First Opinion:
If you didn’t know what GH stands for, it stands for Gordon Hayward. And yes, he has a signature line with Anta. This will be the first Anta basketball sneaker that we will be reviewing and I am pretty excited for it. Some of us have tried to play in models from the Anta Rondo signature line and the Shock the Game line.
The Anta GH line features a lot of tiger-related detailing. That was apparent on the Anta GH 1’s upper where there were stripes everywhere. On the Anta GH 2 however, the tiger detailing comes in the form of a tiger-tooth-like TPU Side Piece as well as the traction pattern which is very similar to its predecessor.
The traction does seem like it will perform very well and the upper seems to be pretty simple. What I’m really curious about is the cushioning as with China brands, you just don’t know what to expect.
Significant Tech Present in the Shoe:
- Multi-material Upper
- Bootie Construction
- Internal Heel Counter
- TPU Side Piece
- TPU Shank
- Alti-Flash Cushion
Materials & Aesthetics (9/10):
One thing about the Anta GH2 that I love from the get go was how comfortable the shoe was. The achilles pillows were placed strategically and really gave your ankle area a lot of comfort. Although different colourways come with different materials, the overall structure of the shoe together with the textile or jacquard upper ensured that your feet are wrapped in a flexible and soft material that feels really comfortable.
Many of the BBallEquips crew felt that the shoe looked really nice. The sleek build coupled with the colourways available and the detailing. It is on the sportier side but get the right colourway and you might be able to pull them off on the streets.
That said, you already know the GH 2 isn’t going to be very popular given that it does not feature a swoosh or three stripes. Nowadays everyone is going for fashion over form and it is what it is. In the NBA, Gordon Hayward (Charlotte Hornets) is the only notable player wearing these.
Fit (9/10):
The Anta GH 2 fits true-to-size for the most part and only some found the shoe to be a little on the snug side. The shoe also features a Bootie Construction followed by layers of different materials on the upper and even with that, the upper still seems to move in sync with your feet without causing and hindrance.
I’m being a little repetitive at this point but I really have to point out the achilles pillows because they worked really well with Internal Heel Counter to keep heel in place. The lacing is very simple yet gets the job done ensuring that your feet are always locked down onto the footbed.
Support (9/10):
Support on the Anta GH2 is quite abundant. There are many supportive features and you couple that with the good fit and lockdown, you’ll get a pretty kick-ass shoe. First would be the most obvious tiger detailing, the TPU Side Piece. The TPU Side Piece features the Logo as well as the tooth like structures that go on to the side of the midsole and that gave some extra lateral support and containment for your feet during movement. Not only that, the largest part of the piece actually connects to the laces to give you added security.
The GH 2 also features a TPU Shank to provide some torsional support. This time however, it is visible and we know for sure it’s there as compared to the GH 1 which we weren’t sure there was a torsional plate at all.
Additionally, the Internal Heel Counter also help to provide some heel support and the base of the shoe is relatively flat and provides stability as well.
Cushioning (8.5/10):
The Anta GH 2 features Ants’s own Alti-Flash Cushioning which is the same as the Anta KT 6. If you have worn that sneaker before, you will know right off the bat how comfortable it is. The cushioning is caged slightly on the lateral side using the TPU Side Piece and that helps to prevent the foam from compressing too much.
At first, I was wondering how much of an impact the TPU Side Piece can make but once u press down on the rest of the midsole, you’ll get it. The midsole is a little too plush in my opinion. The ride will be comfortable but it seems that the foam compresses a little much which reduces the impact protection a bit. That said the impact protection is still pretty adequate and the court feel is amazing.
Traction (9.5/10):
I don’t know what’s with the tiger details but here it is again. Tiger-stripes make up the pattern and it spreads throughout the whole outsole. There is a mixture of different rubbers throughout the outsole and they are segmented. Just like the Anta GH 1, the traction pattern features pods and the traction on the pods are different from the rest of the outsole. For most colourways, you can tell the rubbers apart by the colours on the outsole.
In terms of the coverage, this shoe someone performs better indoors than outdoors. Usually, you would expect China brand shoes to work better outdoors but this was really not the case. I think it could be because of the rubber compound being used as dirt just seems to stick a bit to the outsole and when you’re on outdoor court, that problem is highlighted.
One thing to note is that the groves are thick but relatively shallow but based on the rubber Anta used for the GH 2, the traction pattern should be able to last a certain amount of time outdoors.
Final Conclusion: (8.9/10)
Overall, this shoe is an above average performer. I am fairly impressed with the Anta GH2 and given that it’s our first Anta basketball shoe review, I would say it’s really something that changed the perspective of how we looked at brands. Sure, big brands usually feature the bigger names and they are usually priced higher as well. However, for a much lesser price, you will be able to get a similar performing shoe with the China Brands. To top that off, this is just the second shoe of the GH signature line… imagine what more could come?
BBALLEQUIPS 