Best Basketball Shoes for Traction Reviews {Top 10} Exclusive Buying Guide

The best basketball shoes for traction are necessary for players to avoid slipping during running, jumping, shooting, and stopping. Moreover, the non-breathable, narrow and uncomfortable shoes with less grip and cushioning can increase the risk of foot injuries. Furthermore, the false advertisement of poor-quality shoes can mislead you from buying the right shoes for you.

Significantly, If the shoes aren’t durable and broken their soles after playing some challenging games, your performance would be affected badly. However, don’t worry, fellas! We have come up with the best picks for you to make wise decisions to get the right traction shoes for basketball.

Editor’s Choice

If you are a heavier basketball player and want a supportive and comfy shoes, Nike Lebron 17 would perform well. Moreover, this pair is springy on the court and lightweight with zoom air technology and a max air unit in the heel.

Furthermore, the shoes are made of hardened plastic yarns and knit posited material to provide a supportive structure that truly fits into your feet. Significantly, rubber sole increases the durability of these shoes so that you can quickly run, cut, and pivot. Additionally, this 17th model of Nike Lebron includes an extra lace option to lock and secure your feet.

This footwear is specifically designed for men to provide responsive cushioning underfoot with the forefoot’s zoom air unit. Moreover, this pair has a cored-out traction pattern of synthetic sole and rubber outsole for lightweight flexibility and optimal grip.

Furthermore, it increases your foot security and stability with the translucent midfoot saddle. Mainly, why not 2.0 provides a smooth transition from toe to heel with its curved heel design. Overall, these Westbrook’s shoes don’t require any break-in time and are supportive, quick, and comfortable. 

Nike D8 is designed for the unisex child with leather upper and foam-backed mesh integration to increase comfort. Furthermore, it provides heel-to-toe cushioning through a lightweight midsole which is made of flexible foam.

Moreover, the shoes have laces and a midfoot strap to allows a locked-in fit and extra stability. Also, D8 shoes provide durable traction with a rubber outsole. Lastly, this shoe has perforations to enhance airflow and flex grooves that provide natural movement. 

This shoe’s upper design comprises micro molded mesh material that provides form-fitting and super soft cushioning. Significantly, this shoe’s HOVR technology provides an excellent court feel, responsiveness, and impact protection. 

Furthermore, this UA pair’s sole provides solid traction on clean courts, but it takes little time to break-in. Moreover, it provides solid support and stability to the player with its outsole caging, and no heel slippage observed. Lastly, this durable pair can be used outdoors as well because of the strong rubber deep groove.

This Air Jordan 1 is famous for its incredible traction from front to back standpoint because of multi-directional circles. Moreover, it provides excellent support and cushioning during the game with a textile-lined non-removable foam insole.

Another nice feature is the stability and durability; that’s amazing because of high-quality fully leather uppers, a rubber outsole, and a midsole. Besides, the mid-cut design provides comfort and ankle stability plus excellent lockdown with a heel. Lastly, the ventilation is done through tiny perforations available on the toe and nylon tongue.

Zoom Freak 1 is also a famous name in basketball Sneakers with traction, and if you like Kobe models, you will love this pair. Moreover, this shoe offers maximum lockdown, support, cushioning but standard quality traction with double zoom air units below heels.

Although the traction pattern on the outsole is perfect, it’s a little inconsistent in starting and then performing better after the break-in time, but it could be improved. 

Furthermore, Zoom Freak 1 is durable, lightweight, flexible, and breathable, made of premium quality material that provides an excellent feel. Lastly, an internal forefoot band locks your feet and provides a snug fit with zero heel slippage and no side-to-side movement.

This shoe provides maximum durability and comfort with synthetic upper and leather.  Moreover, it allows quick shoes changing access with no lace design and hook and loop closure that also provides extra ankle support. 

Primarily, Jordan 6 Rings provides lightweight cushioning and a soft feel with encapsulated full-length Phylon unit and zoom air in the forefoot.

Furthermore, this pair provides excellent breathability with perforations at the tongue and sides. Lastly, its modified herringbone pattern and rubber outsole allow the best traction and increase durability. 

If you want a shoe that works on all surfaces, whether dusty or clean, then Nike KD Trey 5 would be a god-gift. Moreover, this pair uses thin, comfortable knit material that is an upgrade compared to the previous Trey 5 model to improve the cushioning experience. 

