We thoroughly enjoyed a consistent grip in a good number of games. It has a noteworthy bite on different types of court surfaces. What we experienced during our test games was better than just stopping on a dime. This is just how good this shoe is! The breathability of the Nike LeBron Witness 7 was truly noteworthy. It made our steps a lot lighter, easier, and comfortable. Besides providing a lot of ventilation, this basketball shoe also offered a lot of impact protection, keeping us pain-free all throughout the games. The durability of its outsole made it suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. It is for these reasons that we hail this shoe as the most comfortable in Nike’s arsenal.

Among all the shoes in Nike’s arsenal, it’s the Nike KD 15 that brings the most promise when it comes to traction, which we experienced as consistent on both indoor and outdoor courts. We also appreciated this KD shoe’s close-to-the-ground construction and excellent torsional rigidity.

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The basketball shoe industry is largely driven by the NBA. As such, brands rarely release shoes that are deliberately for outdoor hooping. Looking for your next go-to court shoes to take your game to new heights? You’ve come to the right place. At Under Armour, we cram our basketball shoes full of the latest innovations to give you unbeatable bounce, speed and support.

During our playtests, stopping on a dime was never a problem. Even if this shoe doesn’t really have a real outsole, it is still able to provide multidirectional coverage, and boy was the bite strong and dependable! Basketball positions allow us to predict what movements a player most likely does during the game. Basketball shoes should correspond to the needs of the wearer’s playing position. We measured the hardness of the outsole using an HC durometer, and we learned that the outsole of the Air Max Impact 4 is considerably harder than the average, 87.5 vs. 80.3. This explained why the shoe works wonders outdoors. In the first half of 2020, LeBron James’s LeBron 17 and Chris Paul’s CP3 12 from Jordan are among the basketball shoes voted to be the best for wide-foot players. Despite being thinner, the midsole still proved to be slightly softer. Our HA durometer in the lab gave it a rating of 25.5 when the average is 26.6. On the court, this much softness gave us just the right amount of impact protection.

TAKE YOUR GAME TO NEW HEIGHTS

Small forwards, point guards, and shooting guards are more aggressive with their movements. Smaller and more agile, they are pretty mobile and more physically engaged with their opponents. Kyrie Irving and Stephen Curry are great examples.

Suspension-cables-like wires on both sides, cradling the foot and holding it securely in place especially during motion When it comes to cushioning, the LeBron 20 stands out because it offered an effective blend of impact protection and ground feel, which is further enhanced by its 4.4 mm drop. In addition, this shoe also delivered protection from twists through its pretty firm and stable base. The heel counter got a score of 4 out of 5 for firmness. We gave this rating after it showed considerable resistance when we squeezed and twisted it manually in the lab. Our feet loved this heel support! To the touch, the rubber outsole of this shoe indeed felt quite resistant to abrasion. Readings from our HC durometer confirmed our initial observation. While the average sole hardness score is only 81.5, the Nike Giannis Immortality 2’s outsole got as high as 85.8.To know more about the general steps to consider when buying basketball shoes, read our detailed buying guide. Indoor or outdoor? The sturdiness test When it comes to traction, the Nike Cosmic Unity 3 is an awe-inspiring beast. Aside from being consistent on both indoor and outdoor courts, we were amazed by how resistant it was to dust. The sole gripped the floors so well, even if we did not wipe it much. The price of older models are deliberately brought down in clearance sales. Remember, the presence of a newer option does not automatically make older models less effective. They still have the technologies that make them desirable. What made the experience better was the firmness of the tooling. Using our HA durometer, we learned that it is on the firmer side with a rating of 33.3 when the average is only 26.6. Aside from enhancing ground feel, the firm midsole also ensured stability.

Nike dominates the basketball market definitely not by chance. It offers a good deal of innovations that help with performance on the hard court. Low or high, know what you want. High-top basketball sneakers are espoused by players like LeBron James. Low-top basketball shoes are worn by many of Nike’s NBA stars, the most prominent of which being Kobe Bryant. Wanting one collar length over the other is just a matter of preference. Apart from technologies, other factors play important roles in ensuring your enjoyment of Nike basketball shoes Playing style Aside from pampering our feet with its comfortable softness, it also gave us a lot of energy return. As a result, we were quite explosive as we ran past our opponents, and our jumps during rebounds and dunks were aptly energized as well.According to Basketball Reference, Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James are versatile players who can handle almost all playing positions. We can expect their shoes to be as flexible as they are. Style and aesthetics When we used an HC durometer to measure the outsole rubber’s hardness, the device showed 84.5, which is slightly higher than the average (81.5). We never had issues playing outdoors while wearing the LeBron NXXT GEN from Nike.