There are very few ambitious basketball players who have never sprained an ankle. Whether you get your ankles broken by a vicious crossover or you land on someone else’s feet after a layup – it’s bound to happen someday.
Fortunately, you can reduce the risk of injuring your ankles by getting a pair of basketball shoes that provide a ton of ankle support. These shoes will increase the stability of your feet and protect against excessive movements of your ankles that could result in sprains or worse ankle injuries.
Warning: If you are recovering from a severe ankle injury or if you sprain your ankles easily and frequently, getting ankle support from your shoes might not be enough. Many NBA players get their ankles taped before every game or wear ankle braces to provide additional stability. Check out this article to learn more about ankle braces and to find out which one helped save Steph Curry’s career.
The following list shows you the top 10 shoes when it comes to ankle support. The ranking was generated by summing up the findings of 441 expert reviews of 76 different basketball shoes and ranking them by the average score they received in the category “support”.
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Affordable low-top with excellent traction, great support, and solid cushioning.
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Works best for quick guards in need of excellent traction
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Very supportive leather upper, great traction, and responsive Zoom Air cushioning.
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Perfect if you like old-school basketball sneakers
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Amazing traction, well-balanced cushioning, and very good fit
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Perfect if you are looking for an affordable all-around performer with no weaknesses
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Comfortable full-length Zoom Air cushioning
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Best for explosive and powerful players
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Great allrounder with well-balanced cushioning and a lot of support
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Works best for explosive players looking for a supportive shoe
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One of the best Curry signature shoes so far
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Perfect for quick guards looking for a supportive, lightweight shoe with great court feel
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Great court-feel, lockdown, and stability.
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Works best for quick guards who prefer court feel over impact protection
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The innovative laceless FastFit lacing system works surprisingly well
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Perfect if you are into innovative tech and can afford the steep price
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Traction pattern provides great traction on all surfaces
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Great bang for the buck and should work well for positions 1-4.
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Improves the already great performance of the PG2 by adding an additional forefoot strap for more lockdown
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Perfect if you are looking for an affordable all-around performer without any weaknesses.
The Best Basketball Shoes for Ankle Support
The HOVR Havoc Low is the first basketball shoe that comes with Under Armour's new HOVR cushioning technology. The HOVR foam in the outsole is heavily caged and starts off very firm but gets more comfortable after the (considerable) break-in time. The outsole is made from a hard and durable rubber and sports a traditional herringbone traction pattern that impresses on all surfaces. Materials are standard Mesh and synthetics that provide a ton of support and lockdown.
Overall, the Under Armour HOVR Havoc Low is a great performer for quick guards looking for an affordable low-top with excellent traction, great support, and solid cushioning.
Best Deals for the Under Armour HOVR Havoc Low:
The performance retro of the original Kobe 1 Protro turns out to be very divisive. Some reviewers love the retro materials and sturdy feel of an old-school basketball sneaker, while others complain that these are too heavy and bulky compared to current performance sneakers.
Traction and cushioning perform very well and the support is absolutely amazing because of the solid materials used. The fit is more problematic as the leather doesn't conform to your feet as well as modern textile materials do.
If you like old-school basketball sneakers then you will love the Kobe 1 Protro, but if you are looking for a minimal and fast shoe then this isn't for you.
Best Deals for the Nike Zoom Kobe 1 Protro:
Chris Paul's 11th signature sneaker is very well-liked by sneaker reviewers. The traction has amazing bite and works well even on dusty courts. The low-to-the-ground cushioning setup provides a nice combination of impact protection and responsiveness. The forefoot strap helps to lock down your feet tightly, and the lacing system makes sure that there is zero heel slippage. Materials aren't premium but they do their job (even though ventilation could be better).
Overall, the CP3.XI is a great all-around performer that should work well for positions 1-5 and comes at a very affordable price!
Best Deals for the Jordan CP3 XI:
Russel Westbrook's first signature sneaker is a hit with shoe reviewers. The full-length Zoom cushioning, usually reserved for much more expensive shoes, is responsive, comfortable and offers great impact protection for explosive players. The fit and support work very well and give you the stability needed for quick moves. Traction is great on clean courts but you will need to wipe a lot on dustier courts. At only $125, this is a great first release for Russel Westbrooks signature line and offers amazing bang for the buck.
Best Deals for the Jordan Why Not Zero.1:
The design of the Why Not Zero.2 is almost as extravagant as Russell Westbrook's clothing style, but how does it perform?
Most reviewers gave the traction good grades, but the majority of them liked the traction of the predecessor even better. The cushioning is no longer full-length Zoom, but that is not a big loss as the forefoot Zoom Air performs very well and the Phylon heel is very comfortable. Support and lockdown are strong features of this shoe -perfect for explosive players like Russell Westbrook!
Overall, the Why Not Zero.2 is a great allrounder without any glaring weaknesses, that comes with flashy design and at a fair price.
