3 Best Nike Lebron Basketball Shoes in 2023

Dimitrije Curcic
Dimitrije Curcic on
3 Best Nike Lebron Basketball Shoes in 2023
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LeBron James isn’t called ‘The King’ for nothing. His signature basketball shoes dominate the market as much as he dominates the court.

With lots of LeBron models available on the market, we have reviewed them all to select the best. We brought them to our lab and did a number of tests. Whether you are after a low-top, a shoe for playing outdoors, or a more budget-friendly signature shoe, we have selected the top picks in each of these categories.

To learn more about LeBron James and his basketball shoe collections, check out our guide sections.

Best Nike LeBron basketball shoes overall

Nike Lebron 20
94
Superb!

What makes it the best?

The Nike LeBron 20 surely did not disappoint. It even exceeded our expectations. It’s heel-to-toe drop, in particular, ensured a nice balance between plushness and more natural feel. This marks the rare instance when a LeBron shoe did not sacrifice court feel to make way for cushioning. Also, stability was quite big with this one. Its traction afforded us a standout advantage, as well. Hence, it truly deserves its place as the King of all Nike LeBron shoes.

Our caliper measurements pegged the heel-to-toe drop at 4.4 mm. Because of the balanced cushioning that this basketball shoe afforded us, we got both impact protection and agility whenever we needed it. There really was no need to choose one when you could have both.

Much of the stability we owed to the twist-resistant base. After manual assessments in the lab, the LeBron 20 got a perfect 5 for torsional rigidity. We never had to worry about sudden ankle twists, even when we assumed peculiar positions just to snatch away or protect the ball.

Traction was another standout benefit of the LeBron 20. The sole just stuck like glue regardless of the direction of our sprints or the orientation of our steps. Not even dust was able to jeopardize its bite on the court surface!

It’s just too regrettable that this shoe doesn’t really have the best ventilation. After going through a breathability test, where we pump the smoke into the shoe to see how quickly and where it escapes, this shoe only got a score of 2 out of 5.

Pros

  • Amazing overall performance
  • Great traction
  • Tremendous impact protection
  • Pronounced court feel
  • Dependable bounciness
  • Comfortable upper
  • Incredible foot containment
  • Stylishly streamlined looks

Cons

  • Not for outdoors
  • Has to be broken in
Full review of Nike Lebron 20

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Unisex
Any color
Orange (DJ5423800)
White/metallic gold/black/univ (DJ5423100)
Brown (DV9090200)
Silver (DJ5423002)
901 olive/brown-white (DV1193901)
Blue lightning/coconut milk/ir (DV1191400)
300 green apple/reflect silver/university red/bright crimson/blue chill (FJ4955300)
Black/university red/universit (DJ5423001)
More colors

Best lightweight Nike LeBron basketball shoes

What makes it the best?

Ladies, and gentlemen, please welcome the lightest LeBron shoe to date!

LeBron shoes have always been known for being heavy. For context, this shoe’s predecessor the LeBron 20 weighs a staggering 14.67 oz or 416g. But the LeBron NXXT GEN just changed that trend. At 13.12 oz or 372g, it’s even lighter than the average shoe that weighs 13.65 oz or 387g!

As far as we can remember, the NXXT GEN is also the first time that a LeBron shoe sported a firm midsole. Our HA durometer gave it a softness rating of 30.6 when the average is only 27.9. The firmer-than-usual setup gave us some springiness that made us run much faster and more confidently.

We also used this shoe outdoors, and we loved just how hard the sole felt. Our HC durometer in the lab confirmed this observation. The device gave it a rating of 84.5 while the average is only 80.3.

The shoe’s width also surprised us, but in a not so good way. While the widest part of the toebox does not deviate much from the average (98.9 mm vs 99.9 mm), the toebox’s width at the big toe gave us too much of a cinch. The caliper showed that it’s only 74.9 mm wide when the average is 77.4 mm.

Pros

  • Top-notch traction
  • Lightest LeBron shoe (as of 2023)
  • Nice bounce in the forefoot
  • A fine balance of court feel and impact protection
  • Effective foot containment
  • Very comfortable wraparound feel
  • Quality materials
  • Standout design and colors

Cons

  • Surprisingly not for wide feet
  • Still kinda expensive
Full review of Nike Lebron NXXT GEN

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Unisex
Any color
Black (DR8784001)
101white/metallic silver-black (DR8784101)
Light Orewood Brown/Coral Chalk/Sesame (DR8784100)
Blue (DR8784400)
Black/Medium Soft Pink/White (DR8784003)
Grå (DR8784004)

Best budget Nike LeBron basketball shoes

What makes it the best?

Up to a certain extent, the LeBron Witness 7 is practically just the Nike LeBron 20 made less pricey and more suitable for outdoor use. From aspects that are truly important such as traction and cushioning down to matters that are only peripherally valuable such as looks, you can count on the LeBron Witness 7 to deliver.

