7 Best nike free Basketball Shoes in 2025

Dimitrije Curcic
Dimitrije Curcic on
7 Best nike free Basketball Shoes in 2025

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When it comes to sports footwear, nike free leads. This holds true even in performance basketball, where the brand and its subsidiary, Jordan, hold more than 80% of the market. This makes quite an extensive range to choose from.

Some models come with extra cushioning, some have outstanding grip, and some provide the most secure lockdown around your ankle. On top of that, you can also find those all-around performers that successfully blend all of the above. We are aware that this is a tedious process of choosing. 

To help you find the right option, we have tested these basketball shoes in our lab, where we measured their outsole durability, flexibility, and heel counter stiffness, and we tested them on the courts. Thanks to this dual approach, we were able to select the cream of the crop for various categories. 

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If you would like to know what happens behind our comprehensive reviews and top-pick recommendations, read below:

  • We buy all the shoes with our own money. We have no sponsorships or contracts with the brands. This allows us to publish bias-free, in-depth reviews.
  • We play basketball in these shoes, both indoors and outdoors. The main features we observe and examine are grip, spring, lateral support, and lockdown.
  • In our lab, we use a saw to cut the shoes in half and then other devices like calipers, durometers, a smoke machine and a force gauge to assign data points to different shoe features.

Best nike free basketball shoes overall

What makes it the best?

The LeBron 22 has proved its old aesthetics come with an up-to-date design ready to conquer the court. We enjoyed its top-tier traction and technologies, which come in a really supportive structure that was made to last. Yeah, there was no way we wouldn't give it our number 1 as the best nike free basketball shoes overall!

This pair's cushioning setup is just delightful. There's an Air Zoom unit at the heel that offers comfort and support; a shank at the midfoot that provides stability and structure; and a Zoom Turbo unit at the forefoot that provides some bounce. According to our durometer, all this rests in a 30.5 HA Cushlon 2.0 foam that propelled us back after every landing during our wear tests.

Apart from comfort, this nike free hooper also offers great durability and traction. For a start, its structure scored a 5/5 on our torsional rigidity test, so the foot containment was over the top. Its toebox and heel padding got two solid 4/5 on our durability test, proving the materials are made to last. But it was its outsole, with a dent of only 0.7 mm, that shone the brightest in both sturdiness and traction.

Even though the rubber compound bit the court like a hungry pup, we couldn't move fast because this shoe's tough materials make it pretty heavy. People with quicker footwork who want their shoes to follow their moves should find something else.

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  • Top-tier traction
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  • Incredibly supportive
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  • Made to last
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  • No price increase so far

nike free mens free huarache light shoes clearance code Cons

  • Heavy
  • Not breathable
Full review of nike free LeBron 22

nike free basketball shoes with the best traction

What makes it the best?

The performance and playability of the Sabrina 2 left us open-mouthed both on our wear and lab tests. After seeing how it glued itself to any court, we knew it deserved the throne as the hooper with the best traction among the nike free basketball shoes we’ve analyzed so far.

It features the oldie-but-goldie herringbone pattern that we all know too well. Its multidirectional design let us move side to side easily and confidently. When we took it to our lab and pressed our durometer against it, it returned 71.9 HC. Such a soft result was already a massive hint of the top-tier grip of this hooper!

But the best part is that the material didn't give up its durability. After our Dremel test, the rubber ended up with an average depth dent of 1.1 mm, which is pretty impressive!

Nevertheless, after studying this pair, we believe it’s more suitable for quick guards and small forwards, as its traction and speed suit their playstyle better. Heavier players or big hoopers might wanna pass.

We believe this pair is more suitable for quick guards and small forwards, as its traction and speed suit their playstyle better. Heavier players or big hoopers might wanna pass.

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  • Top-tier performance and playability
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  • Feels super fast
  • Incredibly lightweight
  • Exceedingly durable upper
  • Surprisingly breathable
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  • World-class traction

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Full review of nike free Sabrina 2

nike free basketball shoes with the best cushioning

What makes it the best?

