 Here are the absolute best performance basketball shoes of 2022. So whether you're a wide footer or narrow footer, you're going to want to watch this. Andrew, wear testers just dropped their list of the 10 best basketball shoes of 2022. Now, if you guys watch this channel, you know we used to make a ton of basketball videos. We still play a ton of basketball, even though we don't make the videos anymore. Andrew, you just hit a game winner at the ISA YouTuber game. Run that clip. Play all the time in New York City, sometimes with our friends, Simulio, Ronnie Cheng, others as well. But we got to get into the list, Andrew. We got to give our analysis, whether we agree or disagree with wear testers, Andrew. Let's start off with shoe number one. All right, David, the first shoe that they have on their list, which is my current hoop and shoe, which is the LeBron 20 coming in at $200. Woo, Andrew, you did a brand deal with Nike to promote this. So don't be biased. Is this the best shoe of 2022? Yes or no? You are the only one who knows because my foot is actually too wide at 2E to comfortably fit into this shoe. I think it's definitely one of the best shoes of 2022, guys. If you can afford the $200, go for it. I love the material. I love how they look. The traction pattern is crazy. The zoom turbo up front is incredible. The heel is a little bit soft and I feel like I have to do this special runner's loop at the top to make sure my skinny foot and ankle is super secure. But aside from that, it is a great shoe. Yeah, I would say that this shoe for LeBron is built more narrow than a LeBron, but still more wide than a Kobe because obviously it's sort of like a mixture, right? What do you think about the LeCobi type of like stereotype that these shoes have? Well, I think it's good because they designed that shoe a lot keeping Brani in mind and LeBron sons in mind and just the next generation because basically the LeBron 19 was a flop. Nobody could wear those shoes. They were like some clunky space boots. So they really flipped the script 180 and went to the lightweight Kobe feel. Actually, Andrew, really big guys like myself, we were okay with the LeBron 19. Wow, David, so as a big guy, would you recommend the LeBron 20s or no? I mean- Big guy wide foot. I think if you get the EP version, which is obviously like the China or Asia like wide foot version, I think it's passable, but you are gonna want a bigger beefier shoe in my opinion. I love the shoe overall. I'm balling out and I think that that is one of the best testaments to whether a shoe is fit for you is whether you just play well in them and you feel comfortable. I will say maybe durability could be an issue with these shoes, but overall guys, it's a hot one. Moving on the list, Andrew, we've got the Leaning Wade 808 V2. And this is just gonna be a general discussion about leaning in general because they make a lot of good shoes right now. I would say they've actually leaped frog Adidas basketball in 2022. And part of that is Adidas just like falling off the map. They're gonna try to revive it with Jerry Lorenzo this upcoming year in 2023. But Andrew, what do you think about all these shoes with the boom drop in mid-soles? They're trying to basically imitate the lunar lawn from the Kobe eight and Kobe nine line because the Kobe line was so unbelievably popular in China. Yeah, I feel like boom cushioning. It is like boost. Obviously it does kind of look like boost visually. I think it comes from the same company with like the little knobs all together. Bam, the German company. Yeah, or maybe China's making their own because people can copy it now. But I would say this, man, those Ushua 14 pros, those are a really good shoe. Those Jimmy Butler shoes. Yeah, but these are expensive, Andrew. I think that these were like 260 and the Jimmy Butler shoes, if you wanna get them in America right now, Andrew, they retail for $299 at the base default retail. I mean, what do you think in general about like leanings? I think Chinese shoes in 2022 got really actually good and I prefer them only second to Nike. But what's your opinion? Well, let me tell you this, a lot of the Chinese basketball shoe brands, they really get to put a lot of focus on basketball shoes versus trying to make like their entire line, compete with Nike, everything from the clothes to the running to all these other different types of shoes. There's no CrossFit shoe. No, they're just like, I think their focus is basketball shoes. So yes, they do make very good basketball shoes guys. Don't sleep on the Chinese brands, but I will say this, they're very, very expensive and sometimes it's hard to get in America obviously cause you kind of gotta pay that extra like customs tax or whatever. So I can see a lot of people not buying them. Yeah, I