Best High Top Basketball Shoes

Best high top basketball shoes are always in great demand because, in this type of sport, there is always a risk of injuries like cuts and ankle sprain. High top basketball shoes support the feet to a great extent. They allow side wise movement and a great deal of protection. Many well-known brands like Nike, Jordan, and Adidas have been making amazing high top basketball shoes that provide a great fit, traction, support, and other qualities too.

In the making of these shoes, a certain number of factors are concerned. Support and stability are the two most important factors to consider when buying high top shoes. It depends on the material with which the high uppers are made. It should be flexible enough but not too tight because too much tightening causes difficulty in the lifting of the feet as well as it can cause some injury.

As for stability, the sole part of the shoe is important. Good outer sole with high top supportive upper provides great strength which helps the player to get through the game. Also, these shoes give a great sense of protection against injuries, so a player might feel comfortable while wearing these.

The following list shows the top-rated high top basketball shoes, which are known for their best support, comfort, design, and durability.

Comparing the List of Top 8 High Top Basketball Shoes

1. Adidas D Rose 5 – Best Look And Support

The rubber is soft and pliable. The best thing about this outsole is that it does not accumulate dust so that you get no slippage or injuries. The unbeatable wavy herringbone traction offers an excellent grip on different courts.

Adidas did a great job by modifying Boost material in Adidas D Rose 5. These have a full-length firm cushion that provides excellent stability, durability, and responsiveness.

The Adidas D Rose 5 has a full-length boost. The black section is an EVA frame, and it is encased in the forefoot for stability and support. However, the boost is a lot more firm than anything else. So this is probably going to take a little bit of breaking time. But when you apply a lot of force on it, you can feel the boost in there, and it will be awesome.

It’s just synthetic material. At the heel, it’s like sweatpant material. And then inside the shoe, the insoles are different. It’s got D Rose’s signature. The tongue top is padded, so you can go through with your laces if you wanted to. So you don’t have to cover up that logo. Then you got a mesh tongue for some breathability, and that’s pretty much everything.

The most important thing is probably sizing. Make sure you go up half a size if you have a wide foot. Other than that, just stay true to size, and you will be good to go.

X bar for torsional support gives a little bit of spring back. So, when your foot flexes, it will move back into shape, giving you a little bit of spring.

This is probably the best looking rose to date. These are going to be the excellent shoe cushion wise.

2. Nike Kobe IX Elite – Healthy Top And Quick Feel Sneaker

This time there’s no herringbone out that Nike was providing for the past couple of years. You have thermal map traction, and it’s doing very well in the court. You’re getting excellent traction on the court with them. Everyone loves to ball in these. So as far as on the court, these are a go. As far as playing outdoors, these will be going to file down real quick. So I would not recommend these for outdoor use.

NIKE Kobe IX Elite have lunarlon cushion in the midsole, so you get impressive responsiveness and impact protection. These shoes are great for point guards because these make you quick.

These have fly knits on the most upper part of the shoe with some fuse just to keep it healthy up top and then toward the back. The knit on the toe is thicker, just to keep it strong on top. Then we have the fly wires just for more support when tying these up. On the swoosh, you get a 3M swoosh that pops up nice and shows you the three on the swoosh real quick. Then you have some synthetic up top with a gunmetal kind of look to it. And then you have carbon fibre at the back.

As far as the fit is concerned, go true to size. These fit so nice that you will have no problem at all.

You have carbon fibre at the heel for support on foot and a shank plate in the middle. Then you have carbon fibre support peace at the mid. Instead of having a shank plate in the middle of the outsole, they switched it up. So support is okay.

You get a lot of breathability from the mesh tongue on the shoe. So ventilation is excellent.

These sneakers are pretty durable, and you can also wear these casually. But as far as on the court, this shoe is getting excellent reviews. They love the traction on the shoe indoors. The fit is fantastic. It’s fun to play in just because of being high. So it’s fun for a lot of people to wear. And you get fly knit technology, which is great. Everyone loves this fly knit.

