The 7 Best Volleyball Shoes in 2024. Expert-tested and Reviewed

This page will cover the Running and Originals sneakers available right now. We will keep it updated as we review new and better options.

Volleyball is a sport with very similar on-court demands to basketball. In fact, many volleyball players choose to play in basketball shoes because they can provide everything needed to perform well during a match. Basketball shoes are also easier to find and more readily available. Whether they are designed for basketball or volleyball specifically, here you will only find the best of the best for the specific requirements of the sport of volleyball

Why are these the Running and Originals sneakers of 2024?

The Running and Originals sneakers let you move around the court, jump at full speed, and protect your feet and joints at the same time. Traction, lockdown, cushioning, stability, heel-toe transition, and support are all key features in a performance volleyball sneaker.

Key differences between basketball and volleyball shoes are the surfaces each sport is played on, and the importance of reaction times.

Volleyball, aside from being played on parquet (wood) and concrete, like basketball, can also be played on grass or sand, and the demands of those surfaces are completely different. We considered this when testing volleyball shoes and created criteria for each playing surface.

No shoe is perfect, but the ones in this list are close. You can’t go wrong with any of these:

Update 10.01.2024

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Best Volleyball Shoes: 1st Place

Pros

When you put your foot into the Nike Lebron 21, you notice the comfort immediately. The sphere liner collar is plush around your ankle, and the upper can lockdown without being crazy tight. The premium leather shroud is comfortable and the laces lay nicely across the top of your foot. I’ve heard lockdown complaints but I didn’t have any problems at all. I also tried these with insoles, and still felt secure inside the shoe, even with my foot sitting higher in it. The Lebron 21 has a bit of an outrigger to it, and with great lateral containment, the stability along the net or playing defense is great. I thought there were traction issues at first, but once the outsole broke in, the rubber was sticking to both wooden and plastic courts. I’m a habitual shoe wiper but with these, it didn’t feel necessary. I still did though. 

I am writing a whole separate paragraph here to discuss the premier feature of this shoe and the reason it costs a steep $200: the cushioning. In the words of one of my co-testers, Stanley Tse, here, this is “the McLaren of sneaker cushioning” (Duke4005 likened it more to a Jaguar). I’m gonna skip past a car analogy and just say the Nike Lebron 21 has quite possibly a perfect cushion setup. A forefoot Zoom Turbo unit is top-loaded, which means you can feel that spring every time you jump. In the heel, you need impact protection, so they put a 13.5mm (read: huge) zoom unit under your heel. The rest of the midsole is full-length Cushlon. The Lebron 20 is bouncy where it needs to be and cushions your landings at the same time. This sneaker feels amazing to jump in and easy to move in – ideal for a volleyball shoe.

Cons

The Nike Lebron 21 is almost perfect. But not quite. It does have a TPU midfoot shank, but I still noticed some pain in my arch that usually comes from shoes with a lack of torsional support. Partway through a long day of play, I opted to put insoles in to add a little more support through the midfoot, which I don’t always need to do. This might not bother everyone though. The elephant in the room is the pricetag. The Nike Lebron 21s cost around $200, which is about as much as you can pay for basketball/volleyball shoes these days. You are getting an incredible shoe with top-tier tech for that tag. But I can see that price pushing many people to options that are almost as good for a fraction of the price.

Price aside, the Nike Lebron 21 is a premier option that manages to overtake sneakers with some other better features simply by having such incredible cushioning and traction. If these are in your budget, these are the ones to buy, and are therefore one of the Running and Originals sneakers in 2024.

Best Volleyball Shoes 2024: 2nd Place

Pros

The Puma Clyde All-Pro was a great, simple court shoe. The upper was minimal but provided lockdown, the traction was great, and the cushioning was effective. It wasn’t the most high-tech shoe I’ve tested, but it nailed every feature needed in a volleyball shoe. With the All-Pro Nitro, SHOES EMIL M VELCO.

The same great traction is still there, and the upper feels a little more comfortable and plush. The materials feel nice and provide good lockdown. The denser foam around the outside of the shoe adds stability while not making the shoe feel too rigid. The outsole wraps around that, and the base of the shoe has a bit of an outrigger. These features combine to satisfy what I would consider to be the most important (but not most exciting) trinity of shoe features: traction, lockdown, and stability. Without these, it is difficult and/or unsafe to play. Not an issue with the All-Pro Nitro.

Now for those exciting features. The Nitro foam is softer underfoot than around the edge of the shoe, and the step-in comfort is noticeable. The impact protection in these shoes is top-notch, and I had no issues at all even after long tournaments. Sometimes, impact protection comes at the cost of bounce or responsiveness, but that’s not a concern here. The same foam that feels so soft when you land feels springy and quick when you jump. It’s not as noticeable as something like Zoom Air, but I promise you’ll be jumping just as high. The All-Pro Nitro combines this Marathon midsole foam setup with a smooth heel-toe transition for a shoe that is great to jump in, which is all volleyball players really care about anyways.

