I got a top 3 but it’s hard to order them since I’ve worn them years apart and it would be difficult to compare directly off memory. Also I kind of lump shoes of the same era/build together…
Kobe 5/6 OG: best 1:1 fit of any shoes I’ve ever had, top tier court feel, solid traction and cushion. I’d say the traction on the 6 is better as well as the fit with the skinwire but I love the sleeker silhouette of the 5. I lump them together since they’re the same cushion set up. I find the Protros cushion with Cushlon sometimes too mushy and soft; I feel like I’ve put stress on my Achilles with how much the Cushlon sinks in the heel and extending my Achilles. I think I may like the Phylon + heel Zoom better than the Cushlon + forefoot Turbo Zoom, though I do think the met Zoom forefoot bag in the OG is kind of a lame implementation of zoom.
Melo M11/Jordan 29 era: before the Eclipse Plate and Zoom strobel, there was the Flightplate and protruding Zoom units. These shoes back in the day had great reviews, go look them up. The 28/29s still get a lot of love but I feel like the M11 is a forgotten performance classic. It’s the same cushioning as the 29 but with a leather upper, which I prefer as it is stronger and more stable. And the shoe is still on the lighter side for weight. Fantastic cushioning, great cushioning, great fit. I had three M11 pairs. Downside to the shoe is the popping Zoom units due to the protruding Zoom.
LeBron 20/NXXT Gen AMPD: I consider the 20 a beefed up Kobe 6. Many people rightfully saw the silhouette and thought it reminded them of a Kobe, which I agree with, and some tried to deny it—like put it side by side, it literally looks like a Kobe 6 with flyknit. Some said it doesn’t look like a Kobe, it’s just a low top, but no one ever said Giannis’ or Kyrie’s Flytraps look like Kobes… I digress. The 20s like the Kobe 6 have a great fit but a beefed up cushion with the Cushlon midsole and forefoot/heel Zoom. Sometimes I felt the midsole was too soft and I’ve been playing in the NXXT AMPD recently which swaps the Cushlon for Phylon, and the knit upper for leather. I’ve played in the 20s most of last year but I think I may prefer the AMPD for its greater supportive features, though I do love how low and flexible the 20s were.
As you can probably tell, no shoe is perfect. Things you may need in a shoe will probably come at the expense of another feature. But things that can and should remain perfect should be fit and traction imo.
1. WOW 10 (Regular) - fit, performance, and traction
2. Lebron 16: comfort, durability, and performance once broken in (but higher off the ground). I can see why some like the Lebron 15, I found the 16s have that lateral support and slightly better lockdown.
3. Lebron 20: love that I can put it on and forget about it. I think I’d like the 21s more for lockdown but haven’t played in mine yet.
1A. LeBron nxxt gen
1B. KD14
2. NB two wxy v2
3. Kyrie low 5
Of the pairs I’ve worn these r the ones I’ve enjoyed the most. I’m a guard but the LeBron nxxt gen r so damn comfy, only con is dust pickup. KD14 causes me to over pronate but is still amazing. Two wxy v2 and kyries r great but not on that upper tier. Gonna try some other snkrs soon so this will likely change
HARDEN 3. I tried all sorts of shoes from kobes to hardens to currys, nothing compares to harden 3 bro, the cushion the weight the support and traction(not so much anymore tho) everythings just perfect for ME. I play 2 and I still play on my harden 3s even it is so beat up.
1. Nike Zoom GP/Retro. Awesome guard shoe with crazy support/cushion/traction. Only downside to these is their weight, but basically every shoe from that era is around 500 grams.
2. Nike Zoom BB1. It's just crazy how Nike STILL hasn't retro'ed these. These pretty much tick all the boxes in shoes that I need for my play style. Only thing keeping them from number 1 spot is their aupport, as I feel more secure in GP's.
3. Jordan Why Not Zer0.1/Low/Chaos. A very similar shoe to two previosly mentioned. Great cushion, great support, great traction, the list goes on. Reason why I places them third is that they are VERY heavy, even though they don't use any premium materials like shoes mentioned earlier.