mostly see Chinese people, you know, paying the big bucks for the leanings. You might have to have a little bit of national price. Some cheaper ones are the Speed Premium line and the Way of Wade All City 10 line. Andrew, moving on, this is a no chronological or numerical order. Andrew is the KD line. The KD 12, 13, 14, 15, they actually all play similar with obviously some minor differences year to year. The KD 15, Andrew's still on a lot of people's lists. Why do you agree or disagree? Cause that's the one year you skipped. You have the 12, 13 and 14. Yeah, I actually love the KD line but I did not get the KD 15 line. I tried on a few pairs and I felt like there was too much heel slip. That probably could have been solved with a runner's loop. By the way, guys, if you have a narrow foot and a narrow ankle and you love a shoe, put in the runner's loop. I'll leave like a link down below. Or double up socks, even though I know, for example, you Andrew, you don't like doing that. I hate doubling up socks, but yeah. I mean, I probably could have gotten the KD 15s. I probably would have enjoyed them but the LeBron 20s were coming out at that time. So I was just like, let me wait for those. The KD 14s, the ones that you're holding right there and the Aunt Pearls, those are some of my favorite shoes ever. And I think that they're on sale right now. And depending on the color, you can get them for a hundred bucks. Totally worth it. This shoe is kind of ugly though. The KD 14, this like tiger pattern on it or whatever. It's a great shoe, man. It's a great shoe. Look at the, show the bottom of the shoe. The tracks. Look how wide, look how wide that base is. It looks like a shoe shock. It's great for narrow footers, but also can fit, I would say, medium to slightly wide feet, but not super wide. Yeah, if you want to wear KDs guys and you're like a wide footer and like beefy like me, you got to get the EPs. In Jordan, it's called PF. Those are the extra wide versions. However, the XDR rubber, which is built for outdoors in Asia, it is a little bit less grippy. So you lose about 10% traction with the XDR rubber. Andrew, could you see why some people would even prefer the KD 15 as long as they could get a fit without heel slip? Yes. Yeah, it's a good looking shoe. It looks a little bit flat to me, but KD is balling out in them right now, so. Moving on, Andrew. This is a shoe that you could wear because you're thin or you're skinny. However, you do not opt to wear it. This is the Under Armour Curry 10. This is kind of like a niche shoe, but man, when you talk to people who love Currys, Andrew, let me tell you this. It's like a 12 out of 10 love for the few people who prefer them. Here's my only thing about the Curry line is it definitely has a very particular unique feel to it and they're super low cut, but Steph Curry, he wears like these crazy ankle braces with his shoes that are very special. So to me, they're built more for like a guy who's wearing ankle braces. I know some people whoopin' them and they like them, but the times that I tried them on, I couldn't fall in love with them. I think it's crazy because this Flowtro outsole that Under Armour's using like all the time in 2022, the grip is crazy, but the shoe is so low cut and it's got a knit upper, where like to me, crazy grip, but not a lot of support, that can lead to like ankle issues. Yeah, and also the Flowtro material almost feels like a foam. It kind of reminds me of what Reebok did way back in the day with the Iverson outsolls that it felt like foam, but on a actual wood court, it had great traction because for some reason, the foam sticks to a clean hardwood floor, way better than rubber. Yeah, than a lot of rubbers do. But it's true if on a dusty floor, sometimes these Flowtro like foam-based outsolls are actually really bad. The Jimmy Butler one actually uses a foam outsole as well. And we're moving on to perhaps the most controversial shoe on here, not because of performance, but literally, I guess, politically or whatever, is the Kyrie 8 Infinity. Guys, this shoe is currently on sale right now because guess what? It's the last Kyrie Nike's gonna make. Yeah, well, they're not releasing the Kyrie 9 or quote, unquote, the Kyrie 8. There was a big debacle about the naming of the shoe. Kyrie is no longer a Nike athlete. It's official. Andrew, you can get this shoe right now for $65. And it's not like you don't only got a stack coupon codes or anything. I think that this is the best deal, Andrew, in the past like 10 years. Yeah, you know, actually, I just had some people text me, a guy and a girl text me about basketball shoes. And we're like, hey, how are these Kyrie Infinities? I was like, yeah, are you seeing them on sale? They're like, yeah, they're like 70 bucks. I'm thinking about getting