If you’re interested in buying the best basketball shoes for wide feet, you need to know what to look out for.
When it comes to buying a pair of quality basketball shoes, you need to think about the size of your feet.
Most of us think about our feet size primarily in the length. But, what about your width?
Foot width is a very underrated part of choosing the kind of shoes that you want.
In this article, we’re going to break down the information that you need to make your purchase a bit easier.
Buying basketball shoes does not have to be tough. The main challenge you might have is finding out what you are looking for.
In terms of the width of your feet, though, we have some useful information you should consider.
This might just help you to make the right choice regarding the ideal basketball shoes for your wider feet.
Why are your feet wider than average?
It’s a conversation that you’ve likely had with your mind several times now.
Why are your feet apparently wider than the normal person? Why won’t your feet fit in a ‘normal’ pair of basketball shoes? It’s annoying, right?
The most common reason for your feet being wider than the norm comes down to your physical condition overall.
The presence of restorative factors in our feet can cause our feet to widen in their shape. It’s not 100% known why, but this can happen.
Another common reason, though, will purely come down to how you run. Do you find yourself the victim of bunions from time to time? You aren’t alone!
Bunions can be caused by the way that your foot bones have turned slightly outward. This can cause your foot to change in width, though it’s not as common.
The other most common reason, then, comes down to the shape of your body.
If you are overweight, then don’t be shocked if you have wider feet than you would otherwise.
If your feet continue to widen as you grow in waist size, then you at least know why. How, then, do you go about choosing the right shoe?
If you want to find the best sneakers for wide feet, then we recommend you go through the following questions:
Are they the right size? Sometimes, simply stepping up a size can solve the issue.
Are they suited to your foot style? Some shoes are more fitted, others less so.
How much should I be willing to spend? What is my maximum budget here?
With that in mind, what kind of brands of basketball shoes should I look at?
How should a basketball shoe fit?
Typically, when you intend to get your basketball shoes you want to get shoes that fit fairly and accurately.
To do that without any issue, we recommend that you take a look at trying to pick out the shoe based entirely on the thumb space that you have.
We think that if you have enough space between the bottom of the shoe and your top toe for your thumb to fit, it’s safe enough for comfort.
However, you should always look to make sure that your toes can move around easily.
If you have shoes that are needlessly shallow in terms of padding (more on that below), it can leave your feet with a lack of protection.
It can also cause issues including toenail damage and ingrown toenails.
When it comes to finding the right type of basketball shoes, you need to think about the overall fit.
Consider that when looking at various shoes, and it will make your decision a bit easier to make.
Working out your ideal basketball shoes based on your playing style
Before we make any other judgement at all, though, we have to say that the type of player you are matters.
Shoes are made for certain types of players.
For example, you should be looking for shoes with immense cushion and balance if you are a player who uses physical power to get into the game.
If you are someone who relies on their pace, though, you should be looking for the lightest shoe possible.
Excess weight or excess support could just bog you down. Instead, look for decent cushion with high flexibility.
This lets you take off and hit your top speed much faster.
What about the all-rounder? A Jack of All Trades in basketball want shoes with support and cushion.
It should be something that will give you a more traditional basketball shoe style.
If you aren’t built around power or pace, then you can get away with a much wider selection of shoes.
You should always take the time to look at your style of play.
Always look at how quickly you are going from one foot to the next. Therefore, you want to buy the shoes with the best and the most renowned grip.
This will stop you from slipping all over the place as you try and pick up speed when playing.
The look and the feel
While by no means the most important thing when buying the ideal basketball shoes for wider feet, looks always matter.
You might want to try and make sure that you pick your basketball shoes based purely on the functionality.
But who wants to go out on court looking like they are waring a pair of loafers?
Make sure you consider the importance of buying the right type of shoe. If you can, always try on a pair in a store if you can before buying them.
You don’t have to buy from that store, but you have to know how the shoes are going to feel.
Always look to try and pick a pair that you can use for actual games and one pair you can use for training.
You don’t want to scuff up and ruin your fancy new kicks on the training court, do you?
If you can, pick up a second pair that you can use for training.
Try and use those shoes to help elevate parts of your game by forcing you to play in different ways from what your ‘on-court’ shoes provide.
Padding your feet out
You always want to look out for basketball shoes with plenty of padding.
No matter what role you play in the team, you need plenty of padding on your feet.
So, you should be looking for something that is not going to put your joints under needless pressure.
Try and look into getting shoes with a lot of padding.
