7 Best Basketball Shoes

How we test basketball shoes

To come up with our list of the best basketball shoes:

• We purchase the shoes with our own funds so that we can proceed to review them with total fairness.
• We play and hoop in these shoes on both indoor and outdoor courts.
• Last but not least, we put these pairs through over 20 lab tests, where we dissect and scrutinize them more deeply. 

In our reviews, you can find the result of this approach: what a combination of personal tests and lab tests delivers.

Why get basketball shoes?

Logic says that because basketball involves a lot of running, it’s OK to play in your trusty running shoes. They’ve got traction. They’ve got a cushion. They even promise durability. But are these in the right amounts?

As opposed to running shoes, good basketball shoes provide the following:

• great multi-directional traction
• more lateral and ankle support
• more stable and grounded cushioning 

Great multi-directional traction

Basketball needs good traction because of the complex footwork that it requires. There are quick stops, jumping, and a lot of lateral actions. These are high-intensity movements that a shoe designed for running is not prepared for.

More lateral and ankle support

A good basketball shoe withstands immense pressure from aggressive movements. The extra torsional stiffness and higher, more padded collar make this possible.

More stable and grounded cushioning

Because of the complexity of their footwork, basketball players need to feel the court.

Too much cushion can lead to dangerous movement miscalculations, slips, and falls. That's why basketball shoes on average have thinner and firmer midsoles compared to running shoes.

*based on the HA durometer measurement where the smaller number means softer.

Choosing basketball shoes based on playing position

Let us start by saying that this categorization is very vague. As the sport evolves, players are moving away from fixed positions and the corresponding clear-cut basketball shoe designs. We are seeing lighter folks playing centers and shifty guards reaching for sturdier and more supportive shoes. At the end of the day, your shoe choice is your personal preference.

So why do you need this section then?

By putting all the shoes we've tested into three baskets (pun intended), we hope to provide some brief guidelines to beginner players who may be lost in numerous options to choose from.

Because each basketball position involves certain types of court movements, athletes will find that some shoes benefit their playing style more than others.

Guards

Guards tend to be more agile, shifty, and aggressive on the court which calls for the following basketball shoe features:

• strong multi-directional traction (to support their quick and shifty playing style)
• responsive midsole (lower stack for better court feel and speed)
• solid side support (for lateral cuts, crossovers, pull-up jumpers)
• light/bottom-light shoes (to keep up with the nimble footwork)

Famous guards: Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Derrick Rose, Luka Doncic, Allen Iverson, Russell Westbrook, LaMelo Ball, Trae Young, Ja Morant

Forwards

Forwards are highly versatile players who contribute both offensively and defensively. They shoot both from far away and close up, throw passes, perform rebounds, and take layups. Thus, they should expect the following features from their hoop shoes:

• strong multi-directional traction (for every possible court situation)
• great cushioning and impact protection (be it driving toward the basket for a shot or performing the highest vertical jumps)
• solid ankle support (to feel confident and surefooted)

Famour forwards: LeBron James, Zion Williamson, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Paul George, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum.

Centers

Most often the biggest players on the team, these guys and gals swat away shots from the opponent, catch rebounds, and perform aggressive post-ups.

Traditionally, this position involved attacking and defending only at the rim, but the modern game demands centers to be more versatile, both near the basket and further away from it. That's why you can see more shoes in the grey area that can work for both forwards and centers.

Here is what you should look for in a perfect basketball shoe for centers:

• tons of impact protection (even though centers tend to get lighter, these folks rarely weigh lighter than 240 lbs (110 kg) and they do need that cushioning to manage stress on the joints)
• high-end stability (to maintain balance during intense plays)
• strong ankle support (to prevent injuries during physical encounters under the hoop)
• mid-top collar (even though higher collars don't prevent ankle sprains, big guys still prefer high collars for braces or to feel extra material around the ankle)

Famous centers: Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Shaquille O’Neal

Court feel vs. impact protection

It is a rule of thumb that agile guards need a more intimate foot connection with the court while powerful forwards and centers need tons of cushioning. But there is also a lot of grey area in between.

To help you figure out how each basketball shoe feels underfoot, we cut each one in half in our lab to measure its heel and forefoot stack heights (a.k.a. cushioning thickness).

Based on the data from dozens of dissected midsoles, we found that you can expect a better court feel from shoes with the following characteristics:

• heel stack lower than 28 mm
• forefoot stack lower than 24 mm

The opposite can be applied to shoes that provide more generous cushioning and impact absorption.

Finding the best fit in basketball shoes

Of course, getting the right basketball shoe size is essential to maximizing your performance. But what’s not so obvious are the factors that affect your size-related decisions.

Even within the same brand, different basketball shoe models can have a different amount of toebox space.

In our lab, we measure both the widest part of each shoe's forefoot and the narrower part near the big toe. This gives us a better idea of the given shoe's toebox shape. That way, you can adjust by ordering half-size bigger or smaller.

For all the big guys out there, here is our list of the roomiest basketball shoes.

You might as well want to check New Balance basketball shoes in wide (2E) width. According to the brand's size and width chart, the men's 2E width offers an additional 3-4 mm of width compared to the standard D medium width. It is one of those very few brands that release hoop shoes in multiple widths.

Indoor or outdoor: get the right hoop shoe

The basketball shoe industry is largely driven by the NBA. As such, brands rarely release shoes that are deliberately meant for outdoor hooping. 

But if you often play outdoors, here are a few characteristics of an outdoor-ready shoe:

We keep a category of hoop shoes that are suitable for outdoor courts in a separate category for your convenience. Before approving a shoe for outdoor use, we perform a series of tests on its outsole:

• hardness of the rubber

• wear resistance of the rubber

• thickness of the outsole

Low-top or mid-top collar?

Up until 2008, basketball shoes have been synonymous with high collars. But it all started to change with the introduction of Kobe Bryant's first low-top signature shoe.

Low-tops quickly gained popularity among agile players whose playing style revolved around quick direction changes. This is all thanks to the greater freedom of ankle movement.

But the trend went even further, as the legendary power forward LeBron James himself introduced the low-top LeBron 20 in 2022.

In our extensive research of over 30 studies on the topic, we found NO scientific evidence proving that the height of a basketball shoe collar affects athletic performance or the change of ankle/foot injury.

Thus, it all comes down to personal preference. And these days, there is a sea of options for both low-top and mid-top hoop shoes.

But aside from the collar height, there are even more important characteristics that make a shoe more supportive and potentially lower the risk of ankle sprains:

1. High torsional rigidity
2. Wide base with an outrigger
3. Stiff heel counter
4. Secure lockdown
5. Grounded platform
6. Solid traction

See our guide on the best basketball shoes for ankle support where we provide more detailed information on the topic and highlight our top picks in this supportive category.