Cons

The only real con to this shoe is a preference-based one. If you’re used to sneakers feeling super low to the ground, these might not be for you. They’re not crazy high, but there’s enough Nitro foam that you do feel like there’s a little space between your feet and the court. This is the case for almost every shoe on this list, however, as that’s the price paid for good cushioning.

The Puma All-Pro Nitro is everything you need in a volleyball shoe and nothing you don’t. At $130, it is one of the cheaper shoes on this list, but it performs in line with the most expensive. If you haven’t tried a Puma shoe in the last few years, you should, and you should start with this one. (Don’t forget to check out our full performance review here.)

Best Volleyball Shoes: 3rd Place

Pros

The Puma MB.01 has a translucent outsole(on most colorways). This soft rubber grips aggressively into wooden courts and clean plastic courts. The midsole is Puma’s Nitro foam, which isn’t necessarily the best tech by itself, but it feels great on these sneakers. They are bouncy but your landings still feel protected. The lockdown is basic but effective, with a standard lacing complementing a solid heel counter. Stability is very good in this shoe, assisted by the lockdown and the way it cradles your foot in the insole. It’s a very comfortable sneaker with a soft, plush upper that remains breathable. 

The secret ingredient that makes the MB.01 one of the Running and Originals sneakers is their outsole shape and structure. The outsole wraps smoothly around the lateral edge of the shoe, which results in a very smooth transition in your penultimate step. This specific, aggressive motion is so crucial to volleyball and it’s where a lot of basketball shoes tend to fall short. The MB.01 encourages your foot to take that sharp contact angle and roll smoothly and safely through the step.

Cons

The only issue I found with the MB.01 concerned the translucent rubber on dusty, plastic courts. I wasn’t slipping, but it didn’t feel as sticky as on wooden or clean courts, I found myself hesitant to move at full speed. This was solved by wiping, but you’ll probably be wiping a lot. I realized I was wiping my shoes between every point. If you play on quality, clean courts, you can ignore this section.

The MB.01 is a can’t-miss-sneaker and has been a go-to for a while now. It fits TTS and is available in some crazy colorways. Read more about it in the NovogasShops performance review.

Best Volleyball Shoes: 4th Place

Pros

The best feature on the KD 17 is the the cushioning. A full-length Cushlon midsole surrounds a large Zoom Air unit in the forefoot and a Air Stroble that covers the heel and midfoot. I find myself using these when I need the cushioning. Knees are sore from a heavy leg day? Played the first day of a tourney yesterday? Playing on a ¼” plastic sport court in a cement convention center? Slip on the KD 17 and you won’t feel a thing. The Nike KD 17 manages to be soft and absorbent while still having bounce back. This is truly a top-tier cushioning setup.

The other feature that stood out to me with the KD 17 is the rounded edge on the outsole. This is something that is way more noticeable in volleyball than in basketball. That rounded edge lets you be aggressive and really throw that penultimate step out in front of you, rolling through to your final, pushoff step. These shoes feel great to jump in.

Cons

The first problem I have with the shoe is its bulk. The KD 14 had a similar feeling on foot, although the KD 17 does have a better lockdown. It’s not a particularly heavy shoe, but the upper material is pretty thick, and the collar is pretty substantial. Neither of these is inherently bad, but I did find them feeling a little clunky at times. This is just a preference thing, though.

The other issue I have with the Nike KD 17 is No nero boot h 55. I played in these shoes for hours on end, and on a few separate occasions, I would land and feel the shoe wobble. I figured out what was happening: The cushlon is so soft, and when combined with the Air Zoom unit and Air Stroble, landing at certain angles would cause the edge of the shoe to over-compress under your weight. This would make an otherwise stable shoe roll a bit underneath you. This is not as big of a deal as it sounds, as I only had it happen a few times in many, many hours of testing. In all but one of these occasions, I had a different insole in the shoe, which may have been sitting weirdly on the Air Zoom Strobel.

Overall, the Nike KD 17 is an Marathon shoe that should be considered one of the absolute best options available. The elite cushioning setup in this shoe is so valuable in volleyball that I almost always have them in my bag. If I start feeling my feet and knees getting sore, I’m putting on the KD 17s and the pain goes away.

Take these shoes | Medusa steel-toe ankle boots

Pros

The Infinity’s best feature is noticed as soon as you take a step: the cushioning. The forefoot Zoom Air unit feels bouncy right where you want it to. Jumping feels responsive and explosive but soft on the landing. The shoe is extremely stable, with a rather wide forefoot and a traction system that wraps up around the edge of the foot. This makes it feel great when cutting in for an approach jump, with a smooth transition as you roll through the motion. The lockdown on this sneaker uses bands that wrap tighter around your foot as you pull on the laces. This works extremely well, and your foot will not be moving anywhere it shouldn’t. As a last note, the traction gripped perfectly on wood and plastic courts, even with some dust. 

