Best Kids Basketball Shoes (2023 Buyers Guide)

Buying a pair of basketball shoes for your kids is an important process. They’re still learning the game, and deciding how much they love it, and a good pair of shoes can make a major difference on how much they enjoy it and how much they can get out of their talent. This article will help you to decide upon the best kids basketball shoes this 2023 season, as well as providing a list of some of the most important factors you need to consider in making your decision.

Reviews of the 5 Best Kids Basketball Shoes, Plus 2 to Avoid

1.) Nike KD 8 Youth Shoe

• Nike Men’s KD 8 Basketball Shoe Review: Kids love star players, and what better NBA star to have their shoe named after than Kevin Durant. The KD 8 is incredibly comfortable, something which is particularly important for kids, who tend to be a little more picky about what they wear out on the floor. The Nike Flyweave construction helps to create this comfort, providing a lightweight shoe that is also extremely supportive to protect your kids’ vulnerable ankles. It has a high level of traction, which will enable your kid to practice their best crossover moves, something which is also aided by the Articulated Zoom Air unit. These are available in a wide range of styles and colors, so you can be confident that your kid will love at least one of them. Overall, these are probably the best kids basketball shoes this 2023 season.

• To watch the Nike Men’s KD 8 Basketball Shoe Review on YouTube, click here.

2.) Jordan Nike Kids Air 1 Mid Basketball Shoe

• Jordan Nike Kids Air 1 Mid Basketball Shoe Review: Jordan produces some of the most iconic basketball shoes going around, so your kid will love their youth version of this product. The leather and synthetic product is comfortable, supportive and looks great, providing your kid with everything they need to dominate out on the floor. It has a perforated toe, allowing extreme breathability and comfort, meaning your child will love this as soon as they put it on. With a rubber sole, they can also be used on indoor or outdoor surfaces without being scuffed up, a great benefit considering kids will most likely wear them inside and outside regardless. These are available in a range of basic styles, and all of them have the typical Jordan look. All of these great features combine to make one of the best basketball shoes for kids that you’ll find.

• To watch the Jordan Nike Kids Air 1 Mid Basketball Shoe Review on YouTube, click here.

3.) Nike LeBron XIII Boy’s Basketball Shoes

• Nike LeBron XIII Boy’s Basketball Shoes Review: LeBron has been the best player in the world for many years, so it’s no surprise to see his signature Nike basketball shoe come out as one of the better options available on the market. LeBron is idolized by adults and children alike, but kids in particular will be thrilled with the opportunity to strut around in these shoes. These synthetic, rubber sole shoes are extremely durable, ensuring you’ll get bang for your buck regardless of how often your child wears them. With a higher top, they also provide terrific support, meaning you can be comfortable in the knowledge that your child’s feet and ankles are being well protected. Reviews of this product are all extremely positive, with no major flaws being detected, making this one of the best youth basketball shoes going around.

• To watch the Nike LeBron XIII Boy’s Basketball Shoes Review on YouTube, click here.

4.) Nike Boy’s Team Hustle D 7 Basketball Shoe

• Nike Boy’s Team Hustle D 7 Basketball Shoe Review: This is a fantastic option for your child, and one that also comes in a little bit cheaper than some of it’s competitors. With deep flex grooves, this is a flexible shoe that will enable your child to maximize their lateral movement, while the perforated panels enable extreme breathability for the foot. This shoe also has a rubber sole, like many of the shoes in this list, which can help to give parents a little peace of mind, knowing that the shoe will be able to last regardless of the surface on which their child is using it. As mentioned, the shoes are a little less expensive, but you don’t need to worry about a drop off in quality; these will still get good use for an extended period of time, making these some of the best kids basketball shoes on a budget.

• To watch the Nike Boy’s Team Hustle D 7 Basketball Shoe Review on YouTube, click here.

5.) Jordan Air III Retro OG (Kids)

• Jordan Air III Retro OG (Kids) Review: These Jordan Air II Retro Kids shoes are as stylish as they get, and your kid will no doubt have the coolest looking pair of shoes on the floor if they’ve got these on. This leather pair from one of the best makers of basketball shoes in the business will provide your child with plenty of support, enabling to break ankles like MJ. With suede soles they’re probably best suited for indoor hoops, but your child will still be able to use them outside without worrying about them falling apart. The style of these shoes is second to none, but they are also high performance, giving your child the best of both worlds. Being from such a well-regarded brand they are inevitably a little more expensive, but these might be the best youth basketball shoes over $100, so they’re well worth it.

• To watch the Jordan Air III Retro OG (Kids) Review on YouTube, click here.

