7 Best Basketball Shoes For Men, 100+ Shoes Tested in 2023

Kevin Durant as a basketball player is one that you simply can’t overlook. He is fast, he scores, and damn he is tall! He is such a good team player as well who does a good deal of everything. If he is a shoe, then nothing represents him better than the Nike KD 14. 

This shoe is just among the most supportive basketball sneakers we have on the market. The materials and the shoe structure all work together to deliver a type of lockdown that gives no room for second thoughts. We can really say that this one is really made for players who are agile and quite simply hard to contain.

Speaking of agility, don’t think that the good containment that it offers was at the expense of mobility. No, this was not the case at all. We were still able to move fast. We were still able to respond quickly to the opponents’ antics. Indeed, if you want to really break free on the court, this one should be what you should be wearing.

Now, if there’s something that we should complain about, it would be that this shoe needed to be broken in. But which shoe doesn’t? This issue was not a dealbreaker, and it shouldn’t be a dealbreaker for you.

Many basketball players regard the traction as a basketball shoe’s most important aspect. Being a quick guard himself, Stephen Curry is definitely one of those players. His regard for traction is very evident in his Under Armour Curry 8, which is touted to have a hall-of-fame grip!

Truly, we were able to stop on a dime as we pleased. We didn’t even have to second guess our moves because we were just so sure that the traction got us covered in all directions. There were no slips or instability whatsoever. Dust was not even a problem! There was absolutely no need to wipe. Playing in the Curry was just pure fun!

Besides a truly commendable grip, this shoe also delivered a nicely snug fit but still with lots and lots of ventilation. The materials felt premium and were soft enough to not cause any form of discomfort. We could literally wear the Curry 8 all day! 

Did we already mention that this shoe felt super light? No? Well, this one was so light it felt like we didn’t have anything on! Yet, this does not mean that support wasn’t there. In fact, we couldn’t praise Under Armour and their team of designers for making sure that our feet were securely contained.

Basketball shoes are either plush or firm, and there seems to be no in-betweens. The Nike Cosmic Unity, however, changes this. This Nike shoe delivered a perfect blend of impact protection and court feel, serving the needs of both big men and quick guards. Indeed, this shoe is versatile enough to suit all positions.

Besides an all-around midsole, this shoe also delivered dependable support and stability. The commendable cushioning system, once again, helped with this. Specifically, the foam rises up to the sides, forming some sort of side walls that caged our feet and stopped them from sliding laterally. 

The Cosmic Unity basketball was also constructed with a wide base,  which  greatly helped in maintaining balance even during the most intense sprints.

The more sociable among us were indeed happy with the premium materials  that compose the upper. They really felt super comfortable; it was as if the shoes were made specifically for our unique feet. It also looked quite nice, and we didn’t have problems matching it with our casual outfits. 

Though this shoe was not able to provide perfection, it surely delivered on the aspects that matter. Of course,  its topnotch cushioning takes the center stage.

A highly-cushioned basketball shoe, the NIke PG 5 offers players a solid platform for jumping. This would be a good shoe for a big or power forward who likes to stay in the lanes and remain on the block. Aside from the pleasing looks, the Nike PG 5 offers great value for money.

Besides a more pronounced court feel, guards like Kyrie Irving need really good support. This where the Nike Kyrie 7 excels in.

When we first wore the seventh Kyrie, we were so amazed at how perfectly well the fit was. The materials felt durable and they really followed the unique shape and contours of our feet. This type of fit alone would have given us enough support.

Yet, the Kyrie 7 offered more. Wing-like features on the forefoot delivered more containment; so did the material that came up from the sole, making some sort of cage that really held our feet in place. The wide base also contributed to a stabler feel.

To make this guard shoe even more palatable, the very good support is complemented by springiness, which of course helped propel us to the basket. The midsole is also soft enough to make prolonged sprints and direction changes as protected from fatigue as possible.

Even with all that goodness, the Nike Kyrie 7 still managed to have a really low weight. We didn’t feel it weighing down our movements. It was so light that only a few minutes into the game, we felt like the shoe became an extension of our anatomy.

Support is definitely one thing that you just gotta love about the Nike Kyrie 7, but it surely is not the only one.

If you believe that a basketball shoe has to be expensive to be good, then you really have to reevaluate your beliefs. The market is replete with cheap options that are good performance-wise, and the Under Armour Spawn 3 rises above them all.

This US shoe gets  the top place because of its highly commendable traction. When we heard that this has a “freaking phenomenal” grip, we were skeptical. But when we played in it, boy, we were all floored. “Freaking phenomenal” is still an understatement. This was simply up there with the Kobe 9 when it comes to traction.

This shoe also courted our glee with its incredibly balanced Micro-G tooling in the midsole. Big men, guards, everyone in our team cannot complain because this just delivered an out-of-this-world balance of impact protection, court feel, and responsiveness.

Given all the goodness that we just described, it’s easy to imagine this shoe to be both heavy and bulky. But this is really not the case. In fact, we felt that this is among the lightest low-tops. It also has a very streamlined look that made an impression on even the most fashionable bloke among us.

The fact that this was durable enough to withstand rigorous outdoor use made this our easy favorite. We didn’t want to look any further. With the UA Spawn 3, all our needs are satisfied. Without breaking the bank, mind you!

The Zoom Freak 3 is a solid performer for me due to its supportive fit, tacky indoor traction, and propulsive forefoot cushioning. Wearing these felt light and bouncy on foot, and none of its weak points majorly stuck out to me during gameplay. The Zoom Freak 3 felt like the ideal prototype for a team model shoe - adaptable, generic fit, light and supportive cushioning, and no major weaknesses all around.