3. Nike KD 8 elite – Extra Supportive And Responsive

The traction is above average, but it’s not excellent. Well, the problem with this was that it picks up a ton of dust and dirt, and you have to wipe a lot, maybe after every two to three plays, which is annoying. After the dust gets stuck, you never get a good stop, and you get slips. However, On a clean court, the traction performs pretty well, offering a superior grip. So the traction on these gets 7 out of 10.

Nike Kd 8 have a full-length midsole, and It’s articulated, but it feels a little stiffer than regular. The reason why I like the KD 8 elite is because of bouncy feeling, and it doesn’t compress much. You get an outstanding response and the right amount of impact protection. You feel low to the ground. So you don’t see too many shoes anymore with falling zoom. I give it nine out of 10.

The upper material is a little different from the KD regular. The KD regular used a fly weave material, and It’s a soft and pliable upper. It goes all-around your foot, and then they overlaid it with super-durable synthetic leather. It feels like a snakeskin pattern on there.

You have to keep your wings, and heel counter in the back. One thing I did not like was the little support piece because it kept digging into my ankle, and my feet hurt pretty bad after some time. But other than that, the material is soft. You don’t have to break it in that much because this material doesn’t need to be soft. After all, that’s where you need support for cuts and crossovers.

These are hard to put on at first, but when you break it in, it’s nice and easy to put them on. So anyways the materials were nice.

The fit is nice and lovely. As far as sizing is concerned, these fit true to size. For wide footers, I suggest going up half a size so they fit better and you get superior performance overall.

Lockdown in the forefoot and the heel was excellent. The materials are very supportive and tight. So you feel very supportive, and you get no slippage at all.

4. Nike Air Jordan 30 – Best Grip And Lockdown

These guys have a full-length translucent outsole. This works pretty well outdoor and indoor both. As far as you keep the traction clean, you’re going to get some fantastic grip. This setup was just disappointing as the Kobe 11 . when the floor has the slightest amount of dust, the Air Jordan thirty somehow locates it and invites it over for a party with a solid rubber outsole. So be aware of the dust issue.

Now, as far as cushioning is concerned, the tooling remains the same as the previous model Air Jordan Twenty nine. You get that unlock forefoot Zoom unit, and that works amazingly well. If you have not tried, unlock Zoom at its full capacity, then try it. I am sure you will love it. The most notable thing in the heel is that they removed the TPU that was wrapped around the midsole in the previous model, even though it is present in the forefoot. So this forefoot section receives no instability issues whatsoever.

While receiving optimal cushioning with that unlock zoom, the forefoot is well contained. However, with the heel, it allows the heel to compress quite a bit. You can see the compression lines right there, and that does cause some minor instability. Now, with that instability, you also get a more excellent transition. So you get the smooth heel to toe transition. It feels great.

The upper is a little bit thinner here than it was on the twenty-nine. Initially, it feels a little cheap, but it’s held up so far and shows no signs of slowing down even after numerous on-court beatings. These things have held up perfectly. Jordan Brand also added an additional toe cap to protect the material from toe drags. And while I believe that the pieces are visually unappealing, it does his job. So I really can’t complain.

It’s one of my favourite parts from a functional standpoint, because when that traction gets clogged up, what I’ll do is I’ll drag my toe across it. And this stuff cleans off the bottom of my shoes. Last but not least, they’ve added fly knit to the shoe. The entire collar and interior comprise of fly knit. The good point is that it stretches around your ankle, almost giving a custom fit in this section.

Now, as far as fit is concerned, Air Jordan 30 fit true to size. However, they are a little bit more narrow than the regular Air Jordan. And they’re more in line with the Air Jordan. You get better forefoot fit and containment than the air Jordan twenty-nine.

For fit adjustments, the Air Jordan 30 features a traditional lacing system with round laces and eyelets. You get a nice touch to the rear panel aside from the comfort it brings to the ankle just because of fly knit on the collar.

5. Nike Air Max Audacity – Outstanding Support And Solid Traction

Nike Mens Air Max Audacity 2016 have a herringbone traction pattern with a weird claw mark on it. The traction was pretty damn good, but dust is a minor issue. You just need a pretty light wipe, and you are good to go. For outdoor use, it would be okay. It’s not the deepest or thickest rubber, but it is hard.

