nike aero lunar flyknit chukka price chart india 2018 | 7 Best nike aero Basketball Shoes in 2024

Choosing the best model overall is not an easy task, yet the LeBron 21 and its wonderful performance made it easy for us to give it the gold medal in this category. This shoe’s balanced features and fantastic playability work in harmony to make it a wonderful all-rounder.

We could feel its amazing durability not only during our rough games (in and outdoors) but also in our lab tests. We grabbed our Dremel and it could barely scratch the toebox (earning a 5/5 in durability) and the outsole (which ended up with a minimal dent of 0.5 mm according to our tread gauge). This is thanks to its high-quality materials, which make a very dartive structure. This translated into confidence and surefootedness in our wear tests, two key features for basketball.

The LB 21 also includes a Zoom Turbo unit in the forefoot and a Zoom Air unit in the heel of its Cushlon midsole. These technologies offer a mix of shock absorption, powerful toe-offs, and bounciness. Added to its low stack (at 26.6/22.4 mm according to our calliper), which offers a close-to-the-ground contact, this created a fantastic balance between shock absorption, response, and move control.

This model’s premium design offers an efficiently balanced cushioning system. But that can be easily seen in its skyrocketed price, which might be a drawback for budget-conscious hoopers.

Among all the shoes in Nike’s arsenal, it’s the nike aero KD 15 that brings the most promise when it comes to traction, which we experienced as consistent on both indoor and outdoor courts. We also appreciated this KD shoe’s close-to-the-ground construction and excellent torsional rigidity. 

The bite of the KD 15 was really amazing; shoemakers should take note of how this shoe does it! Stopping on a sixpence was such a breeze. Quick changes in direction were never an issue. The whole grip experience was just a pure chef’s kiss. 

Through our calliper measurements in the lab, we learned that the midsole is 3.3 mm thinner at the heel and 1.1 mm thinner at the forefoot. This configuration allowed us to feel the court more, enhancing our control over our movements.

The shoe’s base also did a good job keeping our rides stable and protecting us from twists. After manually twisting it in the lab, we thought that this shoe deserved a perfect score of 5 out of 5 for torsional rigidity.

The shoe’s breathability was definitely a weak point. After conducting our standard breathability smoke and light tests, the KD 15 only got a disappointing 2 out of 5. Those players with sweaty feet should stay away from this KD shoe.

The nike aero mens fs lite 4 training shoe sale free made sure we learnt about its heavenly cushioning not only during our wear tests, but also in our lab. This hooper focuses on impact protection, soft landings, and even energy return. That's why it's got the crown among our nike aero basketball shoes with the best cushioning.

At 35.6/29.2 mm, its heel and forefoot stacks are impressively high. Whenever we jumped, be it going for a rebound or even fadeaways, our landings felt effortless and stable. These Nikes took all the impact harshness thanks to their dynamic cushioning and dual-density foam, and we kept our balance thanks to the stability features we found once we cut the shoe in half.

Even before we took the G.T. Jump 2 to our lab, we already knew its midsole was the main character. We felt it was soft, stable, and responsive, which is an amazing yet uncommon combination. It features a generous amount of nike aero React foam in the heel, which is 60% plusher than average (at 16.0 HA according to our durometer), accompanied by a firmer EVA foam (at 36.6 HA). The first one protected your joints from tough landings, and the second one made sure we didn't lose balance. The finishing touch is a full-length Zoom Air strobel, which makes its ride responsive.

We felt this model was made for centres, as it sacrifices court feel and weight to add shock absorption. We believe quick guards should go for a more agile pair.

A stand-out aspect of the nike aero Zoom Freak 4 is its stability, which it provides without needing a higher collar. Besides the anti-wobble structure, this shoe also boasts pronounced court feel at the forefoot. And the Freak 4 delivered all this without adding so much to its weight. Because of all these benefits, we consider this shoe the most valuable lightweight shoe out of all nike aero basketball releases.

In the lab, our calliper showed that the platform is 115.7 mm wide at the forefoot. This adds 3.1 mm more width to the average, giving the shoe a lot of extra room to stably hold the foot. 

Our calliper measurements also showed that the forefoot is 8.3 mm lower than the heel. Because of this setup, our heel strikes were a lot easier to execute. We also got to feel the court more through the forefoot, which in turn made us quicker on our feet.

