Best Low Top Basketball Shoes

What are the Top Low Cut Sneakers for Basketball?

As a basketball player, you already know that you can’t just go picking any type of shoes for on-court playing. Therefore, this post is probably not meant for you.

However, if you are a promising baller who is not yet acquainted with the sport’s basics, welcome! Now we will do a quick recap from our previous articles and help you get rolling with your flashy shoes.

Suffice it to say that there are three main types of basketball shoes, which are low tops, mid tops, and high tops. However, this article will be exclusively dedicated to finding the best low tops.

Just as the name suggests, by low tops we mean that the shoes just sit right below your ankle. It therefore naturally follows that your ankle will not be receiving any support or protection from the shoes.

Now if you are always sustaining ankle injuries, this might not be your knight in shining armors. Yet still, it forms right about the perfect choice if you are playing as a guard while in the court.

Why is this the case? Low tops do not restrict your movement and as such you are in full control of your motion. So the good news is you can remain agile and nimble, attaining optimum performance.

There are so many renowned brands (talk of Jordan, Kobe Mambas, Nike, Adidas, Puma, Converse, and many others) available. Getting to settle for one may not be a walk in the park.

Therefore, we have done a review and come up with the best low tops likely to serve you. Check out below to know our top picks.

① Nike Lebron XIV- TOP PICK
② Nike Kyrie 2
③ Adidas Harden 2
④ Adidas Marquee Boost
⑤ Jordan Zoom Tenacity

1.Nike Lebron XIV

The highly reputed Nike Lebron is made from a combination of some leather and fabric. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about their quality or longevity as the shoes will serve you for a long while.

With an Amazon rating of 4.5 stars, the shoes come in different colors and to suit your preference. The low tops have a price that ranges from between 79 and 225 US dollars, and may therefore be a bit costly.

According to customer reviews, the shoes are very comfortable and offer nice foot support. This is especially the case when it comes to offering cushion from impact to your knees.

Furthermore, the shoes feature a nice rubber sole which offers a good grip. These rubber outsoles also have a nice tread pattern which enhances traction and ensures that you have enough stability when moving.

On the downside, however, customers did not seem to like the fit offered by the shoes. A number reported that the normal size of the shoes seems to be too narrow, pinching the toe and making them very uncomfortable.

As such, you should consider buying a size bigger if you want to give them a try.

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2.Nike Kyrie 2

Coming at a price of between 92 and 201 US dollars, this model of Nike shoes has been specially designed to ensure that you attain the optimum performance while in the court.

For starters, the shoes have been fitted with a padded collar to ensure that your area below the ankles remains comfortable. You won’t have to worry about getting rashes because the collar is holding on to your foot tightly.

Is there any locking mechanism provided by the shoes? Of course yes. Thanks to their lacing system and their mid-foot cage system, your feet remain locked in and this enhances your stability.

Furthermore, the brand features an outsole that is curved and integrated with an aggressive tread pattern for maximum traction. This ensures you have the grip that you need for on-court training.

Let’s talk about the Nike Zoom Air technology that is used to design the shoe heel. This technology ensures that the shoe cushions your feet and that it ultimately improves your speed and agility in the court.

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3.Adidas Harden 2

This brand of Adidas has been designed from synthetic fabric material and comes in a variety of colors, giving you the freedom of choice. Their Amazon price tag ranges between 46 and 129 US dollars.

As far as the rubber sole is concerned, it has been specially tailored with various cushioning and support features to bring the best out of you. The sole is made out of rubber for maximum traction and grip.

Likewise, the bounce midsole has been meticulously designed to cushion your feet by absorbing any impact that may result from a quick and unexpected change in direction or even a super intense cut.

There would be no better option for you other than a pair that gives you the maximum stability and support that you need to keep moving.

The synthetic fabric and the circular knit upper part also improves the breathability of the shoes thereby keeping you dry and comfortable for long durations. The fabric can absorb all moisture that accumulates over time.

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4.Adidas Marquee Boost

Marquee Boost is the best option for a person who is working on a budget, yet wants shoes that can offer the best features. Just so you know, the shoes go for as low as 47 dollars on Amazon, the highest price rating being 157 dollars.

The shoes have up to 8 different varieties of colors you can choose from, all looking flashy and fancy. You can never go wrong with your fit as they are true to size and comfortable.

The textile upper part of the shoes is made from an air mesh material which improves the breathability of the shoes. Further, the heel collar has enough padding to increase comfort.

The importance an outsole plays in determining the quality of basketball shoes cannot be overstated. First things first, the sole has been made from herringbone rubber which increases the grip of the shoes.

Besides, the boost soles offer incredible cushioning to your feet and guarantee ultimate energy return. The heel lining has pronounced ridges that give your feet maximum lockdown.

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5.Jordan Zoom Tenacity

This is our top pick from the Michael Jordan low-tops signature sneakers collection. As always, you can never go wrong with a Jordan shoe. At just a price of 120 US dollars, you get quick delivery of these classy sneakers.

They have been carved from a synthetic material and come in an attractive white and blue color combo. The material is light and as expected, does not weigh down on your feet while you are in the court.

These Jordan shoes also feature a breathable textile upper which ensures there’s efficient circulation of air to your feet thus keeping them dry. If you have sweaty feet, this is your perfect choice.

Furthermore, the brand features a Zoom Air Technology. The technology utilizes tightly stretched tensile fibers which maximizes the responsiveness of the Air unit, giving maximum cushioning to your feet.