Nike Air Max Audacity have a full-length phylon midsole, and at the heel, Nike Mens Air Max Audacity 2016 have an Air max unit so that you get excellent impact protection on hard landings. The heel to toe drop off is pretty significant. So cushioning in the forefoot is just phylon.

At the upper, you have a nice little mesh, and it almost felt like a wolverine, backed with a little foam in the ankle. There’s some fuse stuff, but it’s all right when you. It doesn’t feel premium at all. But when you put on weight, it’s soft and pliable. The breathable material has fuse overlays. You get excellent ventilation in high wear areas and eyelets.

These guys fit true to size. What I liked about the shoe is the fit is impressive. It is perfect for me. So that means it’s more of a narrow fit. If you have a wide fit, probably go up, have a size, So you feel terrific.

Lockdown was very good. I did not have any issues with the lockdown in the heel and the forefoot. Everything was securely locked down by the flywire.

Support was also outstanding. I think every shoe should have an outrigger. I did not roll my ankles, so ankle protection was also excellent.

6. UA Clutch Fit Drive 2 – Best Ankle And Arch Support

The traction is impressive, but it gets dusty. If it’s a dusty court, you will have to wipe after every two to three plays. If the court is clean or once I do wipe, you stop hard and fast. You get excellent stopping power. It is a basic traction, and you have to break it in just a little bit, maybe for a few days to see the traction getting stick to the floor.

Now, moving on to the midsole flash cushioning system. Under Armour Clutch Fit Drive 2 get fully charged cushioning. And there is a slight micro G. It’s very plush and nice cushioning setup. It’s not bouncy at all, but it does give significant impact protection. The transition is charming, and it offers a responsive ride.

The materials on Under Armour Clutch Fit Drive 2 is fully synthetic, and It is very soft and supportive. It feels like a spandex kind of material. And I’m giving the material a nine out of ten.

I would recommend you to stay true to size because under armour are always very narrow or normal to narrow size. The overall fit is very nice.

The support on these is pretty good. You don’t need to wear ankle brace at all while wearing this. This will save your ankle from an ankle roll. So support was excellent in the forefoot and the ankle area.

This is where I had an issue. It is a poorly ventilated material after two to three hours of play you get moisture on your feet, so your feet slip off the footbed.

7. Under Armour Sc 3 Zero Ii – Unique And Durable Material

The traction is, as usual, a multidirectional traction pattern. It’s fantastic indoors and outdoors either the court is clean or dirty. The traction on the Curry three zero two is phenomenal. I’m not sure why Under Armour is the only brand that takes traction seriously, but for some reason, it feels like if you’re looking for traction, traction is the most important thing to you.

Under Armour basketball shoes typically have the cushion same as it was on the original three zero, which is a microchip midsole carrier with a charged little foam in the heel. However, these don’t feel the same, but these feature unlimited court feel without sacrificing the cushion, so It’s going to take care of you.

Now, the heel area of the shoe looks a little bit clunky and thick. When you put the shoe on, you can feel that it starts to taper into the forefoot. At the tip of the toe, you almost feel like it’s just the rubber and the floor feels interesting. You also get some cushion underneath the heel of your foot. Overall it’s a great setup.

It does have a little bit of firmness to it. So it’s a little bit more stable and it is better than standard EVA. But if you’re looking for a balanced ride, stability and better Courtfield, but also you don’t want to give up a cushion for those things, so This is one of those shoes that’s going to provide that for you.

Now, the materials on Under Armour Men’s Sc 3 Zero Ii are pretty interesting. They feel like you’re wearing a wet suit, but they don’t feel like neoprene. The Under Armour calls it “molded max preen upper”.This mimics the feel or fit of neoprene, but it does not feel like neoprene. All I know is that when you finally get your foot in there, these things fit like a glove. It’s awesome.

Then the tongue and the midfoot area are a stretch mesh material that looks like woven material. It feels great on foot. It doesn’t hurt at all. Overall Under Armour Men’s Sc 3 Zero Ii get unique material featuring a unique feel.

Now the fit is true to size, just because of the material that they fit very snug fit and offer one to one feel with your foot.