Furthermore, it fits a bit long and slightly narrow and almost like other KD shoes, but it provides standard support.

Incredibly, this shoe allows maximum traction and solid grip with modified herringbone without picking a lot of dust. Lastly, the rubber outsole provides extra durability, and the upper engineered mesh allows breathability and flexibility. 

This signature shoe by Damian Lillard offers the best traction performance on clean courts with a herringbone outsole. Moreover, it provides impact protection and responsiveness balance through full-length bounce cushioning. 

In addition, this pair allows exceptional comfort through a soft suede upper and features internal pods under the tongue along the midfoot. 

Furthermore, the midfoot banking barrier offers increased stability during quick cuts and changing direction. Lastly, it provides maximum lightweight cushioning through the bouncing midsole, and it’s not recommended for dusty surfaces to avoid slipping. 

This shoe is an upgrade over Kobe AD and comes up with a new Lacing system and Top Notch Traction that you will enjoy. Moreover, it provides decent impact protection and cushioning with zoom air technology and heel-to-toe lunarlon foam.

Furthermore, this advanced sneaker ensures extra traction using mesh inner sleeves and a micro-tread pattern on the shoe’s outsole. 

Especially, it offers maximum support with two subtle outriggers to increase your mobility during gameplay, and you can wear them without any ankle injury fear. Lastly, it would be slightly fit for narrow feet and true to size lengthwise, plus not recommending play outdoors. 

If you are a basketball player, you knew the importance of traction in the shoes. However, if you are an aspiring basketball player, then the shoe’s traction should be an essential concern. Moreover, the shoe’s pair with good traction provides extra grip during the drive, explode and cut in the basketball game.

Furthermore, a shoe that keeps slipping will disturb your balance and stability and may cause severe injuries that ruin your performance in the gameplay. Therefore, it’s time to make an intelligent move and read this guide thoroughly to determine what to look for in a shoe with the proper traction and choose the best option. Lastly, you need to consider these factors while buying the best traction basketball shoes below.

Court Surface:

You need to know the court surface where you will play with that shoe, whether it’s a hardwood surface, outdoor, or any dusty surface. Moreover, many sneakers options available in the market don’t have a good grip on dusty surfaces because of less traction.

Furthermore, some elite class basketball shoes offer maximum traction on all surfaces, including dusty courts. Therefore, you need to decide which type of shoes you need for indoor fun or outdoor activities. 

Budget:

Budget is also another sensitive factor that you should keep in mind while shopping the basketball shoe. Moreover, you probably hear that expensive footwear is always the best for a player but not because there are multiple budget-friendly options available. Furthermore, we recommend you to buy a shoe by analyzing their performance instead of price. 

In addition, the shoe that values your money is always the best. Therefore, you should know that shoes with leather material would be more expensive than a shoe made of synthetic material. That’s why you need to make your decision according to your budget range to get a high-performance shoe.

Material:

Firstly, think about the material of basketball shoes. Why? Because material adds flexibility, durability, comfort, and overall feel to a shoe. Moreover, the upper mesh material in shoes is thin, lightweight, and offers maximum support and breathability. 

Furthermore, prime knit material provides a snug fit and complete lockdown to secure your feet during cuts and quick moves. Lastly, the shoe’s durability and feel also depend upon the material; therefore, you need to choose the premium material that lasts for multiple seasons. 

Durability:

The shoe’s durability depends upon its material. Some low-quality material has a good grip on the court, but they may start getting damaged after the consistent gameplay. Moreover, the premium quality material provides consistent traction no matter if you play hours and hours. Therefore, always choose a premium quality material like leather that lasts for many seasons. 

Cushioning:

Shoes without proper cushion would take away your comfort level during the gameplay and disturb your performance. However, a good pair has the best cushioning system that increases your comfort and highly responsive, and provides impact protection against hard landings. Therefore, some best cushioning system is full-length boost cushioning, Micro-G cushioning, zoom air, HOVR Technology, and Prime knit Cushioning. 

Traction Pattern:

It is part of the shoe that comes in contact with the basketball court and helps determine the traction of the shoe. Therefore, many brands focus on the traction pattern technologies of the shoe to provide unmatched grip.

Some best traction pattern technologies include multi-direction groove patterns, herringbone patterns, cored-out, and micro-tread patterns. One thing to notice in a shoe is that not all the outsole give 100% traction, but the shoe review above has fundamental to superior traction pattern that is enough to avoid slipping. 