The nike free shoes price in pakistan 2019 price list 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 free 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 grey yet uncommon combination. It features a generous amount of nike free 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.

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  • Extra powerful energy return
  • Outstanding impact protection
  • Dependable grip on clean courts
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  • Very secure foothold
  • Highly breathable upper
  • Fits to a T

nike free mens free huarache light shoes clearance code Cons

  • Zero court feel
  • Not for outdoor courts
  • Heavier than average
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Best lightweight nike free basketball shoes

What makes it the best?

The Freak 6 has earned our gold medal as the best lightweight hooper among nike free basketball pairs. Our feet already knew it thanks to our playtests, so we had to take it to our lab to put our experiences into numbers.

Before anything else, our scale returned 12.31 oz/349g, which is way lower than average. For a shoe with great foot containment, as it scored a 5/5 and a 4/5 on both our torsional rigidity and heel counter stiffness tests, we couldn’t believe how quick it felt during our wear tests!

But that’s not all, as this Giannis pair comes with a wide midsole at the forefoot. Our caliper returned 119.1 mm when we measured it, which gave us plenty of space to land comfortably after our jump shots. Integrated in this area, there’s a springy Zoom Air Unit that helped us with speedy cuts and layups. Talk about pleasing surprises!

Last but not least, its padded tongue (at 9.5 mm according to our caliper) protected us from any kind of lace bite and made the whole fit more comfortable. The problem here is that this Nike’s nimble structure lacks support, which we found pretty disappointing.

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  • Very stable overall
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  • Pretty good court feel on a low profile
  • Feels speedy on foot
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  • Really versatile (positionless)

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Full review of nike free Giannis Freak 6

nike free basketball shoes with the best comfort

What makes it the best?

Our feet enjoyed the incredible comfort of the G.T. Hustle 3 right off the bat even before our lab results could verify it. When we cut it in half, we saw its generously padded interior and stunning midsole. So we needed no further evidence to declare this pair guilty of providing the best comfort among the nike free basketball shoes we’ve reviewed so far.

Its midsole offered us fantastic impact protection and bounce during our wear tests. When we took this pair to our lab and divided it into two halves, we could see it featured multiple nike free technologies. Its two Zoom Air units gave us incredibly soft landings after jumping, as well as energy return. And its soft foam translated into shock absorption and forgiving cushioning, which made the ride incredibly comfortable.

Apart from being padded all over, the G.T. Hustle 3 features an 8.2 mm insole, according to our caliper. It’s an incredible 44% thicker than average, leveling up its already cushioned and comfortable self.

But all these cloud-like features have a price. If you don't want to spend your savings on a new hooper, we believe you should go for something else.

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  • Wonderful impact protection and bounce
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  • Lightweight design
  • Incredibly breathable
  • Fantastic traction
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  • Generously padded interiors
  • Pretty comfortable

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  • Might feel unsafe for light players
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Best nike free basketball shoes for outdoor courts

What makes it the best?

The nike free griffey 1 premium price 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 tiempo 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 caliper 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.

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  • Outstandingly durable
  • One of the most stable shoes
  • Wide platform
  • Very secure lockdown
  • Reliable traction on all courts
  • Breathable enough
  • Sustainable materials

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  • Firm sole with poor impact protection
  • Heavier than average
  • Break-in needed
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Best budget nike free basketball shoes

What makes it the best?

Following our experience in our games and lab tests, we’ve found the Immortality 4 is the best budget pair among the economical hoopers nike free currently offers. Its versatile design and adaptability make its price tag hard to believe, and that’s why it stands at the top of our ranking!

This Giannis pair features a solid structure that offers a wonderful lockdown feel. The perfect 5/5 it earned on both our heel counter stiffness and torsional rigidity tests just confirms the containment we enjoyed during our playtests. And even though we spent hours and hours jumping on the court, the max score (another 5/5) it got on our heel padding durability test proved it’s made to last.

