Latest Popular Basketball Shoes by Nike
Nike has grown considerably to become the largest designer and distributor of sports gear around the world.
Ever since its establishment in the mid-’60s, the brand has not only improved its outlook but also made sales totaling over $30 billion.
There are so many shoe designs created by Nike, and it’s even impossible to keep a tag on the number of sneakers that have been released just this year.
The brand gains its uniqueness from not only quality but also a tailored preference from the world’s best basketball players, just to mention but a few, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Paul George, and Kevin Durant.
Besides, most professional teams playing in top leagues like the NBA get a better share of their gear from the brand.
The main reason for the consistency of the company and preference from customers is the variety provided.
If you need a cheap pair of sneakers, you’ll get them from Nike. Besides, designs with more premium builds are available for professionals who require the best footwear.
Finding one reliable pair in the entire mound of a thousand designs is harder than fishing out a needle from a haystack.
Therefore, I decided to save you the hassle of looking over and again for reviews to determine the right design by actually doing so myself.
With over 600 reviews, I managed to narrow down the designs based on quality, fitness, performance, and durability to give you a top five list of crème Nike sneakers.
| ① Nike Lebron 17 - TOP PICK |  |
|---|---|
| ② Nike PG 3 |  |
| ③ Nike Lebron 16 |  |
| ④ Nike KD 12 |  |
| ⑤ Nike Lebron 15Nike Lebron 15 |  |
1.Nike Lebron 17
With price comes guaranteed quality and comfort. The Nike Lebron 17 sneakers are the perfect definitions of premium collections that are worth acquiring.
Many players gauge the reliability and suitability of shoes by looking at the traction on the outsoles, and the grip that results when used on any court.
A majority of critics rated the traction averagely. One thing, however, that the Nightwing2303 hardly liked on these shoes was the white color of rubber. It’s sturdy, but white, thus quickly gets dirty on dusty court surfaces.
Nonetheless, cushioning in the Lebron 17 is done to perfection. Max Air is a unique technology that creates the boosted feel in any sneakers.
The technology is integrated with the Zoom Air around the front foot to create a thick and dense layering of protection from impact. Besides, the two technologies improve the bounce and feel of the shoes on the ground. With the Lebron 17, you’re playing on air.
Pros
- Knitposite construction is done on the uppers to create a thick and soft material that warrants comfort.
- Massive players who need a lot of protection from impact, as well as stability, find these shoes appeasing.
- The Lebron 17 sneakers have the best cushioning features. The integration of Zoom and Max Air technologies creates thick comfortable padding on the mid and outsoles. The padding improves the comfort and stability of players.
Cons
- For $200, these shoes are pretty expensive.
- The Knitposite structuring provides comfort and warmth around the uppers but often hinders breathability and gets hot after some time.
2.Nike PG 3
The Nike PG 3 sneakers are affordable options for anyone avoiding the vast budget of the Lebron 17 designs.
At only $49, this Nike footwear is designed to fit any user comfortably, regardless of the size. All you need to do is determine your foot measurement and find the model with a befitting size.
Critics applauded every detail on the Nike PG but had little confidence in the selling ability of the looks.
Moon-crater tractions are patterned on the outer sole to provide a consistent grip on any court surface. However, break-ins will take a while, with these shoes in place.
Zoom Air technology is adopted around the front foot. The mechanism creates a bouncy and responsive feel around the player’s feet.
Also, foaming added to the heels provides better protection from impact.
Pros
- The sneakers are affordable, thus convenient to acquire, particularly when planning on a fixed budget.
- Zoom Air is a technology that improves reflexes around the feet by creating more bounce on jumps.
Cons
- The design, color, and look of the shoes are not appealing to many players.
- Break-ins take some time.
3.Nike Lebron 16
Just the other day, Nike released a sneaker design and named it the XV. Sometime later, the company felt the shoe design needed some change and improvement, so they made the Nike Lebron 16 sneakers.
These were better, sturdier, affordable, and perfect for any player. The first thing that strikes the mind on the sight of these designs is uniqueness.
Unlike most designs that have their outsoles firmly and directly conjoined to the uppers, these have their outsoles somewhat doubled with spaces to separate them and provide a better room for more excellent traction.