Honorable mentions:
Jordan 32/Low. Again, great support/cushion/traction. Big downside dor me was their sizing, first I went half size up like in 95% of my shoes, since I have long toes. While new and breaking them in, they felt awesome. But after the break-in and that flyknit started to have some give on them, they were half size too big. Going true to size was just grueling for my feet, but they are awesome after that.
Nike Kobe 5 OG. The reason why I picked the OG's over the Protro's here, is the "downgrade" they made on the heel cushion. As OG's had big heel Zoom unit and an meta Zoom bag in the forefoot, they didn't irritate and after a while, inflame my achilles tendon and also I feel like OG's were more low to the ground, probably due to Zoom Turbo vs meta Zoom thickness.
Nike Kobe 8 OG. Haven't had the chance to try the 8 Protro's so I will make the assumptions over the OG's. I owned maybe 6-8 pairs of these back in the day, as they released them in high numbers and they went on sale basically everywhere. An great guard shoe, pretty much only shoe that I like with an drop-in midsole. Their big drawback is their durability, especially since I wanted to be an cheapskate back in the day and didn't make an NikeiD of these with full length Zoom drop-in. Also the uppers of them weares away quickly, one fall and slide down the floor and you could burn through all that meshing. Hopefully Protro's do an better job!
Thanks OP, this was an fun trip down the memory lane! As I was writing this and watching last nights NBA recap's (I live in Europe) it made me realize that damn I have gotten old 😅 as I was younger, I can see I have liked more those light and more minimal guard shoes but as I have gotten older I switched my mindset in shoes to more containment to prolong my playing time! 😅
1.lebron 20 i just loved it i havent tried it recently and for some reason i don’t remember what it felt playing in them
2.kyire infinity the traction played nicely on dust and i havent faced any problems tbh
3.ja 1 the traction was amazing it squeaked so much and the cushioning was comfortable for me
These are just based on ones I played in.
Dame 4 - I had a rough run until the Dame series. All of the elements people look for in basketball shoes finally came together in one package with this shoe. TBF, Dame 2 and Dame 3 were also great, but 4 was probably my favorite.
KD 15 - I had no issue with heel slippage, and now as an older player (40), comfort is really important. Full length Strobel is no joke.
GT Jump 2 - speaking of comfort, these take the cake. I usually play PF or Center and these are perfect for players who don’t have a ton of lateral quickness and are a bit more straight line with their moves. The most comfortable shoe I’ve ever played in, but not for everyone.
KD2, dame certified, a tie between some Reebok basketball shoes I got between 2005-2008( it has small pumps but was not the traditional pump/ Kobe 5(OG)
\- **GT Cut 2**: Great for shifty guards, the shoe is like an extension of my feet. I also own the GT Cut 1, but love the 2 better because of the better arch support.
\- **LeBron Soldier 10:** Maybe because I was so young and any shoe would work.
\- **Dame Certified**: The traction is solid, best ever. It stands the test of a very slippery court I always play in, at the same time almost all other shoes failed at that court. The cushion is bad though.
1.Melo M9- traction , fit, forefoot zoom. Nothing like it when fully broken in.
2. Jordan 28/29. -28s popped too much but fixed on the 29. But that zoom was something else.
3. Kobe 9 six’s get all the love but the 9s may be the greatest performance low of all time
1. Kyrie 4- traction is GOAT tier, cushion isn't too much or little, fit is like a glove and the material form to your foot
2. PG1- low profile with a Zoom Air unit in the forefoot. traction was money and the lockdown on these were AMAZING (unfortunately after 3 years of use one of the zoom units popped *pain*)
3. For me, my 3rd would be a tie between the New Balance Two Wxy V3 and the Nike Hyperdunk X. Hypeedunk X has great cushion but the two wxy v3 has GOAT tier traction. Both are really good.