As far as wide footers are concerned, these fit snug, so this might not be a shoe for you. I prefer you to go on to something that actually fits your foot shape than going up half the size. Because You are going to sacrifice the support, and that’s not going a good thing.

The overall lockdown is solid. I didn’t have any real issues. The lacing system is kind of strange. It wraps around the shoe, and it’s this nylon strand thing. It took me a minute just to get used to it because once you break the shoe, you do have to readjust your laces to tighten yourself in there, but once you figure out that perfect tightness then for sure you will love these things.

Now, as far as support, they have everything except for one thing. And I do feel like the one thing that they’re missing is one of the most important things that you can have an issue. That’s a heel counter. There is legitimately no heel counter. I have never seen that before in a basketball shoe that I can remember at least. But luckily for me, I never rolled my foot off the footbed.

The little lift in the middle helps prevent your foot from rolling over the footbed. But it’s not anything substantial, at least not in my opinion. I really would have wished that they used something in here, whether it be a small internal heel counter or a thin external heel counter.

However, the rest of the support features were fantastic, especially at the lateral outriggers rubber area. It really Cups up into your foot ensuring that you don’t roll off of the forefoot of the footbed, which is fantastic.

Overall support is fantastic and it is very stable. You will love it, especially if you’re a shooter.

8. AIR JORDAN SUPERFLY MVP L – Excellent For Indoor Use

AIR JORDAN SUPERFLY MVP L get pretty soft rubber outsole with circular traction pattern. Disappointingly the traction is terrible on the dirty courts because dust gets stuck, which will remove the bite effect on the court. On a clean court, you get nice traction and incredible stopping power. But playing on a dirtier setting, you get less grip on the court, and it’s pretty hard to wipe off the dust, so just watch out for that dust. Overall these are pretty good for indoor use.

Caged react foam is used for cushioning, and it is pretty stiff, but the response and impact protection is good. It feels like a react carrier or some type of foam carrier. But this is an excellent setup for bigger guys, and if you want a lot more support, then these are good to go for you.

The rubber is stiff, but the significant part is a little softer. So the court feel is not the best, but the response and impact protection is incredibly good. And also you feel a little bit of compression. This cushion wasn’t horrible, but I expected a lot more from this shoe. So overall, the cushion was great.

You have a combination of mesh. The upper is a mesh material, and all the synthetic leather underlay’s material is very stiff, and you feel pretty bulky at first. It needs a lot of breaking in, but once you break it in, it gets pretty soft. If you want stiff and supportive materials, then this is good to go for you.

As far as fit is concerned, Air Jordan Super Fly MVP L fit true to size. However, many testers claimed that the forefoot fits a little bit tighter. I want you to stay true to size. The mesh stretches on your foot with the tongue, and it just enhances the fit. And it reminds me of synthetic coming over for support. So the fit was pretty nice.

I did not get any issues with support and lockdown. You get the right amount of ankle restriction and also excellent lateral containment.

There are really no ventilation holes in them. There’s no air through the upper. So, it was on the warmer side ventilation wise.

Conclusion

I am concluding the best high top basketball shoes after considering and reviewing their features. They are a good option for every basketball player because they provide ultimate protection and support to the feet. Also, everyone tends to choose the most comfortable shoes for their game because doing so helps them to play well.

These basketball shoes have almost all the qualities of what we call the best. They have a high upper, which causes the feet to restrict in a limited space. But this restriction protects the feet of the player by minimizing the unusual type of movement.

There is always a risk of an ankle injury during this play. High top with great cushioning and soft padding inside fixes this problem. The upper supports the feet during moving and the cushioning along with the padding protects the feet inside.

The breathability is another important factor in the high top basketball shoes. Since high top basketball shoes are a bit heavier and they have extra fabric. So, a player may feel that his feet are getting sweaty. Breathable air zoom technology along with high top support makes a perfect combination.

Traction is another important factor to consider. High top upper when combined with good traction technology i.e good design and the type of court, allows one to play very well.
High top shoes have a very good fit and design, and they are available in a certain color range, so one never gets bored.

These shoes also have some cons. Sometimes, they may feel a bit heavier and they also restrict mobility. But for the sake of durability and stability, they have good qualities so they are a good option for the basketball players.