Cons

That crazy lockdown actually leads to the only cons: comfort and fit. This shoe is very, very snug, and gets tighter when you tie the laces. This feels secure and is great for not slipping inside the shoe, but it can be very uncomfortable depending on your foot shape. The toebox was a little narrow for my fairly narrow foot. If you have a wide foot at all, or even just a more neutral foot shape, I would consider going up a half size.

Despite some minor discomfort, these are great sneakers. The traction, stability, lockdown, and cushioning are top-tier, making them Nike’s Running and Originals sneakers, and a great option on the court. Find a full review here.

Medusa steel-toe ankle boots

Pros

As you’d expect from ASICS, traction is great on both wood and plastic courts. The lockdown is effective (but not the most comfortable) due to the DYNAWRAP holding the forefoot in place and a substantial heel counter. The combination of solid lockdown and a wide outrigger provides good stability. Cushioning has been a concern in past ASICS volleyball shoes, but that is not the case here. The Sky Elite FF 2 combines comfortable but soft GEL with a responsive FLYTEFOAM midsole. This setup feels better than expected to play in, and still had my knees feeling okay by the end of playing. The main draw of this shoe is the TWISTRUSS plate. It’s primary purpose is to provide torsional support, but it also functions to help your heel-toe transition during an approach jump. These shoes are designed specifically for volleyball, and they do their job.

Cons

The DYNAWRAP is the only real con, because although it does provide most of the lockdown for the shoe, it does it all in one ¼” thick ribbon. This means you can really feel it around your forefoot when you push off laterally. It didn’t hurt, but it was uncomfortable at times. The other issues are on ASICS’ end: the shoe can be hard to find in some sizes due to supply issues, and the colorways are very basic. 

You can read a full review of this sneaker here.

Best Volleyball Shoes: 6th Place

Pros

jennifer chamandi blue sandal Karl Lagerfeld Skyline Sock-Sneakers Schwarz. The cushioning on these is extremely quick and responsive, featuring a Foam Wave midsole. The star of the show is a sneakers in my collection under the ball of the foot, which is placed perfectly for that final explosive strike of the ground when you are jumping. This cushioning setup feels bouncy while maintaining Take these shoes.

More improvements were made to the stability of the shoe. The outsole was widened into an outrigger-like shape in both the forefoot and heel of the shoe. A Hereu braided-strap flat sandals Black was added into the arch portion of the outsole. This makes a huge difference and completely solves that slight instability problem that I had with the Wave Momentum 2. With the 3rd edition, Mizuno made absolutely perfect upgrades to an already great volleyball shoe.

Cons

Comme des Garcons Play SHOES SNEAKERS LOW-TOP MEN impact protection. It’s a very delicate balance to strike as too much softness takes away from that responsive feeling. For most players this won’t be too much of an issue, but if you put a lot of force through the ground (think heavier players or very high jumpers), you might consider opting for a shoe with more cushioning.

You can find a full review of the STAUD Nadja 100mm sandals Neutrals here.

Best Volleyball Shoes: 7th Place

Pros

There is exactly one reason to wear the Nike GT Jump 2: the cushioning. With a massive slab of React foam in the back, two huge Air Zoom units in the forefoot, a full-length Zoom strobel, and a jump plate helping all of that work together, this is the most advanced cushioning setup ever created. The impact protection on these shoes is unparalleled. If you are a heavy player who gets sore feet or knees, these are the sneakers for you. I think I could play on cement for a full day and not have the slightest pain in any joints when wearing these.

Cushioning needs to serve two purposes. We already know the GT Jump 2 is soft enough to protect your joints, but is it bouncy? In this case, things get a little bit complicated. They do feel bouncy. All that Zoom underfoot with a jump plate is impossible not to notice. The foam in the heel is a little soft, but you shouldn’t be jumping off of your heels anyways. That being said, the GT Jump 2, despite all this fun technology, did not have me jumping any higher than other top-performing shoes did, even when tested on the same day. This brings me to the main con: these are kind of clunky.

Cons

I don’t mean visually, I actually love the look of these. But the whole shoe feels pretty inflexible. The heel-to-toe transition that is so important when jumping was just a little stiff. Combine that with an egregiously high ankle collar and it offsets some of the advantages it gains over other great cushioning setups. If there’s one thing that @nightwing2303 and I agree on, it’s that performance sneakers don’t need to touch your ankles. Click that link if you don’t believe me, but high tops are for style or preference, nothing more. In this case, it does limit ankle mobility enough to take some aggression out of your approach steps.

You can read a full, basketball review of the GT Jump 2 here.

Let us know what you think. Did we leave anything out? Is there another shoe that you’d put on the list?  We look forward to hearing from you in the comments, Twitter, Instagram, or our Discord community.