The best part of it all is that its solid structure didn’t make the shoe heavy. At 12.56 oz/356g, it’s lighter than average, and that’s exactly how it felt on foot! It helped us a lot with our nimble footwork, and even though its versatility makes it a positionless hooper, we believe it’s a great pal for players with a quick playstyle.

The cherry on top for its stable yet speedy build is a wider-than-average midsole in the forefoot, as our caliper returned an incredible 124.5 mm when we measured it. The issue here is that, after playing for hours on end, we believe the Immortality 4 doesn’t offer much impact protection.

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  • Fantastic stability and support
  • Quite springy
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  • Pretty speedy on foot
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  • Super versatile (positionless)
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  • Not enough impact protection
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How to choose the best nike free basketball shoe for you

Just like players themselves, basketball shoes vary in their strengths and weaknesses. And even though some nike free shoes are well-rounded enough to deserve everyone’s love, they may not be ideal for certain players.

how-to-choose-the-best-nike-basketball-shoes.jpg

Your playing style, position, and personal preferences should all be considered. Perhaps you need a light shoe with supreme traction and excellent court feel? Or you are a big center looking for a ton of cushioning and support?

In this section, we sort all nike free shoes based on the following key features: cushioning, support, and weight. That way you can find the kick that meets your unique needs on the court.

Most cushioned nike free shoes

nike free mens free huarache light shoes clearance code heel stack of at least 28 mm and a forefoot stack of at least 20 mm. That way you get a much taller platform which provides added impact protection and shock absorption.

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This category is most suitable for the following:

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  • athletes with a history of joint issues (ankles, knees, or hips)
  • players who perform a lot of explosive, high-impact moves, jumps, and dunks and prefer cushioning over court feel

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If you are after the highest level of side-to-side support, you need a nike free shoe with high torsional rigidity, a stiff and supportive heel counter, and a wide platform with lateral flanges.

We rate the stiffness of each nike free shoe on a 1-5 scale (5 is the stiffest)

best-nike-basketball-shoes-midsole-width.jpg
We measure the widest part of the heel and forefoot with a caliper

Every type of player will benefit from these supportive nike free silhouettes as they help to stabilize the foot in a variety of situations - from battles under the rim to high-speed maneuvers.

However, this category is a must to consider if:

  • you seek better ankle support to lower the risk of injury (or you already have a history of ankle injuries)
  • you have flat feet and overpronation

What about collar height? As you can see, not all supportive nike free shoes have mid-top collars. That’s because collar height does NOT necessarily provide better ankle support, according to research. However, the higher collar does create more perceived support which is preferred by some players.

The lightest nike free shoes

nike free sb dunk low pro sb 2002 edition for sale 13.8 oz (390g). Thus, we consider shoes that weigh less than that as lightweight.

best nike free basketball shoes weight 22433833 main
The weight of nike free basketball shoes varies a lot (both shoes are weighed in a mens US size 9)

Guards and small forwards with shifty and agile playing styles are the primary beneficiaries of these lightweight nike free shoes. Having less shoe underfoot allows them to accelerate much quicker and not lose speed during the game. These lighter shoes also tend to have better court feel due to less cushioning.

best-lightweight-nike-basketball-shoes.jpg

Best outdoor basketball shoes from Nike

nike free doesn’t specify which of their basketball shoes are ready for the blacktop. But based on our extensive lab-testing, an outdoor-ready hoop shoe will always have these two characteristics:

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The first one is easy to tell just by looking at the bottom of a shoe.

Thin and sharp treads don’t bode well abrasive concrete courts. And because they are thinner, they also tend to be softer which makes them extra grippy on hardwood courts but notably more more frail outdoors.

best indoor nike free basketball shoe outsoles 22433839 main
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If you have a chance to test a shoe on foot, try pressing your foot firmly to the floor and rocking it side to side. If you can feel the treads warping and shifting, that’s not a good shoe for outdoor courts.

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But how can you tell if the outsole rubber is wear-resistant? That’s where our durability tests come in handy.

best nike free basketball shoes testing outsole durability 22433847 main

We use a Shore C durometer to measure each shoe’s rubber hardness, a caliper to measure its thickness, and a Dremel with sandpaper to test how much abrasion the rubber can take at 10K RPM speed.

