7 Best Nike Basketball Shoes in 2023

The main highlights of the Nike LeBron NXXT GEN are its immense heel support plus torsional resistance, energizing bounce, and outdoor playability. These benefits make this shoe perfectly suitable for several types of players; hence, we declare it the best one from Nike to date.

The shoe’s heel stiffness and torsional resistance worked together to bring us a stable and supportive ride. In the lab, we manually twisted, bent, and squeezed the shoe in order to test its flexibility. The NXXT GEN gets heel stiffness and torsional resistance scores of 3 and 4, respectively, on a five-point scale where 5 is the stiffest.   

When it comes to energy return, we felt that the Zoom Air unit in the midsole did its job so well. We felt high amounts of springback with every step, and it helped propel us to the basket quite efficiently. We have to say, this version of the Zoom Air unit is one of the most well-implemented!

When we used an HC durometer to measure the outsole rubber’s hardness, the device showed 84.5, which is slightly higher than the average (81.5). We never had issues playing outdoors while wearing the LeBron NXXT GEN from Nike.

One issue with the shoe is the non-uniform breathability of its upper. After pumping smoke into the shoe, we saw that the smoke did not rise as freely through the toe box as through the tongue. This shoe only got a 2 out of 5 from us for ventilation.

Among all the shoes in Nike’s arsenal, it’s the Nike KD 15 that brings the most promise when it comes to traction, which we experienced as consistent on both indoor and outdoor courts. We also appreciated this KD shoe’s close-to-the-ground construction and excellent torsional rigidity. 

The bite of the KD 15 was really amazing; shoemakers should take note of how this shoe does it! Stopping on a dime was such a breeze. Quick changes in direction were never an issue. The whole grip experience was just a pure chef’s kiss. 

Through our caliper measurements in the lab, we learned that the midsole is 3.3 mm thinner at the heel and 1.1 mm thinner at the forefoot. This configuration allowed us to feel the court more, enhancing our control over our movements.

The shoe’s base also did a good job keeping our rides stable and protecting us from twists. After manually twisting it in the lab, we thought that this shoe deserved a perfect score of 5 out of 5 for torsional rigidity.

The shoe’s breathability was definitely a weak point. After conducting our standard breathability smoke and light tests, the KD 15 only got a disappointing 2 out of 5. Those players with sweaty feet should stay away from this KD shoe.

A Nike LeBron shoe is considered synonymous with quality. Hence, it requires a lot to rise above all the Nike LeBron kicks in our inventory. We’ve seen it in the lab and experienced on the court that the LeBron 20 did not hold back not only on durability and grip, but also on cushioning prowess! It’s not a surprise that this shoe became our best pick for cushioning among all Nike kicks on record.

The Dremel test results on this shoe are impressive. We subjected the toe area of the upper to aggressive friction, which was way more than what guys normally experience on-court. No hole in sight after that so we give it a 4 out of 5 for durability. We dare say that even frequent toe draggers can’t break down this shoe’s upper.

We thoroughly enjoyed a consistent grip in a good number of games. It has a noteworthy bite on different types of court surfaces. What we experienced during our test games was better than just stopping on a dime. This is just how good this shoe is!

The amount of impact protection that this shoe provided is also worth mentioning. Using an HA durometer, we learned that the cushion is softer than average (26.6) with a rating of 25.5. On feet, the experience was like this: the foam is soft enough to absorb impact, but it is still firm enough to ensure stability and court feel.

It would have been a lot better had this shoe delivered more breathability. After seeing how challenging it was for smoke to escape through the upper, we could only give it a 2 out of 5 for ventilation.

A stand-out aspect of the Nike Zoom Freak 4 is its stability, which it provides without needing a higher collar. Besides the anti-wobble structure, this shoe also boasts pronounced court feel at the forefoot. And the Freak 4 delivered all this without adding so much to its weight. Because of all these benefits, we consider this shoe the most valuable lightweight shoe out of all Nike basketball releases.

In the lab, our caliper showed that the platform is 115.7 mm wide at the forefoot. This adds 3.1 mm more width to the average, giving the shoe a lot of extra room to stably hold the foot. 

Our caliper measurements also showed that the forefoot is 8.3 mm lower than the heel. Because of this setup, our heel strikes were a lot easier to execute. We also got to feel the court more through the forefoot, which in turn made us quicker on our feet.

