Nike Cosmic Unity
Released 3/2021, Low Top,
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8.8
EXPERT RATING
4 reviews
8.7
USER RATING
19 ratings
The Nike Cosmic Unity is made from 25% recycled trash but doesn't perform like trash at all.
Best Suitable For:
Best for players who need a good mix of impact protection and court feel.
Price Comparison:
Available at 3 shops | Official Retail Price: $149.99
Category Performance Ratings:
Weight & Sizing:
Weight:
light
heavy
Sizing:
small
large
Width:
narrow
wide
Comparison to Similar Shoes:
Nike Cosmic Unity |  Nike Air Zoom G.T. Cut |  Nike Lebron 21 |  Air Jordan 38 Low |  Nike KD 16 |  Li-Ning Way of Wade All City 12 | Add shoe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expert Rating | 8.8 | 8.8(0.0) | 8.9(0.1) | 8.6(0.2) | 8.4(0.4) | 8.8(0.0) | |
| User Rating | 8.7 | 9.3(0.6) | 9.2(0.5) | 9.4(0.7) | 8.8(0.1) | 9.3(0.6) | |
| Best Price | $149.99 | $94.99 $170 | $99.97 $200 | $100 $175 | $89.97 $160 | $149 | |
| Type of Cut | Low Top | Low Top | Low Top | Low Top | Low Top | Low Top | |
| Weight | 400g - 410g | 410g - 430g | NA | NA | NA | NA |
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Nike Cosmic Unity Review
Pros:
Balanced cushion
Great support
Cons:
Inconsistent traction on dust
Performance of the Nike Cosmic Unity:
The Nike Cosmic Unity is part of Nike's sustainability push and made from at least 25% trash. Is the performance on the court trash as well?
The traction features a traditional herringbone pattern that performs well on clean courts but struggles a little on dusty surfaces.
The cushion setup uses the same Zoom Air Strobel as the KD 12 and 13 and provides nice impact protection and responsiveness. The midsole is very low to the ground and gives your great court feel.
The knit materials are nice to the touch and very durable. Performance-wise you'll have no issues!
The support provides everything you've come to expect from performance basketball shoes with solid lateral stability and containment.
Overall the Nike Cosmic Unity is a solid performer in every category. Just watch out if you play on dusty courts often.
See all 4 reviews
Expert Reviews of the Nike Cosmic Unity:
Expert Rating: 8.8 (ranks #37 of 304)
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 #138 of 304)
10 - Amazing
2
9 - Great
11
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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Traction of the Nike Cosmic Unity:
Expert Traction Rating: 8.3 (ranks #197 of 304)
User Traction Rating: 8.3 (ranks #198 of 304)
10 - Amazing
1
9 - Great
9
8 - Good
9
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 #36 of 304)
User Cushion Rating: 9.3 (ranks #49 of 304)
10 - Amazing
9
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 #13 of 304)
User Materials Rating: 8.8 (ranks #79 of 304)
10 - Amazing
6
9 - Great
9
8 - Good
7
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 #79 of 304)
User Support Rating: 8.6 (ranks #159 of 304)
10 - Amazing
3
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 #49 of 304)
User Fit Rating: 8.2 (ranks #212 of 304)
10 - Amazing
2
9 - Great
10
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 #134 of 304)
10 - Amazing
2
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 #163 of 304)
User Outdoor Rating: 63.6 (ranks #122 of 304)
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
10
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
15
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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