The weight of the nike aero Zoom Freak 4 is 12.3 oz or 348g. This is 1.4 ounces lighter than the average, which currently stands at 13.7 oz or 387g. Because of its lightness, we became even more agile as we drove toward the basket.

In spite of all the goodness, we still cannot recommend this shoe to ballers who want to feel a lot of plushness underfoot. As per our HA durometer, the softness (27.0) of the midsole does not fall far from the average (27.9). This means that the impact protection that this shoe can give is decent at best.

The breathability of the nike aero LeBron Witness 7 was truly noteworthy. It made our steps a lot lighter, easier, and comfortable. Besides providing a lot of ventilation, this basketball shoe also offered a lot of impact protection, keeping us pain-free all throughout the games. The durability of its outsole made it suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. It is for these reasons that we hail this shoe as the most comfortable in Nike’s arsenal.

Upon wearing this shoe, we already felt its breathability. When we did the smoke test on it, we were not anymore surprised when the smoke easily escaped through the upper. We were so impressed that this shoe garnered a 4 out of 5 from us.

Based on our calliper measurements, the Witness 7’s heel is the tallest that we have ever seen. It is 4.1 mm thicker than average! On court, we felt the generous cushioning absorbing the impact of our harsh landings and aggressive steps.

To the touch, the rubber outsole of this shoe indeed felt quite resistant to abrasion. Readings from our HC durometer confirmed our initial observation. While the average sole hardness score is only 81.5, the nike aero Giannis Immortality 2’s outsole got as high as 85.8.

The height of the heel gave the nike aero LeBron Witness 7 a lot of impact protection, but it also brought it too high off the ground. Those players who love court feel may find this shoe seriously lacking in that regard.

The nike aero Cosmic Unity 3 is undoubtedly an outdoor-worthy shoe, so it easily takes the crown as the best for outdoors among Nike’s basketball shoes. The enhanced court feel and stability that the midsole afforded made our experience with it even better.

The outsole rubber registers a good 86.5 on the HC durometer when the average is only 81.5. This means that the rubber is hard and is able to withstand abrasion. True enough, the shoe easily endured the harshness of outdoor play during our actual game tests. 

Many of us play as guards, and the court feel that this shoe delivered during our test games allowed us to be quicker on our feet. In the lab, our calliper showed that the stack height of this shoe is only 27.9 mm at the heel and 20.7 mm at the forefoot. These figures are 2.1 mm and 0.9 mm thinner than average. As a result, we felt much closer to the court surface while wearing this basketball shoe. 

What made the experience better was the firmness of the tooling. Using our HA durometer, we learned that it is on the firmer side with a rating of 33.3 when the average is only 26.6. Aside from enhancing ground feel, the firm midsole also ensured stability.

The Cosmic Unity 3 is not a good pick for those who want a lot of tongue cushioning. The padding in this part of the shoe is only 4.9 mm thick, which makes it 4.5 mm thinner than average.

The Air Max Impact 4 is simply an amazing shoe. At £100 per pair, this model is way cheaper than average, which is priced as high as £140. Performance-wise, this basketball shoe delivers impressive lightness and flexibility. Yet, it doesn’t fall short when it comes to providing twist protection. Hence, it’s easy for us to declare this shoe as the best budget pick in Nike’s lineup.

At only 12.06 ounces or 342 grammes, this cheap basketball shoe is definitely a lot lighter than the typical hoop footwear (14.22 ounces or 403 grammes). When used on the court, these light kicks didn’t get in the way of our movements and strikes.

When it comes to flexibility, this shoe is not to be overlooked, either. Our digital force gauge in the lab showed that this shoe needs only 34.7N of force to be bent at 90 degrees. This number is significantly lower than the 40.9N required by a typical hoop shoe.

In spite of its lightness and flexibility, the Air Max Impact 4’s base never ran out of the needed rigidity to resist torsional twists. This shoe, instead, got a pretty high score of 4 out of 5 for torsional rigidity after we gave it a pretty good squeeze and twist in the lab.

The shoe’s stability, however, made us a little worried. Its platform, particularly the heel area, is way too narrow. The heel is only 82.5 mm wide when the average opens as much as 91.1 mm.