5 Best Cheap Basketball Shoes in 2025
We buy shoes ourselves. We earn commissions when you buy through us, at no extra cost. Why trust us
Getting more for less is always appealing. Because of this, brands such as Adidas, Under Armour, and even industry leader Nike make cheap basketball shoes available for everyone.
We have tested cheap basketball shoes under $100 to find which ones have the best performance in this price range. Our takeaway? A lower price does not always equate to lesser quality. We were actually surprised to find that in some aspects, these shoes come very close to their more expensive counterparts.
How we test cheap basketball shoes
Our mantra for our shoe reviews is honesty over freebies. This means that we buy all the basketball shoes on our own, with no sponsorships or brand ambassadors.
We test the shoes in two ways: wear testing and lab testing. We play in all the shoes for a substantial amount of time before reporting our likes and dislikes. We take them both indoors and outdoors to get a proper feel of them on different surfaces.
After that, we summarize our thoughts about our experiences, and then we proceed with more data-seeking inside our lab. We measure different aspects, such as shock absorption, durability, weight, and flexibility. We also tear the shoes apart, giving us an absolute view of every little detail.
Best overall cheap basketball shoes
What makes it the best?
Having thoroughly tested the Nike G.T. Cut Academy and compared to similarly priced models in our lab, we believe it to be the best cheap basketball shoe overall!
Just because it’s affordable doesn’t mean that this shoe can’t pack an Air Zoom unit in the forefoot to boost shock absorption above the average (91 SA)! Meanwhile, a moderately soft Renew foam in the heel also maintains solid impact protection at 104 SA.
We don’t have a single knock on the G.T. Cut Academy’s lateral support and stability either! The shoe encases the foot in a super-sturdy cage, earning a maximum 5/5 score for both torsional rigidity and heel counter stiffness. Our feet felt locked like they’re inside a race car bucket seat!
This Nike shoe also broadens its target audience by offering a spacious toe box for a hoop shoe! Measuring the custom gel mold of the shoe’s interior, we recorded a width of up to 72.5 mm at the big toe!
And how can we not mention the G.T. Cut Academy’s below-average weight of only 12.1 oz (342g) in a men’s US size 9!
One area of disappointment, however, is this budget Nike shoe’s low energy return, which falls well below that of the premium G.T. Cut silhouettes.
Pros
- Extra eyelets that offer a customized fit
- Fantastic lockdown feel and containment
- Feels light and nimble on foot
- Reliable grip on clean courts
- Excellent impact protection
- Air Zoom adds bounce in the forefoot
- Affordable
Cons
- Not the most durable
- Lacks breathability
Cheap basketball shoes with the best traction
What makes it the best?
Even though the LeBron Witness 9 is a takedown shoe, it is still a LeBron James shoe, and it channels that energy through its mighty grip on hardwood! And when we measured the shoe’s friction coefficient in our lab, we got an elite-level reading of 0.84! That deserves the title of the best traction among cheap basketball shoes!
But wait, our Dremel tests also revealed this shoe’s exceptional outsole durability for outdoor use! With an ultra-shallow dent of 0.6 mm, an outsole thickness of 4.4 mm, and a thick, oversized herringbone tread pattern, we can go play pickup any time in the LeBron Witness 9!
Its affordable price point doesn’t stop this Nike shoe from delivering solid average shock absorption (99/75 SA) and energy return (61.1/64.1%) either! The cushioning is there even for the bigger players among us.
With its solid ankle support, decent flexibility, and build quality, the LeBron Witness 9 comes very close to perfect. But its hefty weight of 15.1 oz (418g) holds the shoe back from hitting all the marks.
Pros
- Responsive ReactX midsole
- Excellent stability and ankle support
- Fantastic outsole grip
- Soft comfortable step-in feel
- Accommodating fit
- Great for outdoor courts
- Amazing durability for money
Cons
- Heavier than average
- Not breathable
- Cheap-feeling materials
Cheap basketball shoes with the best versatility
What makes it the best?
We played a lot of games and performed a lot of tests in our lab on the Giannis Immortality 4 before giving it the crown as the hooper with the best versatility among the cheap basketball shoes we have reviewed so far.
