A lot of people choose their basketball shoes by brand. When talking about performance kicks, you will often hear things like “I’m a Nike person” or “I only rock J’s”, and even when there are better performance options out there, people will still stick to their brand.
In this sense, there’s still a lot of brand loyalty when it comes to basketball shoes. If a certain brand has served you well in the past, there’s a high probability that you will stick to that brand when choosing a sneaker to play in. Hell, I’ve even seen players that refuse to play with socks from a different brand than their sneakers.
And it is logical in a sense. Brands have proprietary features that might be similar to another brand, but they will never be exactly the same. Bounce (Adidas) might be similar to React (Nike) in some cases, but if Bounce is your favorite cushioning system, adidas is the only place you will find it.
And then there are the sizing issues. Brands use different lasts when building their shoes so no two brands will fit the same. When you find a brand that fits your foot perfectly, there is a large chance you are going to stick with that brand. This is even more of an issue if you have flat feet or wide feet.
Whatever the case may be, if you’re looking for the best basketball shoe of a particular brand, you are in the right place. We test hundreds of pairs each year from all types of brands, from the big players all the way down to boutique brands. So, with all this being said, let’s get to all the best basketball shoes by brand that are currently available:
Last update 09.25.2023
Best Basketball Shoes By Brand Show
Best Basketball Shoes By Brand
Nike
Nike LeBron 20
The Nike LeBron 20 was one of the most hyped LeBron James basketball shoes of all time. The LeBron 20 offers elite traction and some of the year’s best cushioning. The midsole is full-length Cushlon with a forefoot Zoom Turbo unit and an additional standard heel Zoom Air unit in the heel. The upper is lightweight and comfortable as well, and if all this werent enough, it is the best fitting shoe of the year. Read the full review. Price: $200
Jordan Brand
Jordan 38
This year’s Jordan Flagship model is a beast and a big improvement on the Jordan 37. The Jordan 38 is lightweight and nimble, with tons of ventilation, a great no-nonsense traction setup (which in this colorway is etched into a translucent rubber sole), and a very well-balanced layered cushioning system. This cushioning system combines a Phylon midsole, a full-length Zoom Air Strobel, and a slab of Cushlon 3.0 nestled between the outsole and the midsole. The shoe retails for $200 which is steep but the Jordan 38 will be one of the best shoes of the year. Price: $200. Read the full review.
Way of Wade
Way of Wade 10
The Li-Ning Way of Wade 10 is as tech-heavy as it gets in a signature shoe from any brand. And what’s great is that Li-Ning provides you with a breakdown of everything in the package. For support, they have a full-length carbon fiber torsional plate that also acts as a spring plate. The cushion is also beefed up with the brand’s BOOM cushion. These are one heck of a shoe to play in. If you’re a fan of DWade or want to try non-mainstream shoes, this sneaker is for you. See the full review. Price: $225-240
Puma
Puma Stewie 2
The Puma Stewie 2 is Bianna Stewarts’ second signature, and simply put it is just a great all-around performance model (possibly the best of the 2023/24 sneaker season). The shoe boasts excellent indoor traction, a very well-balanced and bouncy cushioning system, and a very secure and natural falling build, making it easily Puma’s best-performance model right now. KEEP IN MIND that in the US the Stewie 2 comes in woman’s sizes, so if you want the correct men’s size you will need to go 1.5 sizes up (ie: 12M = 13.5W). Read the full review. Price: $125
Adidas
adidas Harden Vol 7
The adidas Harden Vol 7 looks weird but feels great on foot. It is one of those shoes that definitely has that “wow” factor since the first time you lace them up. The Harden Vol 7 has great traction that combines solid and translucent rubber and herringbone and radial traction patterns. You also get some really nice plush cushioning that combines Lightstrike in the forefoot and Boost in the heel. And it is the boost we all know and love. Finally! a plush adidas basketball shoe. Read full review. Price: $180
Under Armour
Curry 10
The Curry 10 is an improved version of an already great shoe, the Curry 9. Steph Curry’s signature line has been one of the most consistently great signature lines on the market, and the Curry 10 is another gem.
