6 Best Mid Top Basketball Shoes in 2024

The Jordan XXXVIII is a wonderful performer thanks to its balanced features. It offers wonderful stability, traction, impact protection, durability, and even breathability. Such fantastic results in our lab and wear tests have given it the title of the best overall mid-top basketball shoe we’ve ever reviewed here, in RunRepeat.

Its snug enveloping structure hugged our ankles comfortably. We enjoyed its supportive nature during our playtests, as we felt surefooted even during aggressive layups or forced landings. This was thanks to the outrigger on the lateral side of the forefoot. When we measured the midsole’s width at this point with our calliper it returned 115.6 mm, which is slightly wider than average. The wider the midsole, the more stable the shoe.

But that's not all. These Jordans also scored a 5/5 in our heel counter stiffness and torsional rigidity test, which means their structure is pretty solid. Our Dremel agreed when it couldn’t even scratch its upper and heel counter, as the shoe earned a 5/5 and 4/5 in durability respectively.

The best part is that this didn’t add any extra weight, as this AJ felt nimble on our playtests. Additionally, its cushioning technologies gave it some extra bounce (Cushlon 3.0) and comfort (Zoom Air Strobel), so moving fast around the court and jumping was even easier.

The major drawback here is that streetball destroys the AJ XXXVIII. The wonderful grip it has disappears as soon as the abrasive materials of outdoor courts start wearing out the outsole.

Among all the mid-tops in our records, the Zion 2 is the indisputable standout when it comes to ankle support. The collar and the heel counter excellently worked together to keep the rear part of our feet securely in its place. Aside from this, we also enjoyed a really consistent bite on different court types, and this was further complemented by the tremendous amount of ground feedback that we got while wearing this shoe.

The thick collar did wonders in keeping our ankle comfortable and well-supported. No matter the angle of our positions, we never had to worry that the rear part of the shoe would just give in. Of course, the sturdy heel counter also had a significant role to play. After all, the heel counter got a 5 out of 5 in terms of stiffness when we squeezed and twisted it as part of our assessments in the lab. 

The traction that this shoe had during our test games didn’t leave much to be desired. Its bite on the court surface was just as consistent as it could get. We did sidesteps, stepbacks, quick direction changes, and sudden twists to trick our opponents, and it never failed to give us the bite that we needed.

Using a calliper, we learned that the cushioning right under the heel and forefoot are 1.9 mm and 2.7 mm thinner than average. Even the insole is 1 mm thinner than the typical ones used in many basketball shoes. Because of this setup, we were able to enjoy a lot of court feel, which in turn afforded us more control over our fine movements.

What we didn’t like about the whole Zion 2 experience was its weight. At 15.2 ounces or 431 grammes, this shoe just adds so much to the average 13.7 ounces or 387 grammes. If you want to feel light on your feet, we believe this shoe is definitely not for you.

Among all the mid-top basketball shoes that we tried, it’s the Dame 8 from Adidas that made such a lasting impression when it comes to comfort. It is because of this shoe’s remarkable impact protection and dependable twist resistance. We are also in awe of its amazingly wide platform, which helped us attain and maintain stability all throughout our games.

Our lab HA durometer confirmed the softness that we enjoyed the moment we put this shoe on. Compared to the average midsole which has a rating of 26.6, the Dame 8’s tooling is a lot softer at only 20.3. 

Torsional resistance was also one thing that we were especially thankful for. We never had to worry about painful foot twists because of how stiff the base felt. In fact, after manually twisting it in the lab, this shoe got a 4 out of 5 for torsional rigidity.

At the forefoot, the platform is 5.7 mm wider than the average. At the heel, the Adidas Dame 8 added a staggering 8.0 mm! The additional surface area effectively contained splays and inevitable lateral displacements, ensuring high levels of stability from start to finish.

We just didn’t like it that this shoe cannot really get rid of heat. This shoe only got a 2 out of 5 in our breathability test after we saw that smoke couldn’t really pass through the upper material easily.

Among all the mid-tops that we tried, it’s the Cosmic Unity 3 from Nike that gave the most convincing performance outdoors. Aside from its effectively firm outsole, we were also floored by its perfectly durable toebox and immensely stiff midsole. 

Outdoor courts are not always the most well-kept. Yet, we never felt any debris even when we stepped on them because of how firm the outsole was. In the lab, our HC durometer gave it a rating of 86.5 when the average is only 81.5. 

The durability of the toebox is surely a highlight of the Nike Cosmic Unity 3. Even twelve seconds of high-pressure drilling couldn’t leave a significant mark on the materia, prompting us to score it a perfect 5 for abrasion resistance.

A lot of us played as guards, and we appreciated so much the stiffness that the midsole delivered. It allowed us to gain more control over our movements. Using an HA durometer, we pegged its hardness at 33.3 when the average is only 26.6.

We cannot recommend this shoe to players who want a well-padded tongue. Our calliper measured the tongue padding to be only 4.9 mm thick, making it much thinner than the 9.4 mm average.

When it comes to breathability, it’s the LeBron Witness 7 from Nike that shone the brightest among all the mid-tops that we have played in. Besides good ventilation, this shoe also delivered a good deal of rearfoot support and torsional rigidity, making us more confident with our steps. 

In our lab, we do breathability tests by pumping smoke into a shoe and see if its upper material allows the smoke to escape easily. With the Witness 7, we saw that the smoke rose without much resistance, so we gave it a score of 4 out of 5 for breathability.

Much of the lockdown that we experienced around the rearfoot came from the pretty stiff and supportive heel counter. After giving it a good squeeze in the lab, we gave the heel counter a solid 4 out of 5 for stiffness. 

Twists are painful and annoying, so any player understandably wants to steer clear from it. Good thing that the base of this shoe was pretty rigid and stable we didn’t even have to think about twisting our feet. After twisting it manually in the lab, this shoe got a perfect 5 for its outstanding torsional rigidity.

We just have to point out here that the Nike LeBron Witness 7 is not really the most durable shoe. Twelve seconds of Dremel drilling already poked a hole in it, and it pushed us to rate it a 1 out of 5 for toebox durability.

Sold for only £70 per pair, the Under Armour Lockdown 6 is definitely among the most affordable kicks out there. Fortunately, the fact that it’s a lot cheaper than the £140 average is not the only good thing about this shoe. We also fell in love with its durability, lightness, and sufficient impact protection.

We felt the sturdiness of the upper just by touching it. We were glad when our Dremel tests in the lab gave us a convincing confirmation. Both the toebox and the heel counter padding showed significant abrasion resistance, both garnering a pretty high rating of 4 out of 5. 

Compared to the average hoop shoe that weighs 14.22 ounces or 403 grammes, this shoe is indeed lighter at only 13.09 ounces or 371 grammes. The 1.13 oz weight difference already allowed us to speed up with much more ease.

While the heel stack is actually 1.0 mm thinner than average, we did not feel any issue with impact protection. On the contrary, we felt sufficient cushioning during harsh movements. We did not suffer from pain or even discomfort.

If there is an aspect that needs improvement, it would be this shoe’s width. Our calliper measured the footbed to be only 95.9 mm wide at its widest, making it a lot narrower than the 101.0 mm average. Wide-footers should stay away at all costs.