them. I was like, definitely get them. Like personally, we have a pair of the Kyrie's. We actually have an EP pair. Oh, we got multiple pairs. We got multiple pairs for other people as well. Yeah, I think it's a great shoe. I think that if you want, dude, you cannot go wrong with the Kyrie line. Well, because it's built. Going on sale is amazing. I would say it's built like a Kyrie 6, Kyrie 7, but with like basically two zoom units. And usually Kyrie only gives you like one zoom unit in the front. Andrew, people actually love the Kyrie low line as well, which is a little bit of a cheaper diffusion line. They love that line. I mean, where do you think Kyrie should go, man? Because now Kyrie obviously has been ex-communicado from Nike. I mean, without getting too deep into it, I think to make a statement, Kyrie should like make his own brand or join with like an independent small brand and blow that up. I see it unlikely that he would do that. I just think. I see it unlikely that a Western brand, it's either going to be him starting his own brand or he's going to go to China. You, China? Yeah, man, dude. If he blew up a brand in China or joined Leaning, that would be crazy. They could give him his own brand. What about a serious player? One, you know, like a newcomer? Moving on with the list. We got two Pumas, Andrew, the Puma TRC, Blazecourt, the Puma Rise Nitro. I know a lot of people really like the Lamello MBO1 and MBO2 here as well. Andrew, what's your general opinion on Puma? Because this is probably the number three brand it'll leap frog over under armor. I still personally prefer Leaning's peaks and the answers to the Pumas, but I could totally see why people really like him because they're very basic catch all everybody's shoes. Yeah, I think they're really basic setups. I don't think anything about the shoes are going to wow you. I tried on the mellows, the .1s and the .2s and they're good, you know, but ultimately when you compare it to the technology that Nike has or even, and I got to throw in Leaning's boom because that's feeling really good right now, it's not comparable. Yeah, you're talking about the Nitro foam, right? Yeah, but I could see how people like them and especially given that Puma is such like a young brand and it kind of represents all the young guys. So if you want to go with that, yeah, I mean, I think Puma's cool. Yeah, I think their foam has great impact protection but it doesn't have a lot of energy return. But like you said, some people, they just care more about the traction and just the support. Moving on, Andrew, we've got the GT Cut 2 and the Jordan 36 which I have here in my hand right now. David, you are a Jordan 36. You have multiple pairs of these, the mids and lows. So let's just talk about that first because none of us have the GT cuts but you have the Jordan 36 in your hand. Yeah, but why don't we have the GT cuts, Andrew? Because the GT Cut 1 actually sold out and is going for like resale. Yeah, I had so many people tell me about the GT Cut 1s. I really wanted to get them but now they're super expensive and then I tried on the GT Cut 2s and I heard a lot of mixed reviews about them. Yeah, from what I've heard about the GT Cut 2s, Andrew, is like it's a very hit or miss shoe. You might love it, you might hate it but everybody loved the GT Cut 1. That's why the resale is like 300 on a performance shoe. That's pretty crazy. Listen, I don't know if it's an Asian thing but from the Asian guys that I spoke to about the GT Cut 2s and the ones that I felt, they felt like you could kind of turn your ankle in them because the heel was a little bit too high off the ground so the court feel wasn't great. So it's hit or miss, you're gonna have to try it on. It depends, it's person to person for sure. Andrew, I have been a huge fan of the Jordan line, the 34, the 35, the 36, I just ordered the 37s. I think for me, these are like a good swingman shoe. Like this is not, doesn't have the most court feel but we're talking about gigantic zoom units. Obviously the 36 is super lightweight but it's double stacked in the front and it just gives you a ton of forward propulsion due to the eclipse plate. So for me, I think bigger guys, powerful guys, you really want that like forward, you know, energy return. Nothing's gonna be better than these Jordans right here. I'm telling you guys. David, I try to play in your pair of the Jordan 36s and for me personally, when I laced them up, my foot was moving a lot in the toe box. So I think maybe for narrow footers and to do like shifty moves, I'm not a big fan of it but I cannot lie that the cushioning was incredible. Yeah, unbelievable. However Andrew, Jason Tatum does wear them but Jason Tatum, like I feel like he's shifty in a swingman way and not a point guard shooting guard