*the table is sorted by Outsole hardness (the higher the HA reading, the harder the material)

Signature nike free basketball shoes

It’s impossible to watch a basketball game without spotting a Swoosh on the court. LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Sabrina Ionescu, and many other iconic players have their signature silhouettes with nike free not to mention that the brand extended their partnership with NBA to 2037!

But are all signature shoes equally good? Surely not.

Designed with a particular player’s preferences in mind, each hoop shoe has its own strengths and limitations. However, the weaknesses of some signature shoes are so minor that they receive pretty high scores from expert reviewers and hoopers.

Player

Shoe series

Good to know

LeBron James

nike free LeBron (premium)

nike free LeBron Witness (budget-friendly)

Just like LeBron himself, his signature shoes hardly ever disappoint. They are packed with the brand’s latest technologies and best design choices. On the downside, they tend to be the most expensive.

Kobe Bryant

nike free Kobe Protro

Kobe’s legacy continues with the iconic Protro editions. The athlete himself coined the term “protro” (performance retro) to indicate a fusion of classic Kobe silhouettes with cutting-edge nike free technologies.

Kevin Durant

nike free KD (premium)

nike free KD Trey 5 (budget-friendly)

Designed for a multiskilled forward, the KD line continues to release some of the brand’s most well-rounded and versatile hoop shoes.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

nike free Giannis Freak (premium)

nike free Giannis Immortality (budget-friendly)

The Greek Freak shoes are versatile enough to handle the modern positionless game. They are available at a more moderate price point than LeBrons and KDs.

Sabrina Ionescu

nike free Sabrina

One of very few signature basketball shoes designed with a female athlete, the nike free Sabrina is a statement that women deserve the same level of innovation, performance, and style as the male athletes. This shoe is unisex but follows the women’s sizing scheme, i.e. a men’s US size 9 equals to a women’s US 10.5.

Ja Morant

nike free Ja

Built for a shifty guard, the Ja shoes are light, responsive and cushioned enough to accommodate both lightning-fast movements and explosive jumps.

Devin Booker

nike free Book

Designed in partnership with another rising star of a guard, the Book shoe accommodates agile playing styles and looks too damn good to not be rocked casually.

See best Jordan basketball shoes to learn more about signature shoes of Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic, Zion Williamson, and Russell Westbrook.

Budget-friendly nike free hoop shoes

Just because nike free is a big name doesn’t mean that you can’t get its products at an affordable price point.

Sure, if you look at the newest releases of the brand’s signature shoes, you will see a hefty price that ranges from $140 to $210 but if you do a little research, you can find a pretty good deal. here’s how:

  1. Sales: At EdiconnectShops, we aggregate prices from over 200 online retailers that sell nike free basketbal shoes. Setting up a price alert on our website will allow you to be instantly notified about a price drop for your selected shoe and size.
  2. Previous editions: If you go to our catalog page of nike free basketball shoes and sort by Discount, you will see quite a few previous-season shoes offered for only half the price! Remember, the presence of a newer option does not automatically make older models worse. Sometimes it can even be the other way around!
  3. Takedown models: Even within signature lines, nike free develops more affordable silhouettes to appeal to a wider audience. These basketball shoes use cheaper materials and lack the progressive technologies but they are solid enough for beginner and recreational players. Think LeBron Witness, KD Trey 5, Giannis Immortaity, etc.
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Author
Dimitrije Curcic
Dimitrije Curcic
Dimitrije Curcic has been playing basketball for over 22 years. Like Manu Ginobili, he’s a left-hander whose moves led him to a better career-shooting percentage than the Argentine himself. After playing professionally for 10 years, Dimitrije moved to coaching for two seasons before he became a basketball statistician for StatScore, and FanSided contributor for the San Antonio Spurs. Dimitrije loves to tell hoop stories through numbers and graphics and has been featured on Fansided, FiveThirtyEight, Eurohoops, and TalkBasket among the others.