This year brought us a lot of amazing basketball sneakers, but only the best made it to the BALLER’s TOP list.
Taking into account each player's position and playing style, the list will consist of 4 categories: best all-around, best for guards, best for forwards/centers and bang for your buck.
Without wasting any time, let's take a look at the BALLER’s Best Basketball Sneakers of 2022!
Let’s go!
BEST ALL-AROUND
Shoes with excellent dynamics, providing the necessary performance on the court for all types of players.
1. Nike KD 15
Over the past four years, the KD line has become one of the highest standards of basketball footwear, and the Nike KD 15 is at the pinnacle of that evolution.
The Nike KD 15 upper utilizes a combination of multi-layer mesh tooling and synthetic materials that nicely balance comfort and durability.
The midsole features a top-loaded full-length Zoom Strobel and Cushlon combination which feels straight up amazing. It offers plenty of responsiveness and bounce but doesn’t lack as far as court feel goes.
Sharing a topographic style pattern with the iconic Kobe 9, the KD 15 displays a beastly and aggressive grip on any surface.
Although it remains one of the narrowest models in terms of width, the KD 15 will not disappoint players with wide feet. The form-fitting and soft upper allow for free motion of the foot while offering plush step comfort the first moment they're put on.
In terms of stability, the strap used in the KD 14 was replaced by plastic caging connecting the lacing system on both sides. This made it possible to create straight-up beastly lateral stability.
2. Air Jordan 36
Armed with the most innovative technologies and exclusive design, the Air Jordan 36 continues the dominance of this iconic signature line.
The unique pattern of the Leno-Weave upper combines two difficult-to-match aspects - an extremely minimal feel and structural sturdiness.
A full-length Zoom Strobel paired with a bottom-loaded forefoot Zoom Air unit combines for a well-rounded platform that has something to offer to any type of player.
Well-spaced multi-directional pattern combined with the improved rubber compound ensures powerful bite and quick stopping power, even on most poorly maintained courts.
Thanks to a long list of innovative features, the AJ 36 offers a second-skin fit that doesn't lack containment in most force-receiving areas.
The package of surprisingly strong materials combined with the midsole wrapping upward upper, and Eclipse plate for torsional rigidity is all you need in the support category.
3. Nike Cosmic Unity 2
Continuing the line’s successful run, the Nike Cosmic Unity 2 matches all the qualities of the main signature lines from the Nike family. It’s basically the KD 15 in an astronaut costume.
Nike Cosmic Unity upper features a well-built combination of textiles and widely-spaced mesh zones, offering excellent stability properties while maintaining a high level of comfort and flexibility.
A fairly low forefoot area maintains that explosive bounce sensation generated by the Zoom Air Strobel unit. The heel area, on the other hand, is boosted with a much thicker layer of phylon to create a bouncy and impact protection-heavy tooling.
Widely spaced multidirectional traction pattern ensures consistently stable and aggressive grip with the floor, after overcoming a short break-in process.
At first glance, the quite bulky silhouette of the Cosmic Unity 2, turns out to be reasonably lighter than the first generation. Thanks to the use of adaptive materials, the upper nicely form-fits your foot straight out of the box.
The Nike Cosmic Unity 2 stands out for its trustworthy support, especially on the lateral side. An extended midsole powered by two heel counters make sure slippage or any other unwanted heel movements won’t be an issue, once the laces are tightened.