way. Well, we do have to remind people that the shoes that the NBA stars are wearing are not the shoes that we're buying off the rack. They are enhanced, they're reinforced, they might have a different insole, they might have different support. It looks like the same shoe but we know this and shout out to Foot Doctor Zach, it is not the same shoe. Andrew, I got a pair of New Balance Kauai ones here. Obviously I did not get the Kauai two. I haven't gotten the New Balance two-way V3 yet but I'm thinking about it. I think it's a really good shoe in a weird way Andrew. It kind of tricked me. I thought it was a Nike. It literally looks like a Nike to me. Andrew, what's your general opinion on New Balance? Cause a lot of people like them, they say they kind of feel like Kobe Nines. You know, they're kind of doing that like low cushioning, hyper responsive, crazy traction thing that obviously some of the Chinese brands or Chinese lines are doing as well. Yeah, I mean, I guess I am surprised that this got a 9.5. Like sometimes I'm not gonna lie when wear testers review shoes and then they just give this shoe like an amazing grade out of nowhere. I'm just like, really? Is it really that good? Then this is one of the best shoes of the year, you know? You know what I found to be honest? A lot of shoe reviewers are like small and skinny. That's like the vast majority of shoe reviewers. I'm not saying 10 out of 10 but I would say seven out of 10 are like short or small and skinny. And I think it skews it because they just don't need as much cushioning, especially in the forefoot versus like a bigger guy like myself where it's like, yo, I love LeBron 10s. I love LeBron twos and 18s. All right, next up we got the Jordan Zion twos and the Luca ones, guys. These are two of the hottest young players in the league. They're the next generation. Zion, obviously being a gigantic guy himself. David, would you be interested in getting the Zion twos? All right, here's the thing. And I don't mean to sound stuck up. I generally don't buy mid-end shoes. Like anything that's like 110, 120, even 130 in price range. I just don't think he's gonna have the tech and the support that I need because obviously the cheaper shoes, they're generally gonna build them cheaper. So if you're like a kid like Zion and first of all, not that many kids are shaped like Zion at his age, would you try to get designs? Because we know that the shoes that Zion is wearing are obviously more enhanced on court. But I guess like, I don't know. Yeah, I mean, it says the heel support is beefy. So they're made for a beefy guy. I might get the Zion 2E PFs, which is the wide foot version from Asia just like after seeing this video, I got such a good score. Andrew, as far as the Jordan Luca one goes, and I do think that Jordan Brand has actually been killing it with all their signature lines in terms of the look, the performance. I think people generally really like them except for the cushioning because they're just using Formula 23, which is some version of React. What do you think about shoes, Andrew, that have no zoom air, no air, and are just relying on foams? Even though we know that it's true that foam cushioning technology in 2022, it is getting better. Yeah, I mean, I think that with zoom air and zoom turbo and all that stuff, it can be more targeted, right? You could put it right underneath the four foot bed versus foam. It's generally like not in podular form. It's just like the whole thing. I mean, there is something beautiful about going back to a traditional setup of just like a good foam and a good upper and you're just getting it done with that, which I think is fine. But for me personally, I'm a zoom air guy. I love zoom air and things that feel like zoom air. Right, things that give you an energy bounce back and propel you forward. I think foam can do that with some of like the boost iterations, but for the most part, it's just impact protection. Oh, and sometimes with foam, I think there is a question of durability because foam is gonna, once it wears out, then it's squished, but you have air pockets that they can still wear out and get softer, but generally you still always feel that little old zoom air. Right, unless the zoom bag itself pops. All right, Andrew, we are out of the best shoes of the year category. I think one shoe that I expect to see on there that wasn't on there was the Wow 10, the way of Wade 10, but to be fair, Andrew, it retails for like 225, 250, but I heard that that is like definitely one of the shoes of the year. So I was surprised to see it not on the list. Let's move on to the best budget basketball shoes, Andrew. The Nike Air Max Impact 4. This is totally a big five, you know, Garth Sports, Sports Authority. I don't even know if those stores are around anymore, special, but