Ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season, everyone is talking about which teams could make a run this year, or which players will elevate themselves to true superstar status. We’re here to answer another very important question: Who has the best signature sneaker in basketball?
Veterans like LeBron James and Kevin Durant are still lacing up some of the best sneakers on the court every night. There are also plenty of first-timers on our list this year, like Anthony Edwards and Devin Booker. And we would have been remiss not to mention Sabrina Ionescu’s Nike Sabrina 2. So, we expanded the pool beyond NBA signature shoes for this ranking.
Just to clarify how we came up with our top 10, we took into account factors like design, on-court moments, the player’s current star power, and storytelling. Yes, these are performance sneakers at the end of the day. But we’d be lying to you if we said we’ve logged enough runs at our local gyms to give an honest, thorough performance breakdown for each of these 10 sneakers. We’re sure most of them excel in that department as well. This guy can certainly help you decide what pair is best for the court. That just isn’t what we’re here for, respectfully.
Jordan Tatum 3. Via Nike
Released: Oct. 10, 2024
Price: $125
Until Luka Dončić actually starts wearing his current signature shoe, we can’t in good conscience give him a slot in this ranking. More deserving of the nod on the Jordan Brand squad right now is Jason Tatum, whose latest shoe is bold enough without being weird just for the sake of it. The upper is segmented by squiggly lines that are meant to represent his family tree. If Tatum manages to achieve this season what he did last season, then his sneakers will deserve plenty more celebrating. —Brendan Dunne
Released: Dec. 8, 2023
Price: $150
Devin Booker’s first signature shoe with Nike got off to a bit of a rocky start with its debut release going down last year at Art Basel in Miami, almost 2,000 air miles away from Phoenix. We all know about the drama that ensued with his Instagram comment that was the talk of the sneaker internet for a weekend, but at the end of the day, the Nike Book 1 is deserving of a spot on this list. For my money, the standout colorways of the shoe have been the remixed iterations that Booker has worn on court inspired by other iconic Swoosh silhouettes. The Suns guard has laced up a “Shattered Backboard” Jordan 1 version, an Air Max 95 “Neon” variety, a pair inspired by the ACG Mowabb, and others. It is clear that Nike set out to make Booker a shoe that has the ability to be worn seamlessly on and off the court, something that has been missing from performance basketball footwear for quite some time. Nike and Booker succeeded with that, all the extra noise aside. —Ben Felderstein
Adidas Dame 9. Via Flight Club
Released: Sept. 13, 2024
Price: $120
Simply put, Adidas Basketball is headed in the right direction. Of course we know about the Adidas AE 1—it’s number one on this list and we also ranked it as the best sneaker of 2024 so far. But that’s not all that’s going right for the Three Stripes on the court; the Adidas Harden Vol. 8 is the Beard’s best model in years and the Adidas Dame 9 is quite possibly Lillard’s best signature sneaker yet. Much like both the AE 1 and the Harden Vol. 8, the Dame 9 features a molded upper shell with a sock-like booty liner that looks as if it was born from the Adidas Yeezy era.
Released: March 6, 2024
Price: $125
This sneaker was a long time coming. Kyrie Irving became a pariah in the pandemic when he refused to get vaccinated and public perception was that he’d endanger tens of thousands of people by stepping foot on a basketball court. It felt like that didn’t do him any favors with employees at Nike, either. It didn’t help that he called the Kyrie 8 design “trash” and said he didn’t approve the design. All of this came to a culmination when Irving posted a link online to an antisemitic video and then refused to denounce it. He was suspended by the NBA and dropped by Nike. Two years later, and after a bunch of rumors and courting, Irving finally signed to Anta and released his first signature sneaker with the Chinese footwear brand, the Kai 1. Drama aside, it’s a good looking shoe. The launch colorway, a mix of purple, pink, and white, is stellar, and the shoe’s design language picks up where the Kyrie line left off at Nike. His first shoe with Anta has a forefoot strap and includes elements of the sacred knowledge that Irving is known to have an interest in. —Matt Welty
Released: May 17, 2024
Price: $150
As much as we love to see what innovative designs sneaker brands can bring to the table—as evidenced by some of the sneakers higher up on this list—nostalgia is undefeated. The low-top design of the Nike KD 17 pulls obvious cues from the Air Max Plus with its wavy gradient overlays. It’s another not-so-subtle attempt from Nike Basketball to recapture the lifestyle market that it once dominated in the 2010s. Was the KD 17 the catalyst? Probably not. But the resemblance to the Air Max Plus certainly gave it more potential and interest than it’d have received otherwise. A lackluster showing by the Suns in last year’s Playoffs didn’t help its debut, but new colorways and a fresh start to the season should bring some renewed interest to the model. —Mike DeStefano
Adidas Harden Vol. 8. Via Adidas
Released: Feb. 23, 2023
Price: $160
