If you play a lot of outdoor basketball you are probably familiar with this problem: Most basketball shoes are designed for indoor use and won’t last very long on rugged outdoor courts. So, unless you want to buy a new pair every month, it is important to find shoes that can take the beating of playing on blacktop.
How do you recognize good outdoor basketball shoes?
- The outsole is made from hard and durable rubber
- The traction grooves are wide and deep
- They shouldn’t cost a fortune because they won’t last forever
- The upper material needs to be tough and resilient
Unfortunately, the big basketball shoe brands release very few (or none) dedicated outdoor basketball shoes these days. So if you can’t afford to customize your favorite Nike ID sneaker with a durable XDR outdoor rubber sole, you need to find regular basketball shoes that also work well outdoors
Inr eality, this means you need to watch dozens of shoe reviews and hope that the reviewer mentions if this particular shoe works outdoors. Check any Youtube video about a basketball shoe and there is a good chance that someone asked this question in the comments!
To help you avoid wasting so much time watching sneaker videos I have checked out 585 reviews of 110 of the most popular basketball shoes and recorded the opinion of the reviewers about traction, cushion, material, support and their fit. But most importantly for this article, I also looked if the reviewer would recommend the tested shoe for outdoor use. You can check out the complete list of shoes here.
Below you can find a list of affordable basketball shoes that are recommended for outdoor use:
- 8.9 rating based on 2 expert reviews
- Outstanding traction, comfortable fit and very supportive upper
- Great budget option for players who prefer lightweight and minimal shoes
- Recommended for outdoor use by 1 shoe reviewers
- 8.9 rating based on 8 expert reviews
- Provides balanced cushioning, traction that works on all surfaces, and premium BattleKnit upper
- Especially recommended for explosive and powerful wing players.
- Recommended for outdoor use by 3 shoe reviewers
- 8.8 rating based on 2 expert reviews
- A nice blend of old-school leather and new-school performance textiles and synthetics
- Great shoe if you are looking for beastly traction and minimal, responsive cushioning
- Recommended for outdoor use by 2 shoe reviewers
- 8.8 rating based on 4 expert reviews
- The Lebron Soldier 13 provides awesome traction and no real weaknesses.
- A great all-around performer that works very well for heavier players.
- Recommended for outdoor use by 3 shoe reviewers
- 8.8 rating based on 6 expert reviews
- Dame's best shoe so far! A great all-around performer at a very affordable price
- The Dame 5 works best for quick guards who prefer responsive cushioning
- Recommended for outdoor use by 4 shoe reviewers
- 8.8 rating based on 3 expert reviews
- A budget shoe with premium materials and great all-around performance
- Perfect shoe if you are looking for an affordable, top-tier performer, that you can play outdoors too.
- Recommended for outdoor use by 2 shoe reviewers
- 8.7 rating based on 3 expert reviews
- Comfortable fit and premium upper materials
- Best for players looking for a supportive shoe with well-balanced cushioning
- Recommended for outdoor use by 2 shoe reviewers
- 8.7 rating based on 4 expert reviews
- Traction pattern provides great traction on all surfaces
- Great bang for the buck and should work well for positions 1-4.
- Recommended for outdoor use by 2 shoe reviewers
- 8.6 rating based on 2 expert reviews
- The Zoom Zero Gravity is a solid budget model with no real weaknesses.
- A great shoe for price-conscious hoopers looking for a fast low-top.
- Recommended for outdoor use by 1 shoe reviewers
- 8.4 rating based on 6 expert reviews
- Donovan Mitchell's first signature sneaker is very affordable at only $100 retail price
- Recommended for explosive guards looking for a supportive and responsive low-top
- Recommended for outdoor use by 1 shoe reviewers
The Best Outdoor Basketball Shoes
1. Under Armour Curry 3Zero 3
- Really good traction
- Super lightweight
- Very firm cushioning
2. Nike Lebron 16
- Premium materials
- Traction works well even on dusty courts
- Expensive retail price
3. Puma Clyde Hardwood
- Premium leather and knit materials
- Beastly traction
- Slightly heavy
- Basic foam cushioning
4. Nike Lebron Soldier 13
- Awesome traction
- Very supportive
- Cushioning could be more comfortable
5. Adidas Dame 5
- Responsive Bounce cushioning
- Very comfortable
- Slippery on dusty courts
- A little dead space in the toe box
6. Jordan CP3 12
- Flyknit upper material
- Good outdoor shoe
- Generic aesthetics
7. Under Armour HOVR Havoc 2
- Premium materials
- Comfortable fit
- Inconsistent traction
8. Adidas Pro Bounce Low
- Amazing traction
- Well-balanced Bounce cushioning
- Materials feel a little cheap
9. Jordan Zoom Zero Gravity
- Great traction
- Very affordable
- Cheap materials
- Firm cushioning
10. Adidas DON Issue 1
- Affordable price
- High-quality materials
- Inconsistent traction
- Heavy and bulky for a low-top
How do you find good outdoor shoes?
Before you start to search for your next pair of outdoor basketball shoes, you should be clear about what you are actually looking for. What differentiates a great outdoor sneaker from a regular indoor performer? Let’s find out!
Durability of the rubber
The rubber of the outsole suffers the most from playing on rougher outdoor courts. If your shoes feature a soft rubber compound you will probably end up with a completely slick outsole, or even worse, holes in your shoes, pretty fast! Overall, there are two things you want to look for when it comes to outsoles:
Solid and dense rubber:
You can either go with regular shoe models that come with a firmer rubber compound out of the box like the Adidas D Rose or the Nike Lebron Soldier line. Or you look for shoes that are specifically made for outdoor use. Especially Chinese brands produce a lot of outdoor models like the Anta KT Outdoor Low as indoor courts are much harder to find there compared to the US.
If you can afford to spend a little more on your outdoor shoes, you can also customize your favorite Nike Sneaker with an XDR (extra durable rubber) outsole using NikeID.
Wide traction pattern:
A very narrow traction pattern will attract a lot of dirt and rubble and lose grip quickly. Make sure to get a traction pattern with wide and deep grooves that will last a lot longer on dirty blacktop.
Durability of the upper material
The upper material usually suffers less from outdoor play as it shouldn’t be in contact with the surface of the court all that often. But if you tend to toe-drag a lot, or if other players are stepping on your feet all the time you might want to look into more durable upper materials like fuse or mesh.
Cushion
Indoor courts are much easier on the joints than less-forgiving outdoor courts. Especially, if you have recurring knee problems, you shoud look for shoes with more comfortable cushioning that reduce the stress you put on your joints. If you are a younger and lighter player, additional cushioning is probably not as important, but firm shoes can still lead to sore legs after a day of playing outdoors.
Price
Inevitably, shoes that you use outdoors will have a shorter lifespan than shoes that are only used on pristine hardwood courts. Therefore, it might make sense to look for cheaper shoes that you can replace more often. Playing in $200 Air Jordan outdoors could become expensive really quickly!
Gr8 advice
Don’t forget honorable mentions like. The Kobe protro’s , Q4 sports enforcer
& Jordan jump man quick 23 (quick 6).
I really got to say, I’m impressed by your blog. Keep up the good work!