It has a positionless design that makes it an ideal pick for pretty much any player and position. We would have never said a way wider-than-average midsole in the forefoot (at some crazy 124.5 mm, which offered us wonderful stability for our landings), would come on such a lightweight structure. It felt quick on foot, but we didn’t believe it until our scale returned 12.56 oz/356g!
Apart from feeling nimble and stable, this hooper’s solid structure offered us a wonderful lockdown feel. Its overall torsional rigidity and heel counter stiffness earned a well-deserved 5/5 on our tests, which is the highest score. So, apart from being stable, quick, and supportive, these Nikes are also durable, as their heel padding managed to get a perfect score (another 5/5) on our Dremel test.
What an all-rounder! The only drawback here is that the snug structure of this hooper is not ideal for basketball lovers with wide feet.
Pros
- Excellent value for money
- Lots of impact protection
- Fantastic stability and support
- Wide landing platform
- Incredible lock-in feel
- Pretty speedy on foot
- Great outsole grip
- Super versatile (positionless)
Cons
- Not for streetball
Best cheap baskteball shoes for outdoor courts
What makes it the best?
If there is one shoe that always comes to mind when we go get a run in on the blacktop, it’s the Jordan Luka .77. Looking at the shoe’s performance in our lab and playtests, we deem it the best cheap hoop shoe for outdoor courts at the moment!
The rubber outsole of this cheap Jordan shoe withstood our Dremel test practically unscathed! Does 0.4 mm of dent depth even count as damage? The same goes for the shoe’s sturdy synthetic leather toebox (4/5) and internal lining (5/5). We can see the Luka .77 surviving several dozen streetball sessions.
And how about that sticky outsole traction? Measuring the friction coefficient of this takedown Luka shoe at a stunning 0.83, it doesn’t look so takedown anymore! We feel exceptionally surefooted on both blacktop and hardwood thanks to the Luka .77’s strong bite!
Last but not least, the below-average weight of this Jordan shoe (12.3 oz/349g) feels like a cherry on top!
Of course, all cheap basketball shoes come with compromises, and in this Luka shoe, we wished for much better cushioning and energy return.
Pros
- Amazing durability for outdoor courts
- Exceptional outsole traction
- Pronounced court feel
- Lightweight for its design
- Surprisingly good lateral support
- Above-average breathability
- True to medium width
- Fantastic value for money
Cons
- Low shock absorption
- Uninspiring energy return
- Firm underfoot experience
- Very low toebox height
Best value-for-money cheap basketball shoes
What makes it the best?
We had a lot of candidates for the throne of the cheap basketball shoe with the best value, but after a lot of lab and wear tests, we’ve decided that the Nike Air Max Impact 4 is the one to wear the crown.
One of the first things we noticed when we wore this hooper during our playtests was its consistent traction. Its multi-directional pattern offered us great grip even if the court was dusty. In order to support the more aggressive moves that are born from the confidence inspired by the grip, the Air Max Impact 4 features a supportive structure that earned a 4/5 on our torsional rigidity test. The cherry on top for its containment is the semi-gusseted tongue, which is a detail we usually don’t see on cheaper shoes.
But that’s not all! As the basketball shoe with the best value, the Impact 4 boasts a solid design: it earned a fair 3/5f on our breathability test, which is already higher than average. The thing is that it also managed to score a 3/5 on our toebox durability test! These details are usually incompatible, so we were left in awe.
Underfoot, we enjoyed a wonderful Air Max unit right at the heel. Once again, this is something pretty uncommon in an affordable shoe, and we love it! Nevertheless, don’t expect this Nike to be comfortable out of the box: you’ll need to overcome its break-in period!
Pros
- Traction is consistently good
- Responsive cushioning
- Decent impact protection
- Comfortable and well-ventilated upper
- Dependable foot containment
- Great for outdoor use
- Value for money
Cons
- Needs to be broken in
- Not for wide-footers
How to save on a pair of basketball shoes
When we say “cheap,” we imply basketball shoes that are priced at $110 or less. Be it their original MSRP or a discounted price.
Getting a cheap shoe doesn’t necessarily mean that it feels cheap or breaks down after a month of use. There are a few ways in which you can save money and still get a great bang for the buck:
- Look for previous season versions
- Consider signature takedown shoes
- Watch out for debut signature shoes
- Consider budget entry-level shoes
- Keep an eye on sales and discounts
Discounted previous season shoes
Marketing campaigns for the newest basketball shoe releases always picture them as huge step-ups and game changers over the previous iterations. But that’s not always true.