The Harden Vol. 8 is a Rorschach Test of a sneaker. At the least, it’s a conversation piece. Does it look good or bad? Depends on who you ask. Some say it’s one of the best sneakers in recent memory (it’s not that) and some think it’s ass (I think that’s a bit harsh). One thing for certain is it’s James Harden’s most talked-about signature sneaker with Adidas since the launch of his first shoe, the Vol. 1. It’s a stripped-down design, but also an exaggerated-looking shoe all together. It’s big and bulbous. The black and orange colorway looks like the peach emoji. The sneaker, all together, is a big caboose of a piece of footwear. That’s the emotion it elicits in me. Some people might say that’s not the best description of a sneaker. Or at least the most favorable. But what I will tell you is that I couldn’t tell you what Harden Vol.2-Vol.7 even look like. So that’s a plus either way. —Matt Welty
Nike LeBron 22. Via Nike
Released: Nov. 1, 2024
Price: $180
There’s no arguing against the fact that LeBron James’ signature line has had its ups and downs. It’s hard to create a sneaker that can perform for someone that is as big and powerful as LeBron and make it so that regular people want to wear it. Much like its predecessor, the tooling of the LeBron 22’s upper lends itself to a bounty of material options. We saw James wear shimmering metallic leather pairs in the Olympics as well as multi-color versions with pebbled leather. The LeBron 22 boasts perhaps the most unique Swoosh variation we have ever seen as well, connecting to LeBron’s signature stamped on its heel and wrapping along both the lateral and medial midfoot but never quite completing the customary Swoosh shape. While this might not be one of the best recent models from James and Nike, it will always be remembered for its gold medal-winning moments in Paris. — Ben Felderstein
Released: Sept. 26, 2024
Price: $120
Ja Morant’s debut signature model, the Nike Ja 1, enjoyed a two-season retail cycle, but unfortunately didn’t log much court time on Morant’s feet due to a combination of disciplinary and injury-related reasons. It was a strong start to his line, with a low-cut design that resonated with hoopers at all levels of play and plenty of storytelling, but lacked significant on-court moments from its muse. The Ja 2 looks to add that element with Morant healthy again and ready to begin the 2024-25 season in his second signature model. Reasonably priced at $120, the sneaker picks up where its predecessor left off, using a similar formula that includes a low cut and forefoot Zoom Air, in an even lighter package. As we’ve seen in previewed colorways and the pairs Morant wore in the preseason, the sneaker can take on vastly different looks depending on its materials and upper patterns. Considering Morant’s high-risk style of play, the chances of the Ja 2 leaving a lasting impression via on-court highlights are strong. —Zac Dubasik
Nike Sabrina 2. Via Nike
Released: June 28, 2024
Price: $130
The Nike Sabrina 2 already has its spot in history as the sneaker Sabrina Ionescu wore to win her, and the New York Liberty’s, first championship. It’s the shoe she wore while sinking an extremely Ionescu logo three to seal Game 3 of the 2024 WNBA Finals. It’s the shoe she had on feet while battling it out to the end of overtime in Game 5. That context alone is enough to uplift the sneaker, but it doesn’t stop there. Beyond those on-court moments, Ionescu’s second model has been all over the NBA. She herself has attested to how many requests she gets from people asking for pairs. Even Liberty mascot Ellie has her own version. Like Ionescu, the shoe stands on its merit regardless of any qualifiers or filters you want to attach. Don’t call it one of the best women’s basketball sneakers out there—it’s one of the best basketball sneakers right now, period. —Brendan Dunne
Adidas AE 1. Via Adidas
Released: Dec. 16, 2023
Price: $120
You probably knew this was coming. But don’t overthink it. Even as we await the unveil of the AE2, the Adidas AE 1 is the only choice. Anthony Edwards’ debut signature sneaker didn’t just renew the energy around Adidas Basketball, but basketball sneakers at large. First and foremost, it helps that the guy wearing the sneakers every night is a walking highlight reel (sorry it had to be you, John Collins). Make no mistake about it, the 23-year-old T’Wolves guard is a face of the next generation of the NBA. The AE 1 is also just eye-catching. Its futuristic honeycomb design looks like nothing else on the market right now. And it’s been aided by memorable colorways like the iridescent All-Star pair, mismatched red and blue makeup for the 2024 McDonald’s All-American Game, and low-cut USA-themed Olympic versions. Perhaps the best part of the AE 1’s debut has been the marketing.
Official ads took direct shots at competitors like Nike and Puma, riffed on Nike’s iconic “Banned” Air Jordan 1 commercial from the ‘80s, and leaned into Edwards’ energetic and comedic personality that makes him so likable in the first place. More simply put, the spots were actually fun, and showed off who Edwards really is. When your name is on the shoe, that type of authenticity is important. If Adidas and Ant Man can keep up the momentum that has started with the AE 1, expect to see this signature line at the top half of lists like this for years to come. For more of our thoughts on the AE 1, check out our full story here. —Mike DeStefano
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