7 Best Low Top Basketball Shoes in 2024

The Nike LeBron NXXT GEN easily rose above other low-tops performance-wise because of (1) the amazing lockdown that it provided, (2) its surprisingly lightweight structure, and (3) top-notch traction on both indoor and outdoor courts. It was easy to have the time of our lives while wearing this hoop shoe.

This LeBron shoe has a midfoot shank and responsive upper materials that helped keep our feet in place no matter how aggressive our movements were. There was never a moment when wobbliness became a source of concern for us. 

LeBron shoes have always been expected to be on the heavier side, but the NXXT GEN just changed that. Our in-lab scale measured its weight to be only 13.12 oz or 372g, making this low-top the lightest LeBron James basketball shoe to date. 

The grip of the Nike LeBron NXXT GEN’s outsole was surely one for the books. We never had problems with whether we were playing on indoor or outdoor courts.

Our experience of stability would have been more complete had the midsole platform been a bit wider. Our calliper measured the midsole width at the forefoot to be only 107.9 mm when the average is 113.3 mm. The heel is also slightly narrower at 90.3 mm (ave is 91.1 mm).

Aggressive changes of directions and quick stops like backdoor cuts were a piece of cake for the Under Armour Curry 11. During our wear tests, this shoe offered incredibly good grip, and its design helped us feel safe and confident thanks to its supportiveness. Among the low-top basketball shoes, we've given the Curry 11 the crown in best traction.

An incredibly 29% softer than average outsole is the main character in this grippy play. Even though our calliper indicated this rubber piece is 8.5 mm thick, the 58.4 HC our durometer returned after the hardness test showed this shoe focuses on traction, and not so much on durability.

Still, the full-length shank it features under its midsole offers the stability needed for a safe ride, alongside a reworked upper with tougher rubber pieces that favour containment and structure.

The problem here is that such a soft rubber outsole won't survive the abrasion of hard courts. In our opinion, streetball is completely out of the equation!

After many hours on the court and in the lab, we can confidently say the LeBron 21 offers the best cushioning system we’ve ever tried in a low-top shoe. It stands at the top of our podium because of its Air Zoom and Zoom Turbo technologies, which complement each other perfectly. Its detailed design with lots of bounce, impact protection, and court feel is what makes it our best cushioned hooper!

At 26.6/22.4 mm, our calliper indicated its stack height is lower than average. But that’s not what it felt like for our feet during our wear tests, so we took it to our lab and cut it in half. This shoe features the Zoom Turbo and Zoom Air technologies in its midsole. We felt it when we went for powerful dribbles and explosive moves (powerful toe-offs of the Zoom Turbo), and when we landed after going for a rebound (as the Zoom Air absorbed the impact).

As the LeBron 21 was now cut in half, we observed its midsole is made of Cushlon, which is a generic foam that focuses on support and cushion equally. In our wear tests, we found it to be pretty bouncy, which favoured our quick footwork. The best part is that it’s also stable, which led us to land confidently no matter which move we went for.

The best part of the LeBron 21’s cushioning is the hand-in-hand work of Nike’s technologies. Nevertheless, it’s a pretty pricey model, which might be tough if you're on a budget.

As a low-top, the Zoom Freak 4 never felt flimsy or lacking in support. On the contrary, it had an effectively stiff heel counter and a comfortably supportive structure overall. In addition to this, it has more cushioning material and a harder outsole, making it resistant to bottoming out. And it delivered all of these benefits without stacking on more weight. It’s only 12.3 oz (348g) when the average is 13.7 oz (387g). Hence, the Nike Zoom Freak 4 is the best lightweight pick among all the low-top hoop shoes we tried.

Support was never a problem because of the stiff heel counter, fully gusseted tongue, and considerably resistant overall structure. We gave the heel counter a 4 out of 5 for stiffness after it gave us a fairly hard time when we manually squeezed it in the lab. Our digital force gauge showed that this shoe only bent at 90 degrees when 54.0N of force was applied, a strong indicator of how inflexible this shoe is. For context, a typical shoe already bends at the same angle with only 41.9N.

Calliper measurements revealed that the stack heights of the heel and forefoot are 32.7 mm and 24.4 mm respectively. This means that the tooling is 3.7 mm and 2.6 mm thicker than average. We also learned that this foam is well protected by an outsole rubber that has a hardness score of 84.5 while the average is 80.3 according to our HC durometer, which means that the Freak 4's rubber is harder.

It’s just too bad that this basketball shoe cannot accommodate wide-footers. At its widest point, the toe box is only 97.6 mm wide which makes it narrower than the average shoe whose width is 99.9 mm.

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!

Our lab and wear tests collected enough evidence for us to give the Jordan Luka 3 the title of the low-top hooper with the best stability. Its well-structured upper, solid design and IsoPlate offered us wonderful foot containment in every move during our games.

In our lab, this shoe got the highest score (5/5) on both our torsional rigidity and heel counter stiffness tests, which means our fingers lost their battle trying to twist it. On foot, this felt like a protective armour that wouldn’t let our ankle overextend itself.

When we measured this Jordan’s stack height with our calliper, it returned 27.0/20.9 mm in the heel and in the forefoot respectively. This is lower than average, which indicates the Luka 3 stands closer to the court than other hoopers. During our games, this meant great stability, and we regained balance faster after jumping for a layup or fighting in the air for a complicated rebound.

Despite its armour-like structure, when we tried this shoe on it felt kind of cheap. It’s not a budget pair, so we understand this might be a breaking point for some hoopers looking for the best.

As a low-top, the amount of support that the Nike Ja 1 delivered is quite impressive. We loved how it felt secure without being too restrictive. We also appreciated its outstanding durability and noteworthy lightness. Because of all these, we deem it as the pick that offers the best value among all low-tops. It’s a huge bonus that it’s only £110 when the average is £140.

Much of the lockdown that the Ja 1 gave came from its well structured sidewalls and heel counter. The heel counter, in particular, got a 4 out of 5 from us after we gave it a very nice squeeze in the lab.

We tested for durability through Dremel drilling through shoe materials. Both the toebox and the heel padding got perfect 5s because they truly held their own even in the face of immense pressure and abrasion. We are now so confident that this shoe will last long.

The weight of this shoe is also worth noting. At only 12.73 ounces or 361 grammes, the Nike Ja 1 is a lot lighter than the 14.22 oz or 403g average.  On court, this meant less effortful and speedier runs.

It’s just a huge bummer that the wide-footers among us couldn’t enjoy this shoe as much as they wanted. The shoe just tapers so much toward the big toe. At that point, our calliper measured it to be only 75.6 mm wide when the average is 76.8 mm.