it got a 9.2. And what do you think about these like budget shoes? Sometimes you can't even get them at the mall. You gotta go to like the department, you know, like the same store that sell like fishing poles. Yeah, no, I mean, shout out to the Nike Air Impact. I know a lot of people who are not into buying signature shoes for some reason, maybe they don't relate to the player or they think it's too expensive, but retailing at 90 bucks, this is a great deal to have Air Max in the back. And like we said, foam cushioning is getting better. So it's not like back in the day when like you had the EVA midsole that was super hard and rigid and everything like that. These shoes look pretty good. And I could see a lot of like rack players getting them. And I think some people are late to the simplicity. I know Andrew, you did a brand deal a while ago for the Nike Reposto. And that was like probably one of the best looking like $75 retail shoes. Yeah, I mean, like we said, there is a beauty of going back to the simple setup. Moving on to the best basketball shoes for wide feet. I'm not gonna lie, I disagree with this one. They got the Under Armour Curry 10. I'm not saying it doesn't accommodate wide feet, but literally, if you're a wide footer, you're probably eight out of 10 times heavy. There's no way if you're a heavy guy, the flow troll cushioning is enough for you. It's gonna damage your knees. You get a feel it in your back the next day. If you are heavy, just get the Nike EP or Jordan PF shoes. Okay, literally, that's your only option. Maybe some Adidas BYW 2.0, you know with a ton of boost cushioning is another option. But literally guys, don't try to find like lightweight shoes that can just accommodate the width of your foot and then have bad cushioning. Andrew, moving into the best high top basketball shoes, when you're thinking about high tops, Andrew, you're generally thinking about centers. I'm talking about fives, right? Yolkich wears these. For me, Andrew, of course, I got a pair. I'm a heavier guy. These were pretty good. I can totally see for somebody who is a five, these being amazing shoes, but as a guard wearing these, man, it was just like way too restrictive and high up on the ankle. Yeah, I mean, I wore those for a couple of games and it was just a lot of shoe. They were really comfortable and they had like a really interesting cushioning setup. I mean, I think it's like double stacked. I think all the way through. It's like double stacked with like Cushlon. I don't know. The specs are on the website, guys, but yeah, it's a really interesting feeling shoe, but it's just a lot. And I think that you got to be like a big guy to wear them. If you are a big guy, get these in either the EP or regular version. Andrew, overall, what did you think of wear testers list? I agree with most of it. One thing I will say, David, you know what's missing? There's no Adidas shoes on there. Wow. What's going on, Adidas? I know. What about the Dames? There's the no dons. There's no trays. Oh, man. I'm not going to lie in 2022. And I heard Jerry Lorenzo for 2023 is coming in to revamp the line. Here's a sneak peek of his shoe, the new heart in seven. I don't know. Adidas like put no money in their basketball section. I heard that the market splits for the US, Andrew, are 90% Nike right now for the basketball dominance. International, it's different. It's more equal, but literally Adidas only has like 7% of the US basketball sector now. And they're just like wasting money. Bro, honestly, the last great, great Adidas basketball shoe was like the heart in three. That's crazy. That's the last great one, dude. Five years ago. When they used to be able to implement full length boost into the basketball shoes, basketball shoes were good for Adidas. But I don't know. They did away with it for some reason. It might have been the cost. They only went to bounce. Now, nobody's even talking about these Dames, dons, and trays. No. No one's talking about them. But people are still talking about the PrimeNik crazy explosive 2017. Yeah, full length boost. That's what I'm saying. Well, I cannot recommend Adidas, but maybe they could be getting better in the future. Who knows? Jerry Lorenzo's coming in to revamp it. Andrew, another shoe line I cannot recommend personally is pretty much the Yanis Freak line. I just think it's cut way too low. And we were just playing basketball yesterday, Andrew. I saw somebody twist their ankle pretty bad wearing freaks. Dang. All right, first of all, I will say a lot of people twist ankles in a lot of shoes. The one good thing about them is that they should be pretty stable for the most part because Yanis is a big guy, but he does a lot of like shifty moves, a lot of Euro steps. There's a lot of security around the ankle, funny