The shoe features Under Armour’s Flow cushioning/traction system. Flow offers great impact protection and a seamless ride from heel to toe. It feels almost like a running shoe that has been beefed up to be able to play basketball in them. The Curry 10 also features an improved and more supportive upper called Warp 2.0. Read full review. Price: $160
New Balance
New Balance TWO WXY V3
The New Balance TWO WXY V3, simply put, is one of the best basketball shoes of 2022-23. The traction is near erfect, as is the shoes fit. In terms of cushioning we have full lenght FuelCell, with ABSRB cushioning units in the forefoot and heel of the shoe. This set up is great, especially if you like a stable and reactive ride. Read full review. Price $120
Li-Ning
The Li-Ning Speed 8 is Fred Van Vleet’s signature shoe with Li-Ning, and a great, guard-specific basketball shoe. Withe the Speed 8 you get excellent traction, and a nice reactive cushioning set-up. This is a great option if you are looking to try a neew brand of hoop shoes and you are looking for a guard specific shoe. Read full review. Price: $135
Anta
Anta KT 8
The Anta KT 8 is the best from Anta and packed with technology that it’s kind of tough to break down one by one. The foam carrier is AFlash Edge, Anta’s comfortable proprietary foam compound. In the forefoot, we have a Pebax-based cushion system. The heel features their patented Smart SAM system. Even with this much in the midsole, the feeling is more muted than before, thus helping your ankle stay stable. The 3D-printed Flow spring plate also aids in this department. Read full review. Price: $160
Use promo code WEARTESTERS for a discount.
Brandblack
Brandblack Rare Metal 2
The Brandblack Rare Metal 2 is a deceptively great performance basketball shoe. It is very lightweight and very low cut but at the same time, it’s surprisingly supportive. The cushion is similarly deceptive and way more comfortable than you’d expect.
The shoe does take some time to break in, so take that into account, but when it does, you have a great on-court performer on your hands. The Rare Metal 2 also gets extra points for the unique design. Read full review. Price: $250
Serious Player Only
Serious Player Only Player 1
The Serious Player Only Player 1 is a brand new hoop shoe from a brand new sneaker brand. Serious Payer Only is a Chinese brand and their signature model, the Player 1, was designed taking inspiration from several different Kobe models. Getting your hands on a pair of Kobes is damn near impossible nowadays, and being able to enjoy a pair of basketball shoes that offer similar performance features at a reasonable price, is a great thing. Read full review. Price: $159
361º
361º Zen 3
The 361º Zen 3 isn’t technically Aaron Gordon’s signature but this shoe is attached to him. The Zen 3 features a thick slab of grippy rubber, with thick grooves, perfect for outdoor basketball.
The shoe also features a plush Quick Foam Lite, 361ºs proprietary foam, along the midsole. Quick Foam Lite is similar to Nike’s Cushlon, but better. On top of all that you get a ton of support from the TPU shank plate that runs the length of the shoe. Read full review. Price $80
Use promo code WEARTESTERS for a discount.
Converse
Converse All Star BB Prototype CX
The Converse All Star BB Prototype CX has a name too long to even regularly mention, but it does have some Converse tech that may get you excited. The midsole is full-length, comfortable CX foam with a standard forefoot Zoom Air unit. The foam wraps around the whole shoe acting as both support and durability-reinforcement features. We admit that the look of the shoe can be jarring, but performance outweighs aesthetic. Right? Read full review. Price $120.
AND 1
AND 1 Attack 2.0
Overall, the AND1 Attack 2.0 does everything the original did, but the materials are a lot nicer. The traction on these is amazing and everything else is top-notch. The shoe is an all-around great performer and it gets nostalgia points for coming from the most legendary streetball brand out there. Read full review. Price $130
K8IROS (Spencer Dinwiddie Brand)
K8IROS Mark II
Overall, the K8IROS Mark II was a pleasant surprise. We weren’t expecting much from such a young and independent brand, but it turns out the shoe is solid in every area and pretty beastly. It’s very reminiscent of another great shoe, the Dame 2, but better.
The cushion is solid. Traction is really solid. The fit might be a bit weird for some with the whole size-only offerings. And support is solid as well. Read the full review. Price: $130
Crossover Culture
Crossover Culture Menace
The Crossover Culture Menace is one of the year’s biggest sleepers, and probably the best shoe from a brand you didn’t know. The traction on this shoe is awesome and the materials are also great. The upper combines quality leather and a synthetic rip stop, proving that these two types of materials can coexist and offer top-notch performance. The cushion is foam-based and it’s more on the responsive side, so if you like that type of setup, you will love these. Read the full review. Price: $52.98 $115