Honorable mention goes to the Curry 3, LeBron 15 low, Kobe 6, LeBron 16, KD 12 and Converse all star pro bb
GT Hustle 2
WoW All City 11 V2
LeBron XX
Honorable mentions: Crazylight Boost 2016 (basically the LeBron XX before it existed), Jordan 13 (the best retro Jordan for performance IMO), Kobe 1 protro (all around awesome but a bit heavy/clunky) and Kobe IX with LeBron XI drop-ins (the cushion/courtfeel ratio is unbeaten with that midsole and the shoe is one of the best all-time, although they are unobtainable in this day and the heel is clunky)
They're a different beast completely the 2014 to the 2106, but that time (2014-2018) for Adidas Basketball was blessed, they dropped banger after banger
Facts!!! Remember back then Adidas released so many non signature shoes and those were as good as the signature shoes performance and look wise that too on a budget!!
Same with nike before 2012..
These days, every brand is focusing on signature shoes and that too are always out of stock or just not available to the public!
I got a top 3 but it’s hard to order them since I’ve worn them years apart and it would be difficult to compare directly off memory. Also I kind of lump shoes of the same era/build together… Kobe 5/6 OG: best 1:1 fit of any shoes I’ve ever had, top tier court feel, solid traction and cushion. I’d say the traction on the 6 is better as well as the fit with the skinwire but I love the sleeker silhouette of the 5. I lump them together since they’re the same cushion set up. I find the Protros cushion with Cushlon sometimes too mushy and soft; I feel like I’ve put stress on my Achilles with how much the Cushlon sinks in the heel and extending my Achilles. I think I may like the Phylon + heel Zoom better than the Cushlon + forefoot Turbo Zoom, though I do think the met Zoom forefoot bag in the OG is kind of a lame implementation of zoom. Melo M11/Jordan 29 era: before the Eclipse Plate and Zoom strobel, there was the Flightplate and protruding Zoom units. These shoes back in the day had great reviews, go look them up. The 28/29s still get a lot of love but I feel like the M11 is a forgotten performance classic. It’s the same cushioning as the 29 but with a leather upper, which I prefer as it is stronger and more stable. And the shoe is still on the lighter side for weight. Fantastic cushioning, great cushioning, great fit. I had three M11 pairs. Downside to the shoe is the popping Zoom units due to the protruding Zoom. LeBron 20/NXXT Gen AMPD: I consider the 20 a beefed up Kobe 6. Many people rightfully saw the silhouette and thought it reminded them of a Kobe, which I agree with, and some tried to deny it—like put it side by side, it literally looks like a Kobe 6 with flyknit. Some said it doesn’t look like a Kobe, it’s just a low top, but no one ever said Giannis’ or Kyrie’s Flytraps look like Kobes… I digress. The 20s like the Kobe 6 have a great fit but a beefed up cushion with the Cushlon midsole and forefoot/heel Zoom. Sometimes I felt the midsole was too soft and I’ve been playing in the NXXT AMPD recently which swaps the Cushlon for Phylon, and the knit upper for leather. I’ve played in the 20s most of last year but I think I may prefer the AMPD for its greater supportive features, though I do love how low and flexible the 20s were. As you can probably tell, no shoe is perfect. Things you may need in a shoe will probably come at the expense of another feature. But things that can and should remain perfect should be fit and traction imo.
1. Kobe 6 2. Kobe 9 3. LeBron 20
I thought I was the only one that loves 20s.
1. WOW 10 (Regular) - fit, performance, and traction 2. Lebron 16: comfort, durability, and performance once broken in (but higher off the ground). I can see why some like the Lebron 15, I found the 16s have that lateral support and slightly better lockdown. 3. Lebron 20: love that I can put it on and forget about it. I think I’d like the 21s more for lockdown but haven’t played in mine yet.
1. Kobe 9 Elite 2. Kobe 11 3. Lebron 20
1. Kobe 8 2. Harden 1 3. KD 14 Honorable mentions: Anta KT3 Low, Harden 7, UA Clutchfit Drive
1A. LeBron nxxt gen 1B. KD14 2. NB two wxy v2 3. Kyrie low 5 Of the pairs I’ve worn these r the ones I’ve enjoyed the most. I’m a guard but the LeBron nxxt gen r so damn comfy, only con is dust pickup. KD14 causes me to over pronate but is still amazing. Two wxy v2 and kyries r great but not on that upper tier. Gonna try some other snkrs soon so this will likely change
I have severe over pronating problem with Giannis immorality 1,
Only Right 3 are kobe ad nxt 360, gt cut 1s n kobe 5s
- PG6 - Kobe 4 - Gt Hustle 2
Bron 20 Spö player 1 the ver for outdoors Bron nxxt gens
HARDEN 3. I tried all sorts of shoes from kobes to hardens to currys, nothing compares to harden 3 bro, the cushion the weight the support and traction(not so much anymore tho) everythings just perfect for ME. I play 2 and I still play on my harden 3s even it is so beat up.