The grip of the Lebron 16 sneakers works flawlessly on both clean and dusty court surfaces.
If you are in search of a premium pair of sneakers precisely designed with high-quality materials, then these from Nike are the best picks to consider.
Cushioning is done in a completely different way than in other designs. Nonetheless, the comfort derived from wearing these shoes is still unmatched.
Pros
- Battleknit is a new technology used in designing the fabric of these sneakers. The process warrants a quality design with a sturdy structure to not only endure abuse around the court but also last for seasons.
- Tiny outriggers are layered sideways along the outer sole to provide better traction and improve the player’s stability.
Cons
- The Lebron 16 sneakers are still expensive despite their value for money.
4.Nike KD 12
Before the KD 12 found its way to retail markets, other designs were not only disappointing in functionality but also durability.
This design, however, is an excellent improvement with almost a guarantee for every detail.
The outsoles of Nike KD 12 sneakers run from the heel to the front toe. They are solidly built of enduring rubber and designed with the Zoom padding technology to create the perfect cushioning material for remarkable responsiveness as well as bounce.
Nonetheless, the cushioning doesn’t provide a consistent reflex or bounce on a dusty court surface.
One outstanding feature of the Nike KD 12 sneakers is the well-designed upper that not only provides a breathable surface for the player’s feet but also guarantees safe lockdown with the print laces.
Pros
- Zoom technology gives the rubber outsoles more solidity. The shoes provide good reflexive bounces on court surfaces.
- With improved cushioning comes improved stability, balance, and support.
- The uppers are breathable.
- The lacing system provides a secure lockdown of the entire shoe design.
Cons
- Materials have a cheap feel.
- The shoes are not designed for outdoor basketball games. They’ll wear out too fast.
5.Nike Lebron 15
These designs come close in resemblance to the Lebron 16 sneakers. However, these are more expensive and thickly cushioned on the outsoles.
The additional padding in these sneakers is thicker compared to the cushioning in the Lebron 15.
Nike combined the Air Max technology and Zoom to create an incredibly thick outsole for this pair.
While the cushioning is perfect for massive players requiring reliable protection from impact, the design doesn’t go too well with guard players who are not only smaller but also with lesser demand for substantial cushioning.
Battleknit technology is used to make the finishing touches on the textile that constitutes the upper of the Lebron 15 sneakers.
Thanks to the Battleknit structuring, the upper materials are durable, high-quality, breathable, and comfortable, more particularly owing to the secure containment.
Pros
- These sneakers are perfect fits for massive players who need maximum protection from impact. The Air Max and Zoom technologies provide thicker cushioning for assured comfort and support.
- Battleknit creates a premium upper with quality material that is breathable and comfortable.
Cons
- The Lebron 15 sneakers are quite expensive.
How to choose the best Nike basketball shoes
The basketball game is all about speed, accuracy, skill, and power.
Combining all the four necessities not only requires a dedicated player who trains hard and consistently but also the right basketball gear that can complement the styles of play, improve the areas of weakness and create a conducive playing environment to offer protection from injury.
Most of the basketball gear we come across have brands labeled on them. Sometimes you’ll see the four letters NIKE boldly printed on a brace or sleeve or the hard-to-miss swoosh that looks like a say yes! You can never miss the Nike logo.
While different types of protective gear such as sleeves and knee pads protect the arms and knees, basketball shoes offer protection, coverage. They are more necessary than any other accessory in the game.
Nike not only guarantees players high-quality shoes but also provides them with basic accessories for safety and mobility during the game.
As a player, you make choices on gear depending on your position and the role you play in the team.
The same applies to Nike footwear. They are designed differently to favor all players in terms of performance, the style of play, and their individual needs.
There are so many brands that deal in the sale and distribution of basketball footwear. Here are five reasons why you should go for a pair of Nike basketball sneakers instead.
- Nike shoes fit perfectly
Nike is one of the longest-serving brands in not only the basketball industry but also in the distribution of sports gear to cater to athletes from every other sport.
When it comes to perfecting the shoemaking process, Nike is unmatched. The company knows exactly the tastes of its customers and the requirements that need to be fulfilled when designing shoes for different categories of target customers.
If you’ve purchased the same Nike shoe twice before, you know that the comfortable size 8 or 10 you purchased the first time didn’t change in the latter design.