enough, but yeah, I mean, anything can happen. So you're a no-go on the Yanis line. Yeah. Andrew, what was your shoe of the year? LeBron 20. It's an expensive one, guys, but definitely if you get the chance to try it on or test them out, definitely do it. I'm also a huge LeBron fan. And I'm thankful that finally, after like 10 years, there's a LeBron shoe that I actually like to wear that's not super clunky. Now that the LeBron shoes are gonna be based more off like brawny moving forward, do you think that the LeBron shoe is like probably gonna be in the running for the best shoe of the year every year now? Cause they're almost like taking the best aspects of a LeBron, which is the cushioning and then implementing it into a Kobe format, whereas obviously I guess the one weakness of the Kobe line was always like cushioning. Yeah, no, I think they're gonna be a top seller and I think Nike is gonna be very happy cause to be honest, some of the LeBrons, they weren't selling cause they were unrelatable. Yeah, relatability, it matters a lot. No, it's true, Andrew, the LeBron 19, it's hard to relate to wanting to wear this shoe. David, what is your favorite shoe of 2022? What are you gonna recommend on different levels? Give different reasons. Oh, I'm not gonna lie, Andrew. I'm a little bit sad that LeBron's going away from like the 40 air bubbles though. Oh, David will miss that. Because you gotta think, Andrew, I was like one of the only people, I have like seven pairs of LeBron 18s. No, that's true, that's true. LeBron 18s have crazy cushioning. No, no, Andrew, us big beefy guys, what are we gonna wear, what? Yolkish shoes? Hey, you know what, I liked wearing the LeBron 18 low sometimes. Those were a good shoe for me, I could still wear those. So those got a little skinny guy relatability. Yo, who's another beefy guy? They need to make another beefy guy. Give Grant Williams a shoe. They are not giving. Andrew, to sum it all up, I've got three shoes of the year. One, I gotta go with the Kyrie Infinity just because this shoe is so great of a deal. You know, at $65 right now, this is an amazing shoe, it's got zoom units in the front, in the back, great traction, great support, it's comfortable, really, no weaknesses. I wouldn't say it's like 10 out of 10 or anything. Another thing, Andrew, I'm really looking forward to the development of Chinese shoes. I think the Chinese brands are killing it. Like I said, I think they're only second to Nike. I do think Nike is in a far first place though, to be fair, I prefer them over Puma, but I can see disagreement there. And then for me, Andrew, I'm still just going with the Jordan line, whether it's 34s, 35s, 36s, and even 37s, we're talking about like really lightweight uppers with like double, triple, just so much energy return. I mean, what do you think it is about the Jordan line that you've been such a fan of? I mean, you used to get the Y knots and you got a lot of the Air Jordan. So it's like, what is it about the Jordan line that is always providing what David Fung needs? I would say, other than the Lucas, the Jordans are built for like beefy dudes because like Jordan towards the end of his career, when he was like 40 on the Wizards, he was a beefy dude and they were building the shoes for him. Jordan 17, Jordan 18, Jordan 19, Jordan 20, they were all like maximalist shoes. And when you're a bigger guy, Andrew, you know, running back full back size, rugby size, you just need the maximalist, full cushion, double zoom shoes. All right, everybody, that concludes our list of the best basketball shoes for 2022. So hopefully you found this guide helpful, whether you are a narrow footer, a wide footer, or you're on a budget, or you have no budget, okay? Just let us know in the comments down below what you're wearing because, man, basketball shoes, there's just a lot of shoes now. I mean, they're just gonna keep making more because basketball is also getting more and more popular even around the world. Yeah, I would say shoes are in a golden age right now, Andrew, it's a little bit like cars. It's hard to buy a new car that sucks. It's hard to buy a new pair of basketball shoes that suck. I kinda hate how many good basketball shoes there are because I want to buy them all, but I know I'm not. And I just know it's like, but I'll try on everybody's shoe. You know, when we're at the court and somebody got a new shoe, we're like, yo, what size is that? Is that between a nine or 11? Because I'm gonna try that on, you know? Let us know in the comments section below, guys, if you guys are into performance basketball shoes, what was your favorite of the year? Also let us know who are some of your favorite reviewers. And until next time, we're the Hop Hop Boys. Like, subscribe, turn on your notifications. We out, peace.