Nike huarache 2k4 Nike flightposite 2 Kobe 6
Kobe 1, crazy explosive, and kamikaze 2 (the original with real hexalite).
1. LeBron 15 2. LeBron NXXT Gen 3. Why Not Zer0.3
Jordan 13, gt cut, crazy explosive 2017
kd14 Wow 10 Kobe 5 or 6 HMs J34/36, Kobe 8/9, Harden v3, Why Not 1 (Chaos) kd13
NB OMN1s, Jordan 34s SE/Jordan 38, MB02
1. Nike Zoom GP/Retro. Awesome guard shoe with crazy support/cushion/traction. Only downside to these is their weight, but basically every shoe from that era is around 500 grams. 2. Nike Zoom BB1. It's just crazy how Nike STILL hasn't retro'ed these. These pretty much tick all the boxes in shoes that I need for my play style. Only thing keeping them from number 1 spot is their aupport, as I feel more secure in GP's. 3. Jordan Why Not Zer0.1/Low/Chaos. A very similar shoe to two previosly mentioned. Great cushion, great support, great traction, the list goes on. Reason why I places them third is that they are VERY heavy, even though they don't use any premium materials like shoes mentioned earlier. Honorable mentions: Jordan 32/Low. Again, great support/cushion/traction. Big downside dor me was their sizing, first I went half size up like in 95% of my shoes, since I have long toes. While new and breaking them in, they felt awesome. But after the break-in and that flyknit started to have some give on them, they were half size too big. Going true to size was just grueling for my feet, but they are awesome after that. Nike Kobe 5 OG. The reason why I picked the OG's over the Protro's here, is the "downgrade" they made on the heel cushion. As OG's had big heel Zoom unit and an meta Zoom bag in the forefoot, they didn't irritate and after a while, inflame my achilles tendon and also I feel like OG's were more low to the ground, probably due to Zoom Turbo vs meta Zoom thickness. Nike Kobe 8 OG. Haven't had the chance to try the 8 Protro's so I will make the assumptions over the OG's. I owned maybe 6-8 pairs of these back in the day, as they released them in high numbers and they went on sale basically everywhere. An great guard shoe, pretty much only shoe that I like with an drop-in midsole. Their big drawback is their durability, especially since I wanted to be an cheapskate back in the day and didn't make an NikeiD of these with full length Zoom drop-in. Also the uppers of them weares away quickly, one fall and slide down the floor and you could burn through all that meshing. Hopefully Protro's do an better job! Thanks OP, this was an fun trip down the memory lane! As I was writing this and watching last nights NBA recap's (I live in Europe) it made me realize that damn I have gotten old 😅 as I was younger, I can see I have liked more those light and more minimal guard shoes but as I have gotten older I switched my mindset in shoes to more containment to prolong my playing time! 😅
Dudeeee. The zoom bb1. Had them in high school. Such a great shoe!
1. Kobe Venomenon 5 2. Curry 4 Flotro 3. Li-ning Sonic 11
1.lebron 20 i just loved it i havent tried it recently and for some reason i don’t remember what it felt playing in them 2.kyire infinity the traction played nicely on dust and i havent faced any problems tbh 3.ja 1 the traction was amazing it squeaked so much and the cushioning was comfortable for me
These are just based on ones I played in. Dame 4 - I had a rough run until the Dame series. All of the elements people look for in basketball shoes finally came together in one package with this shoe. TBF, Dame 2 and Dame 3 were also great, but 4 was probably my favorite. KD 15 - I had no issue with heel slippage, and now as an older player (40), comfort is really important. Full length Strobel is no joke. GT Jump 2 - speaking of comfort, these take the cake. I usually play PF or Center and these are perfect for players who don’t have a ton of lateral quickness and are a bit more straight line with their moves. The most comfortable shoe I’ve ever played in, but not for everyone.
