10 Best

Basketball Shoes

of December 2023

Every year, basketball is ranked among the 10 most popular sports in the world, both for players and for spectators. Part of its universal appeal is that you don’t require very much equipment in order to play it, other than a basketball and a court! But, we shouldn’t overlook a very important piece of equipment: basketball shoes. The right basketball shoes can help you play your best, as well as protect you from injury from all of the running and jumping that’s demanded of you when playing basketball.

We’ll discuss what to look for in a good basketball shoe, to allow you proper foot protection when running up and down the court, as well as pivoting, jumping, and landing. Some shoes force you to trade off jumping ability for greater ankle protection. You also want materials that are lightweight and won’t cause your feet to perspire too much. And you’ll want soles with good traction, that won’t slip on a basketball court. We’ll try to cover all these features of the best basketball shoes!

What is special about basketball shoes, as opposed to a pair of sneakers?

A basketball shoe is specifically designed to cater to the unique demands of a basketball court. You want a basketball shoe that provides:

• Support and stability: It should provide ample cushioning for support and stability for your ankles since basketball demands quick changes of direction.

• Cushioning against impact: Basketball shoes will have a midsole from materials like EVA or foam to cushion your feet when landing.

• Traction: A basketball shoe will have a rubber or EVA outer sole with a herringbone or multidirectional tread. That provides a lot of friction, even on a smooth wooden basketball court. That ensures that you’ll have good traction and that you won’t slip or slide.

• Breathable: The upper part of a basketball shoe should be durable and breathable so that you don’t overheat. Some shoes have a mesh upper, or have holes in the side of the shoe for ventilation.

Looking at the Best Reviews Guide list of the most popular basketball shoes, we see that they come in three main forms, depending on the height of the sneaker:

• High-tops: These extend around 6 inches above the heel, to fully cover your ankle. This helps prevents ankle sprain, which is so common due to the constant jumping and pivoting in basketball. The Nike Blazer Mid 77 Vintage Men’s Basketball Shoe is an example of a high-top shoe.

Nike Blazer Mid 77 Vintage Men’s Basketball Shoe

• Mid-tops: This is in between the high- and low-top basketball shoe. An example is the Adidas Men’s Hoops 3.0 Mid Basketball Shoe.

Adidas Men’s Hoops 3.0 Mid Basketball Shoe

• Low-tops: These don’t provide any extra support for the ankle. But it has the benefit of allowing for greater mobility and speed on the court. An example is the Nike Men’s Court Vision Low Sneaker. It has a rubber sole for good traction on a wooden court, and an upper consisting of a combination of leather and synthetic leather.

Nike Men’s Court Vision Low Sneaker

Here are some customers’ impressions about the basketball shoes that they bought:

• Even for someone always on their feet: One customer who bought the Adidas Men's Hoops 3.0 Mid Basketball Shoe said that it was great for his line of work. He stocks shelves in a supermarket and is on his feet for 8 hours a day. The shoes are comfortable and don’t wear down quickly.

• May have to stretch the shoe: One customer who bought the Lou Williams Peak High Top Mens Basketball Shoes said that they felt a bit narrow at first. He used a shoe stretcher, as well as a warm/hot blowdryer twice a day, for a week. After that, the shoes fit like a glove!

Here are some features to look for when choosing a pair of basketball shoes:

• Parts of the sole of the shoe: You’ll see the terms insole, midsole, and outsole used all the time.

  • The insole is the part of the sole of the shoe that comes in contact with your feet.

  • The midsole acts as a shock absorber and cushion, and can even have a layer of air for this purpose. That “air unit” is included in the design of the Socviis Men’s Fashion Sneaker Air Running Shoes. But, you don’t want the midsole to be too thick in a basketball shoe, because you’d prefer your feet to be close to the ground. (A thick midsole is more of what you’d see in a jogging shoe.)

Socviis Men’s Fashion Sneaker Air Running Shoes

• • The outsole is the part of the shoe that touches the ground. The outsoles of a basketball shoe will provide friction for a firm grip on the wood of the basketball court so that you don’t slip. You’ll see some basketball shoes that have a “cup sole”, which serves to cradle or “cup” the rest of the shoe. That’s the design in the Adidas Men’s Hoops 3.0 Mid Basketball Shoe.

• Best type of shoe depends on the position you play: Experts say that your position in the game can determine which shoe is best for you.

  • A guard or small forward may prefer a low-top shoe, for greater mobility.

  • A center or power forward who will have to perform aggressive plays like rebounding and mid-range jump shots will need a high-top upper, for more ankle support.

  • If you just want to play basketball casually, then a mid-top shoe should be the best, to allow for the most versatility.

• Mesh upper: The Adidas Men’s Own the Game 2.0 Basketball Shoe has a mesh upper for better ventilation. This ensures that your feet don’t get hot, even if you have to run around for 2 hours at a time!

Adidas Men’s Own the Game 2.0 Basketball Shoe

Final Verdict

We took a glance at some of the basketball shoes in the Best Reviews Guide list. There are high, medium, and low-top shoes, and it’s a matter of preference as to which type you feel is best. You can select a shoe that offers you more mobility, or a shoe that offers you more support and protection. These basketball shoes are also great for people who work at a job that requires that they be active. You’ll also notice some very affordable shoes, that have features that compare with the big sneaker names. Look over our selection, and see what fits you the best!