During the initial break-in period the tough leather around the top edge of the shoe irritated my ankle. That's ok, I still would have given 4 stars. Once that period was over the leather slowly became more comfortable and relaxed a little bit through the back of the shoe, the front leather was still in crisp condition looking good and even did fine with people stepping it without leaving big scratches or marks. The problem that jumped me down to a 2 star review "I don't like it" was that the leather behind the heel got softer and softer. The problem is now my foot slides back and all the pressure is alone the rubber sole and the leather basically the connection is solid enough that the lower part of the back of my heel is digging into the edge of the sole causing much pain. I'm currently looking for new shoes because of this pain. So these shoes have only lasted me 3 months. My average pair of shoes last me 1.5-2 years. I wear them as long as possible provided they don't hurt my feet.

* Disclaimer - I'm a dancer so I used these for partner dancing (specifically West Coast Swing - I put suede leather on the bottom). I think I would have about the same use as a basketball player. Walking around for daily use would have the same trojectory for the break in period but may last much longer before the problems with the heel started.