The weight of the Nike Zoom Freak 4 is 12.3 oz or 348g. This is 1.4 ounces lighter than the average, which currently stands at 13.7 oz or 387g. Because of its lightness, we became even more agile as we drove toward the basket.

In spite of all the goodness, we still cannot recommend this shoe to ballers who want to feel a lot of plushness underfoot. As per our HA durometer, the softness (27.0) of the midsole does not fall far from the average (27.9). This means that the impact protection that this shoe can give is decent at best.

The breathability of the Nike LeBron Witness 7 was truly noteworthy. It made our steps a lot lighter, easier, and comfortable. Besides providing a lot of ventilation, this basketball shoe also offered a lot of impact protection, keeping us pain-free all throughout the games. The durability of its outsole made it suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. It is for these reasons that we hail this shoe as the most comfortable in Nike’s arsenal.

Upon wearing this shoe, we already felt its breathability. When we did the smoke test on it, we were not anymore surprised when the smoke easily escaped through the upper. We were so impressed that this shoe garnered a 4 out of 5 from us.

Based on our caliper measurements, the Witness 7’s heel is the tallest that we have ever seen. It is 4.1 mm thicker than average! On court, we felt the generous cushioning absorbing the impact of our harsh landings and aggressive steps.

To the touch, the rubber outsole of this shoe indeed felt quite resistant to abrasion. Readings from our HC durometer confirmed our initial observation. While the average sole hardness score is only 81.5, the Nike Giannis Immortality 2’s outsole got as high as 85.8.

The height of the heel gave the Nike LeBron Witness 7 a lot of impact protection, but it also brought it too high off the ground. Those players who love court feel may find this shoe seriously lacking in that regard.

The Nike Cosmic Unity 3 is undoubtedly an outdoor-worthy shoe, so it easily takes the crown as the best for outdoors among Nike’s basketball shoes. The enhanced court feel and stability that the midsole afforded made our experience with it even better.

The outsole rubber registers a good 86.5 on the HC durometer when the average is only 81.5. This means that the rubber is hard and is able to withstand abrasion. True enough, the shoe easily endured the harshness of outdoor play during our actual game tests. 

Many of us play as guards, and the court feel that this shoe delivered during our test games allowed us to be quicker on our feet. In the lab, our caliper showed that the stack height of this shoe is only 27.9 mm at the heel and 20.7 mm at the forefoot. These figures are 2.1 mm and 0.9 mm thinner than average. As a result, we felt much closer to the court surface while wearing this basketball shoe. 

What made the experience better was the firmness of the tooling. Using our HA durometer, we learned that it is on the firmer side with a rating of 33.3 when the average is only 26.6. Aside from enhancing ground feel, the firm midsole also ensured stability.

The Cosmic Unity 3 is not a good pick for those who want a lot of tongue cushioning. The padding in this part of the shoe is only 4.9 mm thick, which makes it 4.5 mm thinner than average.

The Air Max Impact 4 is simply an amazing shoe. At $90 per pair, this model is way cheaper than average, which is priced as high as $135. Performance-wise, this basketball shoe delivers impressive lightness and flexibility. Yet, it doesn’t fall short when it comes to providing twist protection. Hence, it’s easy for us to declare this shoe as the best budget pick in Nike’s lineup.

At only 12.06 ounces or 342 grams, this cheap basketball shoe is definitely a lot lighter than the typical hoop footwear (14.22 ounces or 403 grams). When used on the court, these light kicks didn’t get in the way of our movements and strikes.

When it comes to flexibility, this shoe is not to be overlooked, either. Our digital force gauge in the lab showed that this shoe needs only 34.7N of force to be bent at 90 degrees. This number is significantly lower than the 40.9N required by a typical hoop shoe.

In spite of its lightness and flexibility, the Air Max Impact 4’s base never ran out of the needed rigidity to resist torsional twists. This shoe, instead, got a pretty high score of 4 out of 5 for torsional rigidity after we gave it a pretty good squeeze and twist in the lab.

The shoe’s stability, however, made us a little worried. Its platform, particularly the heel area, is way too narrow. The heel is only 82.5 mm wide when the average opens as much as 91.1 mm.