7 Best Basketball Shoes For Women in 2023

Dimitrije Curcic
Dimitrije Curcic on
7 Best Basketball Shoes For Women in 2023
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Women enjoy basketball as much as men do. Hence, they deserve shoes that not only make them feel safe but also well supported during the games. 

Most if not all basketball shoes for men are also available in women’s sizing. Hence, choosing the most suitable basketball shoes for women is mind boggling. In fact, there are around 160 options available in our network alone. 

To help you ladies make the right choice, we took it upon ourselves to test all basketball shoes that we can get our hands on. We lay out our top picks below.

How we test basketball shoes

To ensure the reliability of our assessments, we make sure of the following:

  • Use the shoe in actual games. 

We think that mere train tests are not enough. There are moves that only real action can bring out.

  • Buy the shoes that we test using our own money. 

Sponsors are always welcome, don’t get us wrong. But when it comes to reviews, we always politely decline. We don’t want our assessment to be colored by even a tinge of gratitude.

For those who love numbers, we come up with a CoreScore for each shoe. This figure is based on the ratings given by experts, regular players, and hobbyists in and out of RunRepeat. Of course, the higher the expertise, the greater the weight given to their ratings.

Best basketball shoes overall

Nike Lebron 20
95
Superb!

What makes it the best?

The LeBron 20 definitely looks much more toned down, so it is visually different from the previous Nike LeBrons; yet, players note that its performance is as big as ever. It serves the need of not only players who want a lot of impact protection but also athletes who want to be agile on the court. It's already a bonus that this shoe has the looks for off-the-court action.

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

Today's best price

Unisex
Any color
White/metallic gold/black/univ (DJ5423100)
Orange (DJ5423800)
901 olive/brown-white (DV1193901)
Red (DV1193600)
Light silver/hyper royal-lemon chiffon-safety orange (DJ5423002)
Black/university red/universit (DJ5423001)
Green (FJ4955300)
Multi-color/Multi-color (DR8784900)
More colors

Mid top basketball shoes for women with best support

Jordan Zion 2
91
Superb!

What makes it the best?

Zion Williamson is a really big and powerful player, and his second signature shoe is built for players like him. Its design and overall structure contain so much force and high levels of aggression on the court. It's all about powerful cuts, forceful offenses, and determined sprints to the basket. It's as if the Jordan Zion 2 is saying: "give it your all or not play at all!"

Pros

  • Strong side-to-side grip
  • Tremendous support
  • Very pronounced court feel
  • Reliable energy return
  • True-to-size fit
  • Breathable
  • Good for bigger men
  • OK for outdoors
  • Casual style

Cons

  • Dust-prone outsole
  • Lacks impact protection
  • Seriously needs breaking in
Full review of Jordan Zion 2

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Men
Women
Any color
Fossil/sail-team gold (DO8990217)
Black (DO9073410)
Black (DO9161060)
Black/Metallic Gold (DQ7688001)
Green (DO9161367)

Basketball shoes for women with best cushioning

Nike KD 15
94
Superb!

What makes it the best?

The releases from the KD line are hits, and the Nike KD 15 is not an exemption. This basketball shoe energizes every step without forgetting to protect the feet from impact upon aggressive strikes and hard landings. Dust is also not going to be a problem, and the grip is indeed consistent even on unkempt floors. Its collar is not as high, but the curved structure of the heel locks in the foot extra securely. It's apparent that a lot of careful thought was poured into the design process of this Nike offer.

Pros

  • Consistent grip on different surfaces
  • Dust-resistant outsole
  • Plush and protective foam
  • Bouncy midsole
  • Secure heel counter
  • Well-ventilated upper
  • Feels light
  • OK for outdoors

Cons

  • Not for wide-footers
  • Lacks flexiblity
Full review of Nike KD 15

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Men
Women
Any color
Black/University Red (DC1975003)
Midnight Navy/Midnight Navy/White (DO9826400)
White/White/Black (DO9826100)
White/white/black (DO9826002)
Light orewood brown/metallic g (DV1199100)

Best basketball shoes for women for wide feet

Adidas Dame 8
90
Superb!

What makes it the best?

The Adidas Dame 8 is another shoe from the Damian Lillard series that delivers on aspects that matter. It is supportive, bouncy, light, and offers a decent amount of court feel. However, it has serious issues with traction on dusty courts, which some players may consider as a deal-breaker.

Pros

  • Good traction on clean courts
  • Impact protection in the heel
  • Forefoot responsiveness
  • Secure lockdown
  • Comfortable in-shoe feel
  • Side-to-side stability
  • Wide-foot friendly
  • Okay for outdoor courts

Cons

  • Dust magnet
  • Fiddly heel lining
Full review of Adidas Dame 8

Today's best price

Unisex
Any color
Black/Maroon/Gold (GW1816)
Matama Purglo Versen (GY0383)
Core Black/Team Yellow/Vivid Red (HR1562)
signal cyan/silver metallic/shock cyan (GY6465)
White/Black/Grey (GY6462)
Black/White/Grey (GY6461)
White/Black/Red (GY0384)
Black (GZ4626)
More colors

Best low top basketball shoes for women

Nike Zoom Freak 4
91
Superb!

What makes it the best?

The Nike Zoom Freak 4 is a worthy follow-up to the Freak 3s because of the noticeable improvement that it brings. It brings out the best in players who do a lot of rebounds and fast runs to the basket because of the high levels of energy that it returns with every step. It's pretty safe to say that this basketball shoe from Nike is worth every penny spent on it.

Pros

  • Noticeable upgrades
  • Amazing grip on indoor courts
  • Dust-resistant outsole
  • Smooth steps
  • Pretty good court feel
  • Dependable impact protection
  • Jump-improving bounce
  • Reliably supportive structure
  • True-to-size fit

Cons

  • Not ideal for outdoors (but OK)
  • Not for bigger players and wide footers
  • Cheap-feeling materials
Full review of Nike Zoom Freak 4

Today's best price

Unisex
Any color
Grey (DO9679001)
White (DO9679100)
Black/Black/White (DO9679002)
600 university red/white (DO9679600)
Game Royal/White-game Royal (DO9679401)
Midnite Navy/White (DO9679400)
Ironstone/Cobblestone/Sail/Orange Trance (DJ6149003)
White (DJ6149100)
More colors

Best value basketball shoes for women

What makes it the best?

The Nike Giannis Immortality 2 is a pleasant surprise for players who are fast and quite shifty on the basketball court. Many say that the whole design of the shoe is all about speed and control. It's good that many are going to experience the goodness that this signature shoe offers because of its fairly affordable price.

Pros

  • Really good traction
  • Quick-feeling cushioning setup
  • Smooth heel-to-toe transitions
  • Very lightweight structure
  • True-to-size fit
  • Upper offers next-to-skin comfort
  • Good for outdoor use
  • Affordable

Cons

  • Not enough impact protection
  • Dust-prone outsole
  • A bit unstable
Full review of Nike Giannis Immortality 2

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Men
Women
Any color
Blue (DM0825400)
003 cobblestone/ironstone/magic ember/black (DM0825003)
White/Green (DM0825300)
Black/University Red/Wolf Grey (DM0825005)
White (DM0825103)

Comparison of the 7 best basketball shoes for women

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