Pros

  • Highly effective traction
  • Impressive impact protection
  • Optimum comfort
  • Breathable upper
  • Reliable heel lockdown
  • Good lateral stability
  • Great outdoor option
  • Fashionable design

Cons

  • Lacks court feel
  • Poor upper durability
  • No outriggers on the sole
Full review of Nike Lebron Witness 7

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Unisex
Any color
003 grey fog/cobblestone/laser blue/hyper pink (DM1123003)
White (DM1123100)
001 black/bright crimson/alligator/barely volt (DM1123001)
Purple (DM1123500)
Black (DM1123004)
Hyper Royal/Blue Lightning/White (DM1123400)
Bright crimson/arctic orange/magic ember/cave purple (DM1123600)
Black/University Gold-lilac (DM1123002)
More colors

Comparison of the 3 best Nike Lebron basketball shoes

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Best
CoreScore
Users rating
Experts
Best price
Ranking
Popularity
# of colorways

Are LeBron shoes right for you?

Signature shoes are designed to suit the very specific needs of the players that they are named after. Consequently, Nike LeBron shoes are perfect for you if you have LeBron James’s physical characteristics and playing style.

Player profile

Tall and huge, James is easily among the league’s most standout players:

Height

6’8”

Weight

250 lbs

Position Played

SF/PF/SG/PG

Playing style

In spite of his size, James is still quite flexible on the court. He assumes positions normally occupied by smaller players such as Stephen Curry. Yet, his playing style is much more aggressive, mowing down defenders rather than gliding through them. This requires much more brute force, and less of the shiftiness and agility common in smaller players.

The different Nike LeBron collections

James has at least three lines of Nike signature shoes available in the United States.

lebron-17-vs-lebron-18.jpg

Collection

Description

Key Characteristics

Nike LeBron

LeBron James’s main line; every release usually bears a new Nike technology

  • Heavy
  • Technologically up-to-date
  • Premium materials
  • Pricey

Nike LeBron Soldier

A line of LeBron shoes that focus on lockdown and support.

  • Heavy
  • Supportive
  • Usually with strap
  • Slightly cheaper than the Nike LeBrons

Nike LeBron Witness

This is LeBron James’s line of more affordable takedown models

  • Lighter
  • Cheaper than all other LeBron shoes

Styling with the best LeBron shoes

Nike LeBron basketball shoes are as pretty as they are high-performing. They are of use even when you are off the court.

Low, mid, or high? Pick what you want.

James is usually seen donning high-tops or mid-tops on the court. Even if he does not wear them in his games, Nike LeBrons are still available in low-top versions. In fact, some of his other shoes debuted as among the league’s most anticipated low-tops

Know your color

LeBron shoes are available in hundreds if not thousands of colorways. However, there are a few that regularly get referenced: 

Black History Month. James is known for his activism. His signature lines pay homage to the triumphs of people of color through the Black History Month (BHM) colorways. Shoes for Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and Paul George are also given the  BHM treatment.

St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. James regularly pays his respects to his alma mater through green SVSM iterations.

James’s current team. The NBA team that James plays for automatically gets a special colorway, which usually features that team’s characteristic hues.

lacing-lebron-18.jpg

LeBron shoes: Are they worth their price?

It’s no secret that the best LeBron shoes are also among the priciest basketball shoes in the market. They are up there with Michael Jordan’s sneakers

So that buyers get their money’s worth when they get LeBron’s shoes, Nike makes sure that it is equipped with highly advanced shoe technologies. Some of these techs are used only on LeBron sneakers.

Techs used only on LeBron basketball shoes

Battleknit

Innovated from Flyknit, Battleknit becomes increasingly stiff at the midfoot where stability is most needed. This is used in the LeBron 15.

Battleknit 2.0

For the LeBron 16, Battleknit gets an upgrade. Its tensile strength is increased to provide even more lateral support.

Knitposite

First used on the LeBron 17, Knitposite is basically Flyknit infused with heat-molded yarn that makes it more durable and supportive.

 

How we test basketball shoes

The best Nike Lebron basketball shoes are reviewed based on all the wear and lab tests we do. You can expect most of our top picks to be chosen based on the following methods:

  • Sneaker shopping using our own funds. We review each shoe by being factual only. No clowning around, no sponsorships.
  • Wear and playtesting. We wear the Nike Lebron basketball shoes for several days, or even weeks, in our games of basketball indoors and outdoors. We record every little detail that we feel and observe while in them.
  • Testing of the shoes in our private lab. We measure the various parameters of the shoes. One way to accurately fulfill this is by chopping up the shoes into pieces.
Author
Dimitrije Curcic
Dimitrije Curcic

Dimitrije Curcic has been playing basketball for over 22 years. Like Manu Ginobili, he’s a left-hander whose moves led him to a better career-shooting percentage than the Argentine himself. After playing professionally for 10 years, Dimitrije moved to coaching for two seasons before he became a basketball statistician for StatScore, and FanSided contributor for the San Antonio Spurs. Dimitrije loves to tell hoop stories through numbers and graphics and has been featured on Fansided, FiveThirtyEight, Eurohoops, and TalkBasket among the others.