Best Deals for the Jordan Why Not Zero.2:
The Curry 6 is much better received by sneaker reviewers than its predecessor. The traction performs very well but showed some durability issues early on. The full-length HOVR cushioning is on the firmer side and offers a nice balance of impact protection and court feel. The knitted materials look great and need very little break-in time and stability and support are excellent like always in Curry models.
Overall, reviewers are having a lot of fun with this shoe and rank it as one of the best Curry signature shoes so far!
Best Deals for the Under Armour Curry 6:
The latest shoe in the Kyrie signature series is very similar to previous shoes in the series. It focuses on support and court-feel and gives you the ability for quick crossovers and creative attacks of the basket. The new Nike Zoom Air Turbo cushioning remains firm and is clearly optimized for court feel - if you are looking for comfortable shoes with a lot of impact protection, then you won't be happy with the Kyrie 5. Overall, this is a very supportive shoe that works best for guards looking to imitate Kyrie's playing style.
Best Deals for the Nike Kyrie 5:
The Air Jordan 33 is probably the first performance basketball shoe without laces. The innovative FastFit lacing system works surprisingly well and provides great lockdown but is less customizable than traditional lacing systems. The traction works very well on lateral cuts, but some reviewers experienced slipping on straight-line movements. Cushioning starts off very stiff and less comfortable than in previous Jordan models but gives you a nice balance of court feel and impact protection.
Overall, the Air Jordan 33 is a very divisive shoe - some reviewers loved it, some hated it. If you are into innovative tech and can afford the steep price - then give it a try!
Best Deals for the Air Jordan 33:
The Pro Bounce is Adidas' new team model similar to Nike's Hyperdunk line. One of the highlights of this shoe is the traction pattern that offers great bite on clean courts but also works well on dusty courts or outdoors. Adidas uses its Bounce cushioning system which gives you a nice balance of responsiveness and impact protection. The upper material feels a little cheap but it is very sturdy with excellent containment and support.
Overall, the Pro Bounce Low is an awesome basketball shoe that offers great bang for the buck and should work well for positions 1-4.
Best Deals for the Adidas Pro Bounce Low:
The Nike PG2.5 is almost identical to the PG2 but comes with an additional forefoot strap we know from the PG1. This addition improves the fit and support a little bit as it gives you the ability to customize the forefoot to work with your feet. Other than that, materials, cushioning and traction remained unchanged and provide the same great performance that the previous model did!
At only $110 retail, you can't go wrong with these!
Best Deals for the Nike PG 2.5:
Frequently asked questions about ankle support
Do high-top basketball shoes prevent ankle sprains?
High Tops wrap your ankles, so they must logically provide more ankle support than comparable low-tops, right?
Not so fast! Scientific studies have analyzed the frequency of ankle sprains of players wearing high tops versus players wearing low-top basketball shoes and couldn’t find a difference. The additional collar height is not restrictive enough where it can save your from rolling your ankles. Another study showed that the fewest injuries occured in players wearing low-top shoes and laced ankle stabilizers.
How do I find a shoe with a lot of ankle support?
If high-tops are not the solution, what else can you look for?
Lateral Outrigger
The lateral outrigger is the extension of the outsole on the lateral side that increases the width of the shoe and provides additional stability. By providing a wider base, the outrigger makes it mechanically much more difficult for your shoes to roll during hard cuts and crossovers. See an example of a lateral outrigger in the Crazy Explosive 2017:
Tough upper material and great lockdown
You want to look for a shoe that securely locks down your feet and prevents unnecessary side-to-side movement. Make sure that the shoes fit tightly and that the upper material is strong enough to hold your feet even on agressive movements.
Odd posting. I have serious ankle support (read medical) issues and most these shoes are reviewed for their traction, NOT ankle support. Indeed many didnt even have ANY ankle support that I could tell (low cut) Splain to kme Lucy
Hey Mike, thanks for the comment.
Actually, only a very small amount of the support of a shoe depends on the part of material around your ankles. No shoe will be sturdy enough in this area to prevent you from rolling of the ankle, because nobody wants to play in a shoe that feels so restrictive. In fact, many modern high tops like the Crazy Explosive, or Curry 4 have a sock-like material around the ankles that provides zero additional support.
Great support comes from a lot of features like the outrigger of the sole, the heel cup, how well your are locked into your shoes and how little your feet move inside the shoes.
If you have serious ankle issues make sure to get an ankle brace as it’s the only way to significantly reduce the chances of an injury!
Hi Andy, awesome article. Was wondering if you had any insight on the New Kobe AD’s and how well they will provide ankle support. Thanks!
Thanks Damian! Check out https://www.thehoopsgeek.com/shoe-reviews/nike-kobe-ad-exodus/ and scroll down to the “support” section to learn more about the support of the Kobe AD Exodus.
The LeBron 11s are hands down THE BEST. I’ve completely torn my ATFL ligament and after years of search the LeBron 11s are the best due to their straps. Even when I worked for FedEx in a very rural area they worked like a charm on rocks and crazy mountain terrain. A bit heavy but well worth it if ankle support matters to you like it does to me.