In terms of brands to look into, we would recommend both Nike and Adidas basketball shoes.
The Nike Zoom Air, for example, has some of the best padding around.
It’s got a pressurized air system that is used to help add even more responsive strength to the padding of your shoes.
That’s why we highly recommend padding your feet out by buying from a brand like Nike.
If you are more accustomed to Adidas shoes, then the Adidas Boost is a good place to start as it’s a very soft, comfortable padding.
Let’s make the right choice
So, if you want to go ahead and pick out some shoes then you should definitely use all of the above as a guide.
However, you now need to do what is arguably the hardest part of buying or picking shoes: you need to choose a style you like.
Armed with the details, though, that should not be a problem for yourself.
We advise that if you want to make this process easier, you start with the shoes recommended below.
These might just make your choice a bit easier to go through with.
Top 7 Shoes For Wide Feet
1. Jordan Air XXXI
These are a fine pair of basketball shoes if you are someone with wider feet than the norm.
They look good, and the fact they have a synthetic and mesh finish means you can wear them for more than just basketball.
However, we do have to say that the XXXI is not an ideal shoe if you are someone who slips around a lot.
If you are playing on a slippery surface, the traction level on these might not be what you were wanting when you bought a pair of basketball shoes.
Also, they are made specifically for wide-footed players, so you do need to have pretty wide feet to get the most out of them.
In general, they make a fine choice of shoe for anyone who is looking for something very specific.
They come with great for cushioning and padding for you to consider. they are great for those who want to find a pair of shoes with a good level of comfort overall.
As we said above, you could even wear these just as general shoes about the place.
They look that good – so why not try them out for yourself? You might just find they are ideal.
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2. LeBron XIII
Similar to the above, these are the ideal lightweight shoes if you want something safe and easy to bound around in.
They look good, they feel good, and they should give your feet all the protection they need when out and about.
They are a good choice too for those who want a high top style finish on their shoes.
The rubber role is another nice touch, meaning that you can move around and bounce around with total comfort and confidence wherever you are playing.
If we have one critique of the XIII though it would be the break-in period.
Even for a wide footed player these can be downright uncomfortable to wear as you go through your day.
They are generally going to take you longer to break-in. Once broken in they are tremendous, but that break-in period can feel needlessly long for you.
If you would like to see a benefit to wearing these, though, they offer some of the best traction in the business.
You won’t be slipping around the place if you decide to put a pair of these on.
With a 13mm cushioning thanks to the use of the Zoom Air Hexagon, too, you get all the padding that you need.
A great choice for wider footed all-round players.
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3. Curry 3 Zero
These shoes from Under Armour offer a fine choice if you want to avoid going down the Nike/Adidas route.
These are very, very comfortable shoes and tend to be ideal for all players.
They tend to be great for making sure you have shoes that offer you total control on the turn as well as giving you all the help that you need to turn nice and quickly.
These are a smart enough pair of shoes with that vintage herringbone finish to them.
They are nice and thin, so you should never feel as if you have feet which are overly restricted when you play wearing a pair of these.
Simple, smart, stylish, and straightforward. So, what is the catch here?
Despite being extremely lightweight and great for offensive attacking players, they do tend to be a touch tight on wider feet.
While you could buy a size up for greater comfort, they aren’t the best for wider feet.
However, they are a good enough all-around pair that we felt compelled to mention them on this list.
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4. Air Jordan CP3.X
If you want a pair of shoes with plenty of width in them for a very small price, then be sure to try out this set.
They are the ideal choice of shoes for those who need something that is strong, safe, and secure.
It will offer you the padding and the protection that you need to keep your feet lovely and protected on the court.
They have a low profile visual style, too, which makes them very good for those who want something understated yet still stylish.
A good choice indeed for those who want to find some basketball shoes that are made for giving wider feet the space they need to breathe.
While they are a touch bulkier than some of the options above, they do make a fine pair of shoes to go for.
They are made using a solid mesh upper with a TPU overlay that should give you good, solid protection.
For the price you pay, you are getting a pretty good deal with these shoes.
However, just know that they aren’t made from the premium material that you might be used to if you were to spend a little more money.
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5. Under Amour Drive 4
The Under Amour Drive 4 is an ideal choice for just about anyone who is looking for a happy mixture of quality and solidity.
Put these shoes on and you should immediately notice the lift that they give to your feet.
The high-top style is sure to attract some fans, while it might put others off.