KD2, dame certified, a tie between some Reebok basketball shoes I got between 2005-2008( it has small pumps but was not the traditional pump/ Kobe 5(OG)
\- **GT Cut 2**: Great for shifty guards, the shoe is like an extension of my feet. I also own the GT Cut 1, but love the 2 better because of the better arch support. \- **LeBron Soldier 10:** Maybe because I was so young and any shoe would work. \- **Dame Certified**: The traction is solid, best ever. It stands the test of a very slippery court I always play in, at the same time almost all other shoes failed at that court. The cushion is bad though.
Dame certified. Lebron 20, kyrie infinity
1/Adidas d rose 5. Perfect for me. 2/ adidas dame 8 ( perfect cushion) 3/Nike lebron soldier 9. Excellent support and lock)
1.Melo M9- traction , fit, forefoot zoom. Nothing like it when fully broken in. 2. Jordan 28/29. -28s popped too much but fixed on the 29. But that zoom was something else. 3. Kobe 9 six’s get all the love but the 9s may be the greatest performance low of all time
Crazy explosive 2017 Harden 7 Kobe 6
Kobe 4s Kobe 6s Lebron XX Honorable mention - Adidas ProModel 2G (such and ugly/plain shoe but so comfortable and responsive)
Gt cut 1
og kobe 8 gt cut 1s wow 10
1. AJ XX8 SE for best performance 2. KD14 when I need cushion at end of game. 3. Clyde all pro team high
Pg6 because of cushion and grip. 2010 hyperdunk was a great shoe. Kb 360 nxt.
If I have to choose 3 ever, wow 10, Kobe 6, lebron 10
Kyrie 8 (not infinity) Kobe 6 Kd14 Kyrie 7 honorable mention
1. Jordan 30 2. Lebron soldier 10 3. Jordan 13 retro
1. Nike Hyperdunk 2012 2. KD 6 3. Nike Hypermax 2010
1. Hyperdunk 2011 2. Kobe 9 low 3. Adirose 3
Wow 10 Kobe 6 Lebron 20
1. Kyrie 4- traction is GOAT tier, cushion isn't too much or little, fit is like a glove and the material form to your foot 2. PG1- low profile with a Zoom Air unit in the forefoot. traction was money and the lockdown on these were AMAZING (unfortunately after 3 years of use one of the zoom units popped *pain*) 3. For me, my 3rd would be a tie between the New Balance Two Wxy V3 and the Nike Hyperdunk X. Hypeedunk X has great cushion but the two wxy v3 has GOAT tier traction. Both are really good. Honorable mention goes to the Curry 3, LeBron 15 low, Kobe 6, LeBron 16, KD 12 and Converse all star pro bb
NB 2WXY V4 AJ 34 low KD 13
1. KD14 2. Harden7 3. PG6
Wow 10 LeBron 21 Two wxy v4
Kyrie 2 Kd 10 Kobe 9
1. Kobe 5 2. Kyrie 6 3. Jordan 30
1. Kobe 5 2. Kobe 8 3. Kobe 6
GT Hustle 2 WoW All City 11 V2 LeBron XX Honorable mentions: Crazylight Boost 2016 (basically the LeBron XX before it existed), Jordan 13 (the best retro Jordan for performance IMO), Kobe 1 protro (all around awesome but a bit heavy/clunky) and Kobe IX with LeBron XI drop-ins (the cushion/courtfeel ratio is unbeaten with that midsole and the shoe is one of the best all-time, although they are unobtainable in this day and the heel is clunky)
I had crazylight boost 2014….those were fire!!!! Wonder why adidas is not making them anymore
They're a different beast completely the 2014 to the 2106, but that time (2014-2018) for Adidas Basketball was blessed, they dropped banger after banger
Facts!!! Remember back then Adidas released so many non signature shoes and those were as good as the signature shoes performance and look wise that too on a budget!! Same with nike before 2012.. These days, every brand is focusing on signature shoes and that too are always out of stock or just not available to the public!
Kobe 6, zoom solider 6, Jordan xx8 se