Sometimes brands end up messing with an already excellent shoe just to shake things up. Other times, the newer version turns out to be great but only because it inherited the materials and technologies that worked well in the previous version.
In fact, too many players are scouring eBay in search of that perfect hoop shoe that they bought 5 years ago and that is no longer released. Simply because they loved the traction, cushioning, support, or fit that those shoes provided, which they couldn’t find in any of the newer releases.
At RunRepeat, we keep every edition of the basketball shoes we’ve tested, even if they have very few offers left. You can find models that date back to 2022 on our basketball shoe catalog page.
TIP: Sort the catalog page by Discount to find out which past editions are offered with the biggest discount. We’ve seen the price of some flagship modes drop by as much as 75%!
Signature takedown basketball shoes
Premium signature shoes like Nike LeBron, Air Jordan, and Adidas Harden, can be quite expensive with a retail price ranging from $150 to $210 per pair.
Luckily, some famous athletes have also released takedown signature shoes to broaden their market reach and make these shoes more accessible to everyone. That way, younger entry-level athletes, recreational players, and people on a tight budget can afford a shoe that associates with their favorite player.
Here are a few examples of these more affordable signature shoes:
|
Brand |
Player |
Signature takedown basketball shoes |
|
Nike |
LeBron James |
Nike LeBron Witness |
|
Kevin Durant |
Nike KD Trey 5 |
|
|
Giannis Antetokounmpo |
Nike Giannis Immortality |
|
|
Adidas |
Damian Lillard |
Adidas Dame Certified |
|
James Harden |
Adidas Harden Stepback |
|
|
Under Armour |
Stephen Curry |
Under Armour Curry Splash 24 |
TIP: Keep an eye on the most recent partnerships between brands and athletes because the first iterations of these new signature shoes tend to be cheaper as well. For example, Adidas AE (Anthony Edwards) and Nike Ja (Ja Morant) shoes were both released with a moderate price tag of $110.
Affordable entry-level basketball shoes
Every basketball shoe brand has a catalog of budget-friendly options that cater to beginner and recreational players. The retail price of these shoes starts as low as $70.
Even though these shoes lack the high-end materials and technologies of the more expensive models, they generally tick all the boxes of functional hoop shoes. In our lab, we test every basketball shoe equally, no matter the price point. And sometimes cheaper shoes really impress us with their performance.
We keep track of the best budget basketball shoes to showcase them in this guide.
Sales and discounts: when are basketball shoes the cheapest
Great deals aren’t only limited to Black Friday.
There are many other times of the year when basketball shoe sales are on the rise:
- Late winter and early spring mark the end of basketball season. This is when brands try to sell out older iterations and create space for the newer releases.
- Simultaneously, retailers hold clearance sales to make room for the more in-season inventory.
- You can also catch a sale upon releasing a new model in a basketball shoe line. The price of the one that the new release replaces will surely be brought down to entice buyers to at least consider buying it.
- Sales are also expected at the beginning of a basketball season in late summer and early fall with the so-called back-to-school sales.
Always compare prices before buying shoes
We are all familiar with that feeling of regret and disappointment when we see a lower price tag on something we just bought for more.
If only there was a way to monitor prices from dozens of shoe stores...But wait, that’s what RunRepeat is here for!
We aggregate prices for every single basketball shoe from over 200 online sellers. With all the retailers and prices listed in one place, you can see where your favorite shoe in your size and color is sold the cheapest.
You also have the option to set a price alert and we will send you an email as soon as we detect a cheaper price for that shoe anywhere on the internet.
Are cheaper hoop shoes less durable?
Testing shoe durability every day in our lab, we’ve come to the conclusion that the shoe’s price and its durability are not proportional.
Using a Dremel with a sandpaper tip, we drill each shoe’s toebox, heel padding, and rubber outsole for a set amount of time with consistent speed and pressure. Then each shoe part gets a durability score from 1 to 5 based on the severity of damage.
For the outsole, we list the exact depth of the dent measured with a tread gauge. The deeper the dent, the poorer the abrasion resistance.
The table below shows each shoe’s durability scores along with their retail prices (MSRP). You can see that the most expensive basketball shoes aren’t necessarily the most durable ones:
Similar buying guides
