Finding basketball shoes that fit your wide feet can be a real pain. Most performance sneakers are cut slightly narrow to ensure a tight fit for athletes with regularly wide feet. If you are a wide-footer, this can be really annoying as an average pair of shoes will probably fit very uncomfortably and you will have to deal with blisters and pressure marks. But fortunately, there are still a few basketball shoes that cater to wide-footers.
In this article, I am going to show you five current basketball sneakers that should fit comfortably, even if you have “Shrek” feet!
How to find shoes that work for wide feet?
Your favorite player released a new signature sneaker and you found a colorway that is so nice, you need to have it? The only problem: the shoe is not made for wide feet…
Can you still make it work?
Look for stretchy upper materials
Many shoes come with different materials depending on which colorway you get. So if you have a pair of shoes that are only slightly narrow, going for a stretchy material like a knit or woven will accommodate wide feet much better than firm mesh or synthetic leather.
On the other hand, there are basketball shoes like the KD signature line that run so narrow that you just can’t make it work as a wide-footer. If you want to know how your favourite shoe runs, check out the shoe overview I have created here. Click on any shoe and to see a profile of the shoe that tells you whether it runs wide, regular or narrow.
Basketball Shoes for Wide-Footers
How did I come up with this list?
I am continuously recording every basketball shoe review that is released on sites like solecollector.com, weartesters.com and on popular sneaker Youtube channels. So far this database includes 233 shoes and 1117 reviews!
Whenever a reviewer mentions that a shoe runs wide (or narrow) this is entered into a database. This allows me to automatically create a list of current shoes (last updated on Nov 27, 2022) that were identified as wide by sneaker experts (ranked by average overall rating):
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8.7
rating based on
2 expert reviews
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Damian Lillard's 7th signature shoe is a significant upgrade over last years model.
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A perfectly balanced shoe that fits any position or player.
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8.4
rating based on
4 expert reviews
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The Puma TRC Blaze Court offers strong traction and comfort at the expense of the materials.
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Guards with a quick playstyle
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8.3
rating based on
6 expert reviews
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The Nike Zoom Freak 4 is a worthy upgrade in Giannis Antetokounmpo's line.
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Players looking for solid performance and springy cushioning on a budget will enjoy this shoe.
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8.3
rating based on
4 expert reviews
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The Adidas Exhibit A is a solid new entry into Adidas's non-signature basketball shoe lineup.
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Great for players that have a quick and shifty play style.
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8.3
rating based on
3 expert reviews
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Russell Westbrook's fourth signature shoe is a pretty good all-around performer.
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Great for players who like forefoot Zoom and don't make a lot of lateral moves.
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Let’s take a closer look:
Performance Rating:
Damian Lillard's 7th signature shoe is a significant upgrade over last years model.
Pros:
Solid traction indoors and outdoors
Cons:
Not the most premium materials
What do the experts think?
The traction on the Dame 7 performs well - significantly better than the 6. Good news if you play outdoors a lot: the outsole is made of very durable rubber and performs well on the blacktop.
The Lightstrike foam cushion setup is also an upgrade over the 6 and is a good balance of impact protection, court feel, and responsiveness.
The materials are of decent quality, well ventilated, and get the job done performance-wise.
The support offers good lateral stability and containment but the low cut doesn't provide any additional ankle support.
Overall, the Dame 7 is a great all-around performer - especially for the price!
Performance Rating:
The Puma TRC Blaze Court offers strong traction and comfort at the expense of the materials.
Pros:
Lightweight and supportive
Cons:
The outsole rubber is not durable
What do the experts think?
The traction pattern of the Puma TRC Blaze Court performed phenomenally for most reviewers, but dust pickup can be an issue.
Puma's Trinomic cushioning is soft and responsive, and one reviewer said it was the most bouncy cushioning they've tested.
The materials feel cheap, but they do keep the shoe feeling lightweight on foot.
The support features are strategically placed around the shoe to reinforce the lockdown and containment of the shoe.
Overall, the Puma TRC Blaze Court is an exceptional performer that could've been even better if not for some consistency issues.
Performance Rating:
The Nike Zoom Freak 4 is a worthy upgrade in Giannis Antetokounmpo's line.
Pros:
Reliable traction after break-in
Cons:
Torsional support is not the best
What do the experts think?
The traction on the Zoom Freak 4 takes time to break in, but once it does, it performs reliably afterwards.
The two forefoot Zoom Air units are bouncy but can take a lot of force to feel them. The foam feels springy regardless, though.
Material quality is a letdown. Nike didn't use premium materials, but they hold up for performance.
One improved feature is the fit. The shoe accommodates more foot shapes and is better for players with slightly-wide feet.
Reviewers mentioned the torsional support isn't the best, but it didn't take away from the lockdown and stability of the shoe.
The Nike Zoom Freak 4 performs well in all performance basketball categories while being a shoe for price-conscious players.
Performance Rating:
The Adidas Exhibit A is a solid new entry into Adidas's non-signature basketball shoe lineup.
Pros:
Has everything you need for support
Cons:
Stable cushion sacrifices impact protection
What do the experts think?
Reviewers agree that the traction on the Adidas Exhibit A is very reliable. It performed consistently on both clean and dusty courts while needing only minimal wiping.
The Lightstrike cushion leans more towards the firm side of things, but it is lightweight and responsive. There's a small amount of impact protection in the heel, but the setup is clearly catering towards players the favor court feel.
The materials perform well on the court, they are comfortable and feel good to play in.
Support in the ankle area of the shoe is a strong point. Coupled with a wide base for lateral stability, the Exhibit A is a very supportive shoe.
Overall, Adidas has delivered a solid performer with the new Exhibit A. It features everything you could want for traction and support. On top of that, it's built well and positioned at a great price of just $110.
Performance Rating:
Russell Westbrook's fourth signature shoe is a pretty good all-around performer.
Pros:
Bouncy forefoot cushioning
Cons:
Materials could be more premium
What do the experts think?
The traction on Russell Westbrook's 4th signature shoe is decent on linear moves but has trouble on lateral movements. Overall it is pretty inconsistent especially on dust.
The cushion features super bouncy double-stacked Zoom units in the forefoot. The court feel isn't great but still good enough.
The wild mix of different materials doesn't feel very premium to the touch but they conform to your feet well and get the job done performance-wise.
Go true to size and you should get a comfortable fit with minimal dead space in the toe box.
The support is great all-around and has you covered for lateral stability and containment.
Overall the Why Not Zero.4 is a solid performer, with the only downside being the inconsistent traction.
My son is playing high school ball and is required to wear Nikes. He has VERY wide feet, and we switched him to Adidas from Nike years ago for this reason. Any Nike recommendations that are available on the current market? All of my googling is leading me to older versions of Nikes that I can only find on Amazon, and I question the authenticity. Thanks for your help in advance!
Check out thehoopsgeek.com/shoe-reviews for a list of all current shoes. You can filter and sort all shoes by width. This way you should be able to find a good fit for your son.
Just came from the Nike Outlet today, my daughter plays travel ball and has a very wide foot. She loves the KD12’s. She had to go about a half size up but they fit her perfect.