Basketball players are bound to suffer from a rolled or sprained ankle at least once in a season. Although there is no way to prevent this from happening, you can certainly reduce the likelihood by wearing the right gear.
Your ankles are especially at risk if you’ve already injured them, and unfortunately, many players hit the court again when their ankle has not had time to fully heal. Ankle braces and compression socks are great, but for the best support and stability, you need the right shoe.
Below, we’ll highlight the six best basketball shoes for ankle support and offer you some tips that can help you prevent or greatly reduce your chances of injury.
Top 6 Basketball Shoes for Ankle Support Table
Give Your Ankles the Support They Deserve
The main thing to remember when you’re looking for the pair of basketball shoes is that an injury may occur even if you do prepare your feet in the right way. That’s just the nature of the game and a risk you take every time you step out onto the court!
Ankle injuries mostly occur due to incorrect lateral movement of the foot, and a shoe isn’t guaranteed to prevent this from occurring.
What you can do is arm yourself with great shoes (like the ones we mentioned above) in addition to the following:
- Exercises. There are a variety of exercises that you can do to strengthen your ankle joints and the muscles in your feet, and since you’re probably in the gym anyways to stay fit for games, it’s a great idea to start incorporating them into your workout routine.
- Ankle Sleeves, Compression Socks And Braces. You’ll need to wear a compression sleeve or a brace if you are playing on an ankle that’s healing. Many think that compression sleeves will help prevent injuries, but this is unfortunately not true. Compression gear helps offer you support as you heal from an injury, just as an ankle brace would, and each one offers support in different ways. Compression socks also help increase circulation through the legs.
3 Best Basketball Shoes for Ankle Support Reviews
1. Under Armour UA ClutchFit™
High-top shoes are a favorite for ankle support, and the Under Armour ClutchFit shoes feature this high-top design.
The way that it clutches your foot gives you a snug, glove-like fit that offers you incredible support as you run and break on the court. The back of the shoe sits high but it doesn’t limit your mobility.
They are lightweight, feature a herringbone traction pattern that allows you excellent lateral and linear movement, and they’re great to look at.
For excellent ankle support as you run up and down the court, go with the Under Armour ClutchFits.
2. Nike Sportswear Air Zoom Flight
These are truly unique shoes from Nike that also offer you the ankle support you need.
They feature a leather upper that is covered with a synthetic neoprene zip-up sleeve, which you can open or close to reveal the top part of the shoe.
Your ankles will appreciate the monkey paw technology that the shoe features, which is a specialized system that helps lock your foot in place. This design is unique to Nike and they basketball player they created it for: Gary Payton.
These offer your entire foot great support – especially the ankle.
Completely worth the investment for the level of quality that you’re getting!
3. Nike LeBron 11 Elite Team
Another great pair of Nikes: the Lebron XI basketball shoe.
These shoes are lightweight and offer excellent support during sudden changes in direction. The Flywire cables wrap your foot and adjust as you move, tightening during quick movements to offer support and a close fit when you need it most.
These shoes offer great traction, they are breathable, comfortable and the Lunarlon midsole offers great impact protection.
Nike makes many great shoes, but for ankle support, the Lebron 11s are a great option!
Finding the right pair of shoes for your feet can have a huge impact on your game when you’re out on the court.
Use our guide above to help you select the best basketball shoes for ankle support, and remember that there are a variety of ways that you can prevent injury in addition to wearing the proper footwear!
