NIKE BASKETBALL SHOES
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Nike Air Flight Huarache 2023
The Nike Nike Air Flight Huarache 2023 is the beefed-up, converted into a hoop shoe, version of a classic Nike runner, and were made famous by Michigan’s legendary Fab 5 during the early 90’s. The shoe was co-designed by 2 legendary Nike designers: Tinker Hatfield and Eric Avar and it was actually the first basketball shoe Eric Avar worked on for Nike.
The Nike Air Flight Huarache takes everything great from the runner and beefs it up to make it suitable for the rigors of basketball. You have a great durable traction setup that will work well both indoors and outdoors, forefoot and heel encapsulated Air units, and that classic lightweight deconstructed upper. Materials are also on point in this version of the shoe. The Nike Air Flight Huarache 2023 fits true to size, but it does fit very snugly, so keep that in mind. Price: $130
Nike Cosmic Unity 3
The Nike Cosmic Unity 3 is a weird performance basketball model, and very different from the Cosmic Unity and the Cosmic Unity 2. The shoe seems to be designed specifically for outdoor use, it features a drop-in midsole for cushioning and it is made with at least 20% recycled materials. If the Cosmic Unity 3 actually designed for outdoors, the cushioning system isn’t great. It is more on the neutral side, which isn’t ideal for playing on the black top. The shoe is also equipped with a pretty substantial TPU shank plate that keeps the shoe stable and zippy, and the recycled upper does its job well. Price: $170
Nike Zoom Generation
LeBron James’ first signature shoe, the Nike Zoom Generation, is back again! 20 years after its original release, the Nike Zoom Generation will hit shelves once more. This shoe is a top-notch performance model as well as a nostalgia overload. The shoe features a solid rubber outsole with a beefy, outdoor-friendly herringbone traction pattern. We have a phylon midsole with a heel Air unit and a forefoot Zoom Air unit, which are extremely comfortable, and on top of that a really great insole. The upper combines synthetic leather and Cordura mesh which is great for those of us who appreciate 2000-ish shoe builds. Lastly, the Nike Zoom Generation fits true to size. Price: $180
Nike JA 1
The Nike JA 1 is Ja Morant’s first signature shoe with Nike and it is a shoe that feels a lot like a Kyrie shoe. The Ja 1 has a lot of potential to be a great performance model but at the same time, we cant brand these “bad boys” just after a first try on. They do look great, that much we can say.
In terms of cushioning, we have a reactive cushioning setup that combines a Phylon midsole and a smell rectangular zoom unit in the forefoot, very reminiscent of the Kyrie 1. The shoe’s traction is aggressive, and the rubber is relatively durable and tacky which has potential to be the shoe’s best feature. Materials are the shoe’s weakest point, but also, you can’t expect much out of a shoe at this price point. Read the full review. Price: $110
Nike LeBron Nxxt Gen
The Nike LeBron Nxxt Gen is the budget version of the Nike LeBron 20 and it is an excellent takedown model. Brans tend to skimp out on the tech when creating budget versions of their signature shoes, but that is not the case with the Nike LeBron Nxxt Gen.
This shoe is very similar to the Nike LeBron 20 just at a considerably lower price. The Nike LeBron 20 is one of the best basketball shoes of the year, and so is this shoe. Watch the full review. Price: $160
Nike Penny 2 Football Grey
The Nike Penny 2 Football Grey is a really great reimagining of a classic Penny model. Even though this isn’t an OG colorway of the shoe, nor does it feature OG materials, it is aways nice to see the Penny 2 on shelves. The original version of the Penny 2 doesn’t feature leather, but the leather on these is more than decent, and the overall design is sleek. Nike also didn’t skimp out tech-wise (which it sometimes does): we get the same zoom air unit in the forefoot and Air Max Unit in the heel as in the original version of the shoe.
If you actually wanted to play in these, you definitely could. The shoe is very pricy, but getting your hands on this classic silhouette is almost worth it. Watch the full review. Price: $200
Nike KD 3 All-Star
The Nike KD 3 All-Star was originally released back in 2010, and it is back once again in the All-Satr colorway. We are not exactly sure why Noke chose to retro this particular model, but, it’s a great shoe, so no complaints.
This shoe was originally part of Nike’s All-Star pack back in 2010 and it was pretty decent on-court performance model. The KD 3 comes equipped with the same tech specs back then. You could pick these up as an off-court model, but that would be a shame. The KD 3 features a nice and grippy outsole, a forefoot zoom air unit, a phylon midsole, and a synthetic upper that does it’s job well. The phylon in this model feels much better in this pair than on the OG version which is a nice upgrade. Watch the full review for the complete breakdown. Price: $130
Top Nike Basketball Models
Best Nike Basketball Shoe Overall
Nike KD 15
The most well-rounded on-court performance basketball shoe from Nike this year. See the full review. Price: $150
Best Outdoor Nike Basketball Shoe
Nike KD 15
Again we have the Nike KD 15. The shoe’s cushioning and traction make it an almost perfect outdoor model. The biggest drawback is the price. See the full review. Price: $150
Best Budget Nike Basketball Shoe
Nike Air Max Impact 4
The Nike Air Max Impact 4 is a great performance basketball shoe that just happens to be under 100$. Read the full review. Price: $90
Most Comfortable Nike Basketball Shoe
Nike Lebron 20
The Nike Lebron 20 has almost perfect cushioning and excellent materials and fit. The most comfortable Nike hoop shoe right now. Watch the full review. Price: $200