With Nike shoes, you don’t need to move from one store to another in a bid to try out the size that fits you perfectly. Most of my Lebron collections date back for five or four years.
Despite the change in design, consistency has been the same in terms of size. All of them fit just the same, something you can’t find easily with any random brand.
- All your iconic players are with Nike, why not join the winning club?
At least half of the entire Nike collection is made up of star-oriented player names. The most common are the Kobe and Lebron designs, which are renewed by the company once or bi-annually, depending on the demand and need for improvement.
Star players usually sign contracts with big brands to boost sales and make the brand more appealing to customers.
Nike has every star player you’ve ever admired. Any fan would die to keep a collection of their star’s signature design.
- The unique technologies adopted by Nike
Most of the techniques adopted by sneaker brands in improving the performance and quality of their designs originate from Nike.
The Zoom cushioning that was first tried out by Nike over two decades ago is still the most reliable padding technique across the world.
Other knitting aspects, improvisations in containment, and ventilation are all created by Nike and diversified into the shoemaking industry.
- Nike shoes are elegantly designed and branded
You could never get enough of a pair of Nike sneakers just by looking or staring at them. The brand has invested in the quality designing of their merchandise, to ensure buyers are not only given the sneakers they deserve but also models that can last them for years.
The unique Nike swoosh you see on each of their products is iconic and a mark of quality. Many brands have tried to outlive Nike to no avail. It’s not surprising to find a fake Nike pair of sneakers with an imitation of what’s supposed to look like the Nike swoosh.
Nonetheless, Nike still stands out. The brand logo is the simple swoosh that adds unmatched uniqueness to footwear.
- Everybody finds the shoe of their choice!
Nike has created an endless collection of high-quality basketball sneakers that not only fit players of any size but also guarantee comfort, reliability, and optimum performance depending on the player’s body size.
Sneakers with thicker cushioning and higher uppers are designed for bigger and heavier players who need more protection from impact compared to small-bodied players.
Fast-paced guard with lighter bodies can go for firmly cushioned designs that are more lightweight and comfortable for making runs.
Traction
In their design, Nike took into consideration the need for player flexibility in the game as well as stability.
Most designs from the brand have structural adjustments designed to improve the traction on all kinds of court surfaces.
Tiny flanking outriggers on some models improve the grip between the ground and the shoes by increasing the amount of surface area in the contact betwixt the court surface and the outsoles.
Traction is vital in making abrupt sharp stops that can throw the opposition defense off its guard.
Besides providing stability to players, Nike shoes prevent them from sliding when running or struggling for the ball.
Overall performance
A pair of Nike sneakers will only prove beneficial to the player if it complements the athlete’s playing style.
Therefore, before going for the shoes of your choice, make sure you’ve understood your style and the shoe type that suits you in every game.
If you are a flexible player, a lightweight design that has firmer cushioning is perfect for agility and mobility.
All in all, players should check for the basic universal features that optimize their performance. For example, breathable structures are designed to provide aeration within the shoe by preventing the buildup of sweat and heat.
Conclusion
Aside from providing signature footwear from professional athletes in top leagues around the world, Nike offers its customers the opportunity to enjoy their tailored designs.
You can contact the company if you are interested in getting your signature pair, one that’s unique to you alone.
Remember to countercheck your needs, playing styles, and positions around the court against the features provided by the design you intend to pick.
If both are matching, then the shoe is the right pick. However, if you don’t find the design that suits your style, you can always refer to this comprehensive top-five list for your preferred selection.
The Nike Lebron 16 sneakers are the overall recommended designs for basketball players.
First, the sneakers are made of high-quality materials that guarantee unrivaled durability.
Any basketball player requires footwear with improved traction to provide stability and support on dusty and clean court surfaces. Besides, oblique outriggers are attached to the outsoles of Lebron 16 models, to improve stability.
Battleknit is a unique knitting system used to design the fabric on the uppers of the Lebron 16 sneakers. The technique warrants a high-quality final product with a premium feel.
There’s no reason why you should not go for the Nike Lebron 16. It’s the perfect recommendation for both powerful guards who need speed and flexibility, and heavy athletes who need comfortable cushioning to protect themselves from impact.