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Your basketball shoes can be the difference between playing OK and playing great. The wrong footwear can lead to slips, heaviness, or even injury, while the best basketball shoes work with your play style to provide a balance of support, traction, and responsiveness.
At a Glance: The Best Basketball Shoes for Men
If your basketball shoes haven’t been delivering lately — or you’re just looking to up your game — read on. Below, we’ve rounded up some of the best basketball shoes for men to buy right now, including picks for different positions, foot shapes, and styles
In This Article
- The Best Basketball Shoes for Men in 2025
- Basketball Shoes Buying Guide
- How We Chose the Best Basketball Shoes
The Best Basketball Shoes for Men in 2025
Here are our picks for the best men’s basketball shoes of 2025. We created this list by hooping in dozens of shoes and having friends play in the same shoes to give their feedback. After reviewing shoes ourselves, we researched other users’ experiences and only selected shoes with good customer reviews that were in stock (as of writing) at trusted online retailers.
editor’s pick
Nike Lebron 21
Lebron James’ latest Nike sneaker — the Lebron 21 — is a tomahawk slam-dunk of a shoe, in our opinion. After a few weeks of testing, we found the shoes to be extremely lightweight and agile, lending themselves well to fast attacks on the rim and quick pull-up shots. Somehow, though, that lightness doesn’t mean sacrificing support or security. In fact, our feet actually felt better post-ball when we used the Lebrons compared to most other shoes. In short, we highly recommend these to just about everyone.
Runner-Up
Adidas AE 1
Another one of the best basketball shoes that we’ve used recently is the AE 1 from Adidas and Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards. We’ve only used them a couple of times but our initial impression is excellent. The AE 1 is one of the most grippy shoes we’ve played in, thanks to their wavy herringbone pattern outsole. The only possible turn-off for some might be the futuristic design, but we think it looks exciting next to most other basketball shoes (especially in this “Deep Blue” colorway).
Budget Pick
Skechers SKX Float
Skechers entered the basketball shoe game just last year, but they nailed it. Our favorite offering from the footwear giant is the SKX Float, a stable and fast shoe that works on all courts. Best of all, it’s a great value at $140.
Best for Centers/PF
Air Jordan 38
For centers and power forwards, these Air Jordan 38s are a good pick. They feature a supportive high ankle and a brand-new “X-Plate” in the midsole. Visible through a translucent outsole, this X-Plate helps lock the foot over the footbed during sharp movements. This comes in handy for quickly twisting to grab rebounds, faking, and spinning in the key.
Best Outdoor Shoe
Nike Cosmic Unity 3
Most of the best basketball shoes are designed for indoor use only, even though many of us often hoop outdoors. If you need a pair of kicks for the outdoor courts, grab these Cosmic Unity 3s from Nike. They boast a thick, durable outsole, but Nike has kept the weight to a minimum (15.7 ounces) despite all the protection. Cushioning is excellent too, holding up great during long weekend tournaments at the park.
Best for Wide Feet
Adidas Harden Vol. 7
Hoopers with wider feet sometimes feel restricted, or like they have to size up and deal with extra toe room. If you’ve faced this, consider these Harden Vol. 7s. After scouring the internet for suggestions and speaking to wide-footed friends, the shoes were a clear winner as the best basketball shoe for wide feet. Besides an accommodating fit for wide feet, the Harden 7s are a grippy, high-performance shoe all-around, and we like the futuristic look too.
Best for Arch Support
Nike KD16
Another common complaint from hoopers is a lack of arch support. If you’ve struggled with that, pick up these Nike KD16s. Designed to stay comfortable during long practice sessions for back-to-back pickup games, the Kevin Durant shoes feature a supportive sole and plush, balanced cushioning throughout. They’re slightly heavier with this added padding, but it’s a worthwhile trade-off for some.
Basketball Shoe Buying Guide
Not sure how to choose the right pair of basketball shoes? Here are a few things to consider while shopping.
Position: Poing and shooting guards typically want lighter, faster shoes that won’t lag behind when the player flies to the hoop or pulls up at the three. Centers and power forwards, on the other hand, often look for high-top shoes with extra support to aid fast, small direction changes (like faking). Of course, some shoes offer a blend of all the above (the Lebron 21s are like this), but it’s good to consider your play style and typical position before shopping.
Fit: Basketball shoes should be very snug, but you’ll also want to account for double socks (if you do that) and foot swelling during long sessions. Generally, there should be half an inch to an inch of space at the top of your shoes.
Style: There’s no shame in wanting to look good on the court; feeling confident is a great way to play better. Be sure to choose a shoe or a colorway that you’ll enjoy looking at when you lace up.
How We Chose the Best Basketball Shoes
We created this roundup by hooping in dozens of pairs of basketball shoes and making note of not only how they played in-game, but also how they wore in and how our feet felt the day after. After choosing our favorites, we poured over reviews from experts and real customers for comparison. Once we had our finalists, we made sure they were available (as of this writing) at trusted retailers, and had at least a 3.7/5-star average customer rating.
