7 Best Low Top Basketball Shoes in 2024

If you had your eyes closed, with the incredible support the LeBron 22 offers, it would be hard to guess we're talking about a low-top hooper. Its solid structure protected our joints so well that we had to give it our number 1 as the best low-top basketball shoe overall.

With a perfect 5/5 on our torsional rigidity test, the LB 22 offered us really good lock-in and foothold. Its solid structure also scored a 4/5 on both our toebox and heel padding durability tests, which means it features high-quality materials from top to bottom. And we say bottom because its outsole only lost 0.7 mm of rubber during our Dremel test, which is way lower than average.

Apart from all this support and containment, this Nike pair features both a Zoom Air and a Zoom Turbo unit that offered us a responsive ride during our gametests. Paired with a softer Cushlon 2.0 foam (30.5 HA on our durometer), we enjoyed a highly energetic yet comfy ride.

Its insane traction levels paired up with all its supportive features to make us feel confident during our games. Nevertheless, the LeBron 22's materials focus so much on containment and support that they've forgotten about breathability.

Among all the low-top basketball shoes we've tested, the D.O.N. Issue 6 is still unbeatable regarding grip. But the best part is that this key feature works hand-in-hand with its solid materials and supportive structure, offering an incredibly safe ride. You guessed it: it's won our gold medal as the low-top hooper with the best traction!

Starting from the bottom, this Adidas features a pretty durable outsole that lost 0.9 mm of rubber on our Dremel test, which is less than average. We were really surprised, as our durometer returned a pretty soft 74.0 HC when we analysed the material. Nevertheless, this also explained why it bit every single court we played on: indoors, outdoors, clean, and even dusty ones!

Regarding its pattern, it features 2 main pivot points and 6 different areas with individual patterns that adapt to various basketball moves. This genius design made us feel more confident and safe, just like its solid structure. With both a 5/5 and a 4/5 on our torsional rigidity and heel counter stiffness tests (respectively), the surefootness was fantastic.

The main drawback here is that these tough materials require a break-in period. Any basketball lover looking for a shoe that's comfortable right out of the box should just pass.

It wasn't just the underfoot feel we got from playing in the TWO WXY V5 during our wear tests, but also all the secrets we found about its bottom in our lab that made us give it our gold medal as the low-top basketball shoe with the best cushioning.

For a start, we felt comfortable yet incredibly energised. Its 32.4/23.0 mm platform features two different types of foams. In the heel area, the Fresh Foam X focuses on impact protection, so it shielded our feet after jumping. At the forefoot, the responsive Fuel Cell offered us strong and bouncy take-offs. This setup worked wonders, making this NB pair incredibly versatile.

When we took it to our lab, our durometer marked 21.5 HA and 14.5 HA when we analysed both the Fresh Foam X and the Fuel Cell foam, respectively. Both results are way lower than average, which translated into a soft and comfortable ride. After cutting the shoe in half, we saw there was a shank at the midfoot, which explained why we also felt supported.

Nevertheless, if you love to feel the court under your feet when you play, it's best you skip this hooper. Its cushioning setup focuses on pop and protection, and it's definitely too tall!

During our games, the Dame 9 felt so supportive and safe that it was even hard to believe it features a low-top design. After hours of testing this shoe inside and outside our lab, we've decided it deserves the throne as the hooper with the best support among our low-top bbal models.

The very first thing we noticed when we put it on is that it features a bootie-like structure. It bear-hugged our feet, which worked hand in hand with the extra eyelet at the top and its solid structure. In fact, this Adidas pair scored a perfect 5/5 and a really high 4/5 on our torsional rigidity and heel counter stiffness tests, respectively. Its tough exteriors and high lateral walls acted like an armour for our feet, so they couldn't feel any safer!

The lockdown feel was just unbelievably good. We never felt like our ankles were going to lose control and/or overextend themselves. Why? Well, first of all, because of the 43.8N needed to bend this shoe to 90 degrees on our flex test, which make it pretty stiff. And secondly, thanks to its delightfully wide platform, as our calliper returned 120.1/93.0 mm when we measured its width at the forefoot and at the heel.

The only issue here is that all these solid materials come with a heavier weight. At 14.71 oz/417g, it's definitely not a lightweight hooper.

We spent many hours cutting, dissecting, and separating this shoe into pieces in our lab, as well as running up and down the court and playing games in it. Thanks to our data and experience, we can say the Giannis Freak 6 is the best lightweight hooper among the low-top basketball shoes we have tested so far.

When we put it on our scale, it returned 12.31 oz/349g, which is way lower than average. It felt fast and nimble when we played in it, yet its structure offered us great stability. In fact, it scored a 5/5 and a 4/5 on both our torsional rigidity and heel counter stiffness tests (respectively), which means the lock-in feel and containment are on point.

Even though it's not the tallest hooper out there (27.3/21.3 mm on the heel and forefoot, respectively), it features an energetic Zoom Air unit that adds some bounce to the ride. We enjoyed this energy safely, as we landed on a wider platform of 119.1 mm at the ball of the foot that, once again, didn’t really add any extra weight.

Even though the Giannis Freak 6 felt pretty nimble during our wear tests, constant use might wear its outsole down sooner than expected. Hoopers looking for a pair designed with durable rubber should check different alternatives.

Being the best at streetball is not an easy task, neither for players nor for their shoes! Nevertheless, the PUMA All Pro Nitro showed us it deserves the title of the best low-top hooper to play outdoors. Its supportive yet flexible materials protected our feet, and the impact protection of its cushioning helped us land on the harsh surface safely.

Starting from the bottom, its rubber outsole offered better-than-average durability, which was paired up with a very soft midsole that helped us land nicely and free from any pain. Our durometer confirmed it when it returned 22.0 HA in our lab.

We perform our wear tests on indoor and outdoor courts. And this PUMA bit all of them as if its life depended on it! We played confidently thanks to this and its tough upper materials. Its structure scored an unbeatable 5/5 on our heel counter stiffness and torsional rigidity tests. So, lockdown and containment are a given!

But please, bear in mind that as the All Pro Nitro focuses on protecting you from the harsh landings of outdoor courts, its court feel is not the best!

If we didn't buy every single shoe we test, we would've never guessed the Giannis Immortality 4 is a budget hooper. Its affordability and versatility make it a wonderful option for a wide public, so we have decided it deserves our number 1 as the best economic pair among the low-top basketball shoes.

During our games, we felt really stable thanks to its spacious midsole and sole flares. At 124.5/97.3 mm (heel and forefoot respectively), this Nike pair is way wider than average, which translated into safe and easy landings when we jumped. Its solid structure also offered great support, as its upper materials scored two insanely high 5/5 on our torsional rigidity and heel counter stiffness tests. Foot containment and lock-in were just on point.

The best part is that all those structural features don’t make the shoe heavy. In fact, we felt it was pretty speedy on foot, and our scale confirmed it when it returned 12.56 oz/356g, which is fairly lower than average. Moving on with our lab tests, we cut this hooper in half and found a midfoot shank! This was great news, as many more expensive shoes don't feature this supportive detail.

Despite its versatile and positionless design, we believe heavy players or big centres would be better off with a shoe that offers some extra impact protection.