel without sacrificing too much cushion. I felt super stable and mobile at all times!
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9.0
March 21, 2021
They use the same Air strobel unit as the KD 13 and have great impact protection and responsiveness. The court feel was also really good because the midsole sat very low to the ground. I am really happy with the cushion here.
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10.0
March 26, 2021
The cushion is my favorite part about the shoe! The full-length Zoom Strobel is very similar to the KD 13. It's bouncy with good impact protection, and great court feel. Overall, it's an ideal cushion setup.
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9.0
May 6, 2021
I needed to break in the cushion a bit because of the Phylon. Once broken in, I loved the feel of the full-length Zoom Strobel. It was very bouncy while staying low to the ground.
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Materials of the Nike Cosmic Unity:
Expert Materials Rating: 9.0 (ranks #14 of 381)
User Materials Rating: 8.8 (ranks #94 of 381)
10 - Amazing
6
9 - Great
9
8 - Good
8
7 - Average
1
6 - Subpar
0
5 - Poor
0
9.0
March 21, 2021
The upper is made of thick knit and textiles and it's really durable and needed almost no break-in time. It wasn't very breathable, but it's one of the nicer knit builds in recent years.
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9.0
March 21, 2021
The knit upper material is really nice. It feels good to the touch and I had no containment issues. Performance-wise these got the job done just fine.
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9.0
March 26, 2021
The mostly recycled materials are pretty nice. A little stiff in the beginning, but the materials broke in well. These conformed to my foot quite well.
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9.0
May 6, 2021
I needed a little bit of break-in time to get the upper to feel comfortable, but the knit material used does feel premium.
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Support of the Nike Cosmic Unity:
Expert Support Rating: 8.8 (ranks #95 of 381)
User Support Rating: 8.7 (ranks #158 of 381)
10 - Amazing
4
9 - Great
12
8 - Good
5
7 - Average
2
6 - Subpar
1
5 - Poor
0
9.0
March 21, 2021
The beefy midsole did a nice job of holding my foot in place in the forefoot, midfoot, and heel. As long as these fit you properly, you won't have to worry about support at all.
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9.0
March 21, 2021
I had absolutely zero issues with the support. There was no heel slippage or side-to-side movement on the footbed. Lateral stability was nice because of the wide base. Overall, the support is very good!
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8.0
March 26, 2021
Support and lockdown are good. I had no lateral containment issues or problems with lateral stability. Heel slippage was an issue for me, but it didn't prevent me from having fun in these.
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9.0
May 6, 2021
The upper is very supportive without feeling too rigid. The midsole also wraps up onto the midfoot to help keep you on the footbed. The Nike Cosmic Unity has top-notch support and lockdown.
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Fit of the Nike Cosmic Unity:
Expert Fit Rating: 8.8 (ranks #50 of 381)
User Fit Rating: 8.3 (ranks #241 of 381)
10 - Amazing
2
9 - Great
11
8 - Good
5
7 - Average
5
6 - Subpar
1
5 - Poor
0
9.0
March 21, 2021
I had a little heel slip initially, but when the shoe warmed up and became more flexible it wasn't an issue. Lockdown was solid through all of my wear and I had no issues.
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9.0
March 21, 2021
There is no dead space in the toe box. I really enjoyed the snug fit!
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9.0
March 26, 2021
The shoe fits me quite well and is easy to put on.
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8.0
May 6, 2021
I had no problems with the fit of the shoe. It's very comfortable once broken in.
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Durability of the Nike Cosmic Unity:
User Durability Rating: 8.6 (ranks #145 of 381)
10 - Amazing
3
9 - Great
10
8 - Good
3
7 - Average
2
6 - Subpar
1
5 - Poor
0
Outdoor of the Nike Cosmic Unity:
Expert Outdoor Rating: 33.3 (ranks #198 of 381)
User Outdoor Rating: 63.6 (ranks #143 of 381)
Good (100%)
5
Fair (50%)
6
Bad (0%)
3
fair
March 21, 2021
Durability has been okay outdoors.
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fair
March 21, 2021
I had some fraying after playing in these outdoors.
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no
March 26, 2021
Durability is bad outdoors.
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Width of the Nike Cosmic Unity:
very narrow
1
slightly narrow
6
regular
11
slightly wide
5
very wide
0
slightly narrow
March 21, 2021
If you have wide feet I'd go up half a size.
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slightly narrow
March 26, 2021
The width is normal to slightly narrow.
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slightly narrow
May 6, 2021
Go up half a size if you have a wide foot.
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Size of the Nike Cosmic Unity:
very small
0
slightly small
0
true to size
16
slightly long
7
very long
0
true to size
March 21, 2021
True to size.
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true to size
March 26, 2021
True to size should be good.
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true to size
May 6, 2021
Go true to size for regular foot shape and half a size up for wide foot shape.
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