The shoes also boast of a durable rubber sole that increases the traction and grip of the shoes giving you the maximum stability.

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Settling for your pair of low top basketball shoes; what to do

We cannot promise you that finding the right low top shoes for your basketball games and training will be an easy task. 

Remember that we already have numerous brands of basketball shoes already existing, yet others are being released each year and the former ones are being upgraded each day. Therefore, it requires that you put in a lot of effort to settle for one.

Well, it might take you hours, days, or even weeks. Below, we have outlined some of the factors that you might take into account to make the work easier.

Customer reviews

This is one of the leading ways to evaluate whether a shoe is perfect for you or not. Usually, there are some aspects of a shoe that you cannot tell by simply looking at the shoe.

Such includes the fit of the shoe, especially if you are doing an online purchase. You cannot just take the words of the manufacturer for it. In some cases, their marketers might use click bait language to get you to their page.

Therefore you end up spending much more money returning the product when you find that it does not match the specifications you wanted. 

To avoid the hustle, go through the customer reviews. As they say, ‘the customer is always right’. 

Durability 

Usually, all shoes are bound to experience some wear and tear after intense use. But this usually takes some time and entirely depends on how well the shoe has been designed, or the material that has been used to design the shoe.

Usually, leather materials tend to last a little longer than other fabric materials. However, be sure that you are buying shoes made from original leather and not synthetic ones.

Why is this important? Synthetic leather is bound to wear off fast if exposed to some UV-rays. As such, you don’t want to invest your money in some shoes that will not last for one month.

If you prefer fabric materials for breathability or their soft nature, make sure that you get a strong one. You don’t want your shoes ripping off the second day just because you used a hard brush to scrub them while you were cleaning them.

Traction 

Needless to say, basketball is one of the rough games that we know after rugby and maybe football. As such, it is expected that you will be making some quick cuts and turns and some explosive crossovers across the pitch.

Now if you don’t want to spend some more money treating sprains or knee rolls just because you slipped and fell, you should take account of the level of traction that is offered by the shoes you choose to wear.

The higher the traction, the safer you become!

Traction often depends on two main aspects. The first has to do with the type of outsole. As a general rule of thumb, always prioritize rubber soles. 

However, there is much more to do with the rubber soles and that now depends on the type of rubber compound used for the sole. Hard rubber, though durable, will offer less grip on hardwood courts.

Soft rubber, on the other hand, works perfectly well when it comes to indoor courts as they are known to pick up a lot of dust in the long run. 

The second aspect linked to traction is usually the tread pattern used on the sole. As a general rule, always settle for shoes that have the ‘herringbone tread pattern’ if available before considering the rest.

The pattern utilizes lines drawn in a zig-zag manner using rubber, leaving some empty spaces between them. The lines increase the grip while the spaces prevent dust and mud from sticking to the sole surface, likely to lead to slipping.

Cushion

Different technologies have been employed by different manufacturing companies to provide feet cushioning to their clients. Often, the level of cushioning differs, ranging from little to extreme.

It therefore entirely depends on what you want. If for instance, you are heavy (meaning you put a lot of pressure on your joints, muscles, and tendons) or you have a history of knee problems, you need to go for shoes that provide you with maximum cushioning.

This includes shoes that use the Zoom Air Technology or Adidas Boost. The former entails the use of tightly stretched tensile fibers which are kept in the Air Unit. The fibers absorb impact applied to them then snap back reducing the stress and enhancing speed.

 However, if you play as a guard you might want a firmer cushioning set up as you don’t want to lose your responsiveness or court feel. As such, you might want to buy shoes using cushioning technologies like Adidas Bounce, UnderArmour MicroG, or Nike Lunarlon.

These latter technologies are foam-based, and they provide cushioning to your feet by evenly distributing impact pressure to your entire foot.

Material 

The material of the shoes affects several aspects of the shoe. The first has to do with the durability. The stronger the material used, the more durable your shoe becomes.

The second aspect relates to how easy your shoes will be to clean. You might want to look for easy to clean ones like leather as you simply have to wipe. Fabric, on the other hand, might need some scrubbing.

The material will also affect the fitting of the shoe. Most synthetic materials are often firm and need some breaking in, unlike quality original materials.

Weight 

Always settle for shoes which are lightweight. This will improve your speed while in the court and make you more agile, as they will not be exerting any extra weight on your feet.

Furthermore, you will be in full control of your motion in the court and will therefore be able to give your best. Lightweight shoes are the right choice for players acting as court guards.

Conclusion 

Having done extensive research and even taken you through a guide on how you can obtain your perfect shoe for balling, we recommend that you settle for the Nike Lebron XIV brand.

This is a high-quality shoe that has been meticulously crafted from a leather material with a touch of some fabric. Furthermore, the shoe has been manufactured in different colors ranging from light screaming ones to dull ones.

The shoes also have a durable rubber sole that has a strong tread pattern to improve grip and traction. The heel of the shoe has been carefully designed to ensure it locks your feet in the shoe, a must-do to comfortably ball in low tops.

The shoe also gives you a perfect fit. It features an allowance for your feet, protecting your nails from being cramped or breaking as a result of tight shoes.

The advantage offered by the shoe’s midsole cannot be overlooked. It has been designed specifically to give maximum cushion to your feet. Therefore, it absorbs impact resulting from quick or explosive changes in direction, jumping, ducking, or landing.

Although the shoe has its downsides, it is worth the value of your money. Buy Nike Lebron today and slip into them for improved court performance.