For those who are looking for wider-feet basketball shoes, these are a fine starting point.
They look good and they tend to feel good.
They also give you the protection that you need on the court with a very high and sturdy cushioning below.
In terms of the comfort level, then, you should find it very easy to rank these as one of our preferred options.
They also tend to come with a very secure and firm cushioning at the bottom of the shoe.
While some might prefer something a bit less robust and firm, it’s a good choice for a lot of players.
If you are looking for shoes that offer some of the best traction in the business, you should definitely take a look here.’
It will ensure you have a pair of comfortable, quality shoes that feel comfortable.
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6. Adidas D Lillard 2.0
Comfort always counts, and if comfort is your most important factor then go for these. While they are a little susceptible to roll-over damage should you roll your foot, they offer in-game comfort like no other.
They tend to be one of the best shoes to go for as they are so flexible.
Turn these in just about any direction or shape and it should not feel any more uncomfortable than it would going the other way.
While that flexibility does play a role in their rollover friendly nature, it’s a good shoe to start with for most players.
The cushioning that your feet get with the Adidas D Lillard 2.0 is very impressive, too.
You will find that even with wider feet you can easily move and wriggle your feet around without too much discomfort.
That’s why so many people tend to go for something like the Lillard 2.0.
They also offer some great traction that should make sure you can get more comfort on the court itself.
While we would always recommend looking around to find a pair to try to see if you find them too roll-friendly, they are an excellent choice for the majority of players.
So long as you aren’t rolling your feet all the time, these should make a very fin companion indeed.
The outer sole of the shoe is made by a reputed tire company, too.
This means they are traction-friendly whilst being made from durable rubber that isn’t likely to sustain any damage.
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7. Adidas D Rose 7 Primeknit
These might just be out ideal shoes on the entire list for a wide-footed player.
The first thing you should notice with these is that they just look tremendous.
They are stylish, they are swift, and they are very modern looking.
If you are looking for a cool pair of shoes that look good and feel good, you should start with these.
They might just be the best basketball shoes for wide feet!
One thing we would note is that they do lack a tiny bit of responsiveness from the other shoes on the list.
This is purely because they are so heavily cushioned.
However, this gives even those with extremely wide feet the protection and the space that they were hoping for.
If you feel like you lack the right kind of foot space in other shoes, then go for the Primeknit version of these shoes.
They are among the best in the business when it comes to supporting wider and larger feet.
They are also a generally good choice for all-around basketball players.
While the added cushion could make you slightly less explosive, it will mean having much more foot durability.
For those who find they get into a lot of tight scrapes with injury and the like, you will love these.
They offer the kind of durable and reliable protection that our feet need if we want to keep making sure we can move swiftly and fluently. Ideal for most players.
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Buying the best shoes for you
With so many different styles, we know that it can be tough to pick out the ideal kind of shoes for you.
The proper shoes for wide feet can make the biggest difference to how you play, though.
If you feel as if your flow is missing or you cannot get into any kind of consistency when on the court, you need to buy the right shoes.
What style and what brand you go for is a personal choice.
All that we can suggest is that if you do wish to buy the best sneakers for wide feet, you look to use the above ideas.
This will help you to find shoes that are good for you, that feel reliable, and can be suited to your overall playing style.
While you might not pick a shoe that someone else would, you are picking the correct shoes for you.
So, take a look and choose with the wisdom you now have.
This should allow you to easily and effectively pick out your ideal basketball shoes.
Don’t let foot width cause you needless issues when it comes to creating the needed traction!
2 thoughts on “The 7 Best Basketball Shoes Wide Feet”
Johnathan
I have wide feet and always struggled to find a good pair of basketball shoes in high school. I recently got back into recreational basketball and will be looking for a new pair soon. I love any shoe that has support and cushion, particularly for low arches and ankles. Comfort and fit are important for long hours on the court – trust me! It’s been hard for me to find some quality shoes but you’ve got a really nice selection here, nice job.
Johnathan
I have wide feet and always struggled to find a good pair of basketball shoes in high school. I recently got back into recreational basketball and will be looking for a new pair soon. I love any shoe that has support and cushion, particularly for low arches and ankles. Comfort and fit are important for long hours on the court – trust me! It’s been hard for me to find some quality shoes but you’ve got a really nice selection here, nice job.
James E.
Thanks Jonathan,
And I completely understand, it’s hard to perform when you’re not comfortable. I hope one of the options in this review does the trick for you.
Best,
James