Avoid – Adidas Neo Kids’ BB9TIS Mid K

• Adidas Neo Kids’ BB9TIS Mid K Review: These shoes aren’t all bad, but they have one major drawback; the exterior is repeatedly reported as wearing away after just a couple of weeks of use. Perhaps this can be attributed to the cheaper price tag, but given kids can be particularly picky about what they wear, a pair of basketball shoes with paint peeling off all over them might not be something they’re comfortable in! Other than that the shoes aren’t terrible, providing reasonable enough support and comfort, but the lack of durability is a significant problem and makes it very difficult to justify purchasing this shoe. Adidas can normally be trusted to make high quality products, but this one has missed the mark a little, so you should probably avoid these kids basketball shoes.

• To watch the Adidas Neo Kids’ BB9TIS Mid K Review on YouTube, click here.

Avoid – Dream Pairs Light Up Fashion Sneakers

• Dream Pairs Light Up Fashion Sneakers Review: Dream Pairs have clearly designed this shoe with the intention of marketing it based on the light-up feature, which is something kids will no doubt love. Unfortunately, the shoe itself is very poor quality, and you shouldn’t expect to get more than a month or so of use out of it. A huge amount of reviews claimed that the shoe fell apart after not a great deal of use, so buying this shoe for your child to wear while playing basketball would be a major mistake. Not only is the support relatively non-existent, but you’ll have to buy another pair after just a few games. The light-up feature is nice to appeal to the kids, but these are the worst basketball shoes for kids this 2023 season, so don’t bother with them.

• To watch the Dream Pairs Light Up Fashion Sneakers Review on YouTube, click here.

2023 Buyers Guide to the Best Kids Basketball Shoes

Before you buy your kid a pair of basketball shoes, you’ll want to consider a few important factors to avoid having them thrown back at you by an unhappy child. The factors below will help to ensure that your kid is happy, comfortable and well supported in their pair of shoes, and avoid the dramas of buying a gift that they don’t like.

3 Main Points to Consider

• Support: Your child might not thank you for this, but buying them a pair of shoes that is going to provide a high level of support to their feet and ankles is extremely important. Children generally don’t have quite the level of co-ordination of adults, and as result they are more susceptible to injury, particularly in a fast moving game like basketball. A good, sturdy pair of shoes can significantly reduce the risk of them going over on an ankle, something no parent wants to see. Particularly in their formative years, an injury can also be detrimental to their desire to play the game, and it isn’t unusual to see kids give up a sport after they suffer a bad injury from it. As a result, buying a pair of basketball shoes that is going to provide excellent support to their lower leg and ankles should be paramount in your decision.

• Comfort: We all know how fickle children can be about what they wear, and a pair of shoes that they don’t feel comfortable in can be a recipe for disaster. If your child is running around out on the floor thinking about how sore their feet are, or how their shoes are rubbing against their heels because they also don’t have good basketball socks, not only is it going to impact their performance, but it’s going to impact their enjoyment of the game. It seems excessive to put this much emphasis on comfort, but anyone running around playing a game of ball wants to feel comfortable, and this fact is even more pertinent with children. Buying a pair of comfortable shoes for your child will enable them to maximize their enjoyment of the game, and focus more on developing their skills, rather than on all the discomfort going on in their lower extremities. 

• Looks: Though we might not all like to admit it, most people are at least a little bit concerned with their appearance, and given the wide range of great shoes available, this is particularly the case with basketball. This fact is heightened even further with children, who tend to place a significant emphasis on whether they look cool. Buying them a pair of shoes that they love the look of will probably be enough in isolation to make them happy, so make sure you either give them some say in the matter, or buy a pair that you know they’ll love. A good looking pair of shoes will make them feel confident and comfortable out on the floor, and will probably lead to them getting greater enjoyment out of the game.

As a parent, do you need to buy expensive kids basketball sneakers or is it okay to go budget?

As with all factors to do with price, it depends on what you’re comfortable with. All the factors mentioned above – support, comfort, and looks – are likely to improve as you go higher up the price chain, so if you’re capable of spending a little more you’ll probably be rewarded for it. Having said that, no parent should feel obliged to break the bank on a pair of basketball shoes. There is such a huge array of shoes on the market that they come at a wide range of different prices, and there are plenty of great options that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. If you do the relevant research, you shouldn’t have any problem finding a shoe, which looks great, will make your child feel comfortable, and will support their feet and ankle, all for a relatively reasonable price.

Best Kids Basketball Shoes (2023 Buyers Guide):

Final Thoughts on Buying the Best Kids Basketball Shoes

Finding the best basketball shoes for your kid isn’t that different to finding the best pair for yourself. They need support, comfort, and will want a pair of shoes that look good, and if you can find all of these, then both you and your child will probably be happy with your purchase. Following the advice provided in this article, you shouldn’t have any problems finding the best kids basketball shoes this 2023 season.