Let me tell you something. $50 is way to small of a budget to get a solid basketball shoe. If you only have 50 bucks in your pocket, looking at the latest or even 2-3 year old models is just not what you should do.
However, that DOES NOT mean you can’t buy a basketball shoe.
I dedicate this article to the people who have a super tight budget and are looking to buy the best basketball shoes under 50 dollars!
MY #1 RECOMMENDATION: ADIDAS 3 SERIES 2015
Okay, some sizes are surpassing the $50 limit, but it’s more or less 50 bucks.
This is the top seller for basketball shoes on Amazon. Yep, I’m not lying, go check it out if you don’t believe me.
It is very cheap, but there’s a reason why so many people buy it. You’re on a tight budget, you’re desperately looking for a sneaker, you check what’s good on Amazon, and the first thing that shows up is this shoe.
adidas 3 Series 2015 offers a leather upper (which is good), a comfortable ankle collar and the TORSION SYSTEM technology for torsional support. Believe it or not, these have the adiPrene+ cushioning system and a NON-MARKING outsole. This shoe has some decent 2015 tech for its price and there’s a lot of positive user reviews out there.
If you’re on a 50 dollar budget, I really think these shoes are the best bet. After all, they’re made by adidas and not some random no-name brand – that should say something to you.
MY #2 RECOMMENDATION: ADIDAS ISOLATION 2
Another shoe that literally pops up everytime you search stuff on Amazon. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not someone who sees an awesome deal and buys it right away.
But there’s a reason people are buying it. You get a fairly decent performance for a very low price point.
The adidas Isolation 2 also features TORSION SYSTEM, which is a great technology by adidas.
The upper is made out of synthetic leather and most popular shoes are made exatly from that, so no worries here. It offers good support and durability, but they will need some break-in time and ventilation is pretty bad.
Don’t expect awesome, soft cusiohing or awesome traction. The shoes do perform considering the low price tag though. No major issues.
AND 1 ROCKET 4.0
AND 1 was actually a prestige brand in the early 2000’s. Now, it has become a cheap alternative for people on a budget. But that’s why you came here right? Honestly, these offer nothing spectacular, but for their price, they kind of get the job done.
The biggest thing about them is a lot of people said that they actually fit true to size with comfort. You rarely see that with shoes like these.
The upper is made of synthetic leather and mesh, so the shoe is somewhat durable and beathable. People also reported that they are quite supportive and there’s a little bit of court feel thanks to the flat outsole.
All in all, don’t expect a “Rocket” performance out of these, but they should cut it for 2-3 months.
NOTE! There’s a whole bunch of affordable AND 1 shoes to buy, so go here to check them out. I don’t want to list all the AND 1’s here, so I picked the best one. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t generally trust AND 1’s shoes too much though.
ADIDAS COURT FURY
I gotta admit, these look pretty sweet even though they’re $40. Once again, you should not believe that they are monsters on court.
The highlight would definitely be the adiPrene+ cushioning. That’s awesome. You get relatively responsive cushioning for 40 bucks. And it’s FULL LENGTH. Even more awesomeness.
You also get a NON-MARKING outsole and a synthetic textile upper. It’s not as durable as synthetic leather. But it’s more comfortable and it’s lighter.
The Court Fury’s are available in 8 different colors, so variety is not a problem here.
I gotta say it’s cool that adidas is actually making these budget friendly shoes, even at 2015 or 2016. At least you know that you can trust a brand such as adidas when you’re looking for a cheap shoe.
NIKE OVERPLAY VII
Last but not least, we got a pair of Nikey’s. Seriously, it’s a $200 model or it’s a $50 model, Nike’s shoes are SUPER similar.
It has a standard Phylon midsole for cushioning, so no premium tech like ZOOM AIR for that. According to a lot of users, the cushion on these shoes is really soft and bouncy. That is certainly awesome for just Phylon.
The upper is made out of synthetic leather and mesh on the sides for breathability. Performance wise, deifitely nothing special, but it gets the job done for $50. Just for cushioning alone, it is a good choice.
That wraps up my list of the best basketball shoes under 50 dollars.
I hope you found something you like or at least informed yourself. Now you know that 50 dollars is not really a budget for basketball shoes. Let me know if you have a question or maybe you’re getting one of these in the future?
If you can increase your budget to 150 dollars, you can check this article. They also list the basketball shoes that fit best at that price.