Support:

Support of footwear is also an essential factor like traction that provides better lockdown, stability, and balance. Moreover, some shoe brands offer the best lacing system, while others provide velcro to increase solid support. Furthermore, some brands prefer adjustable heel lockdown and curved heel-to-toe features to secure your feet and ankle to relieve pressure.

 

1. What basketball shoes have the best traction?

Shoes with the best traction have the following features 

• Outsole Traction Pattern 
• Material
• Cushioning 
• Support 

So some of the best traction basketball shoes are following.

• Nike Lebron XVIII
• Jordan Men’s 0.2
• Nike Team Hustle D8
• UA HOVR Havoc 2
• Nike Air Jordan 1
• Adidas Men’s Dame 5
• Nike Zoom Freak 1
• Jordan 6 Rings
• Nike KD Trey 5 VIII
• Nike Kobe AD NXT

2. How do I get more traction on my basketball shoes?

There are different methods to retain your shoe’s traction for indoor and outdoor. If you want to know about indoor footwear, then you should clean your shoes after every gameplay. Moreover, if you don’t want to make your hand dirty, you can buy a courtside traction mat to refresh your shoe traction. Furthermore, an outdoor shoe requires a little more effort to thoroughly cleaning. Therefore, you need warm soapy water and a brush for cleaning, and a towel for drying, plus a pointy tool to remove debris from the traction pattern. 

3. Which shoe has the best grip?

Some of the best basketball shoes with the best grip are following. 

• Nike Lebron XVIII
• Jordan Men’s 0.2
• Nike Team Hustle D8
• UA HOVR Havoc 2
• Nike Air Jordan 1
• Adidas Men’s Dame 5
• Nike Zoom Freak 1
• Jordan 6 Rings
• Nike KD Trey 5 VIII
• Nike Kobe AD NXT

4. Why are my basketball shoes slippery?

The slipping of the shoe happens due to the decrease in traction pattern. Sometimes it’s due to the dust and dirt between the traction pattern. That’s why your basketball shoes are slippery even on hardwood courts and outdoor as well.

5. What basketball shoe has the most cushion?

The basketball shoes with the best cushioning are given below. 

• Nike Lebron XVIII
• Jordan Men’s 0.2
• Nike Team Hustle D8
• UA HOVR Havoc 2
• Nike Air Jordan 1
• Adidas Men’s Dame 5
• Nike Zoom Freak 1
• Jordan 6 Rings
• Nike KD Trey 5 VIII
• Nike Kobe AD NXT

6. What is traction spray?

It is a spray that helps to increase the grip and decrease the slip of your shoe. Moreover, footwear traction helps minimize fall incidents on slippery surfaces, including snow, ice, hardwood, and outdoor surfaces. 

7. Is it bad to wear basketball shoes on concrete?

If you are wearing an indoor shoe on a concrete surface, it can damage your shoe because it’s not designed for hard surfaces. Moreover, an outdoor basketball shoe can withstand on the concrete court. Lastly, don’t ignore the manufacturer’s guidelines about the shoe.

8. Is there a spray to make the shoe slip-resistant?

Yes! Slip Grip Spray is a product available in the market that is used to increase your shoe’s traction. Moreover, this spray helps prevent fall incidents on slippery surfaces, and it’s the best solution to get extra grip. 

9. Does Nike have non-slip shoes?

Yes! There are multiple varieties of Nike brands available in the market, and some of the best traction basketball shoes of the Nike brand are following.

• Lebron XVIII
• Team Hustle D8
• Air Jordan 1
• Zoom Freak 1
• KD Trey 5 VIII
• Kobe AD NXT

10. Does Adidas make slip-resistant shoes?

Yes! Slip-resistant shoes are footwear having excellent traction. Adidas has the following slip-resistant shoe.

• Adidas Men’s Dame 5

If you want to take your game to the next level, then the best traction basketball shoe will lift your performance. Moreover, all the shoe above belongs to renowned brands and made of premium quality material having maximum traction. Furthermore, I would like to share some quick recommendations to fast your decision-making process.

Firstly, Nike Kobe AD NXT is the best option for quick guards. Secondly, if you are an Adidas lover, then try Adidas Men’s Dame 5. Furthermore, Nike KD Trey 5 VIII is the god-gift for dusty courts. Lastly, Jordan 6 Ring is the best option for the traction and ankle support combo.