The Best Ankle Braces For Basketball: McDavid, ASO, Zamst, Donjoy and Liomor
By far, sprained ankles have kept me off the basketball court more than any other injury. The funny walk wasn’t the whole deal though. I am always on the lookout for the best ankle braces for basketball and created this ankle brace buying guide for basketball.
Injured ankles or feet can get excruciatingly painful, and you miss out on games, training, and your whole workout routine is off for weeks. Very Well Fit and The Hoops Geek have some good information as well.
Basketball is a game where there’s a high rate of ankle injuries, and I know now that it was avoidable if only I’d used the proper support, as in ankle braces.
Read on to find out more about basketball ankle braces, why you need them, and how to pick the best pair. I also included a list of the best ankle braces, and the Top Pick is in the last section.
Best Ankle Braces for Basketball:
- MCDAVID ANKLE SUPPORT BRACE
- MED SPEC ASO ANKLE STABILIZER
- ZAMST A2-DX STRONG SUPPORT ANKLE BRACE
- MCDAVID LACE-UP ANKLE BRACE
- DONJOY PERFORMANCE POD ANKLE BRACE
- LIOMOR ANKLE SUPPORT BREATHABLE ANKLE BRACE FOR BASKETBALL
Best Basketball Ankle Braces: Features And Performance Details
This is a round-up of the best basketball ankle braces, next we’ll look more closely at their performance.
1. MCDAVID ANKLE SUPPORT BRACE
- Familiar and comfortable design
- Breathable and well ventilated
- Compression helps in recovery
These braces have the familiar shape of athletic tape, but they provide much more support and protection.
They’re lightweight ankle braces, made from a breathable fabric. They’re designed for comfort, and to that end, they can be adjusted without taking the shoes off.
They’re symmetric so you can wear them for the left or right foot, the size is intended to fit snugly, but you can go one size or down depending on the shape of your foot.
2. MED SPEC ASO ANKLE STABILIZER
- Simple and efficient design
- Fit into any shoe model
- Good strength and durability
These are premium quality ankle braces and the ones I see most often on my court. They provide both support after injury and protection from such incidents. They’ll stand the intense action, and they’re easy to clean and maintain with regular machine washing.
The Med Spec can be worn on either foot, they’re not bulky so you don’t have to pick certain shoes to accommodate them. They’re easy to lace up and adjust with the cuff, and the snug fit will give optimal support and comfort. We have a more in-depth review of the ASO ankle brace here.
3. ZAMST A2-DX STRONG SUPPORT ANKLE BRACE
- The hi-tech design focuses on good fit
- Smart stabilization for recovery
- Good protection from injury
These are high-tech ankle braces, which focus on perfectly fitting the contours of the foot, offering maximum stabilization and protection. They’re designed specifically to mirror the anatomy of each foot. The pair isn’t interchangeable for optimal fitting and comfort.
Several celebrity basketball players wear these braces, which gives the rest of us some confidence in their efficiency and durability.
They’re perfectly suited for players who had suffered an ankle injury before and need to make sure that their activity wouldn’t negatively affect their ankles. These ankle braces respond with high sensitivity to movement, so they’ll take good care of such players.
We have an exhaustive review of this brace, that Steph Curry wears, here. We consider it the winner overall. It is on the high-end price-wise, but, of course, Steph Curry can afford it.
4. MCDAVID LACE-UP ANKLE BRACE
- Familiar, easy to wear design
- Well ventilated
- Kid size available
These ankle braces have a simple design, putting them on is a lot like lacing up your shoe, but they offer significant support. They can be used for protection against ankle sprains, or post-injury to speed up recovery.
They’re made from layers of Polyester and Vinyl mesh in addition to other liners, which makes them breathable and well ventilated. They’ll come in handy on summer days or for games that go on for a while.
They can fit either foot and lace-up quickly, so that makes them easy to wear, but they’re a bit thick, so they might fit in some shoe models better than the others.
5. DONJOY PERFORMANCE POD ANKLE BRACE
- HI-Tech braces adapt to foot shape and movement
- Allow a wide range of safe movement
- Minimalist elegant design
The DonJoy are also High-Tech braces. They’re designed to take the shape of the foot, occupy the minimum possible space, and allow a wide range of movement while maintaining stability and protection.
They look a bit space-age and unfamiliar, but they’re very efficient and comfortable to wear. They probably need a bit of getting used to, but they’re so slick and elegant, so I think they’ll become very popular in basketball courts.
6. LIOMOR ANKLE SUPPORT BREATHABLE ANKLE BRACE FOR BASKETBALL
- Budget-friendly
- Offer a wide range of motion
- Available in extra-large sizes
They look very basic, but these braces are actually very well designed. They give good support and moderate protection, and as they don’t surround the foot too much, they give a wide range of mobility.
They provide good ventilation and cooling, so they’re great for hot weather and long games. These are budget-friendly braces with a high value, and they’re also available in extra-large foot sizes, which is a big plus. Pun totally intended!
Why Basketball Players Wear Ankle Braces?
Almost 40% of high school basketball players get ankle injuries before the game season is over. The rate among professional players could be even more.
The thing about bone injuries is that they leave that part vulnerable, and repeated incidents could happen, especially if it didn’t heal properly.
Basketball is a rough game and in the middle of the action, very few of us think about protecting a joint, we all keep our eyes on the hoop. That’s why extra protection is important.
Recovery from an injury requires extra stabilization and protection of the ankle. This can be achieved through several kinds of braces to suit individual cases.
Ankle injuries can be avoided or at least decreased if the basketball player wears the right kind of ankle braces. It is “a stitch in time saves nine” kind of thing.
Types of Ankle Braces
There’s a broad range of designs to suit individual needs for ankle support.
Ankle Sleeves
They’re made from flexible fabric that a player can easily put on. It’s a lot like socks, but stretchier.
These offer a degree of stabilization and some compression, which might relieve the pain of a sore ankle, but they wouldn’t offer much protection during a game.
Lace-Up Ankle Braces
Lace-up ankle braces give support by restricting the ankle a little more than usual. This is a good choice if you’re already suffering from an injury, and stabilizing the joint is necessary.
Rigid Ankle Braces
These provide extra support and protection against spraining. They don’t restrict the movement of the ankle, so they’re useful in a game. They’re a bit bulky though, so some basketball players don’t favor them too much.
Flexible Ankle Braces
Some advanced types use body heat to fit the contours of the ankle. They’re more comfortable and still give the required support.
How to Choose the Right Ankle Braces
Getting the wrong braces usually means that you’ll wear them once, realize that they’re too bulky, too loose, or just uncomfortable to wear. They’ll probably sleep in a drawer with other 10-year-old useless gadgets.
Here’s what you need to check before buying a good pair of ankle braces.
Usage
First of all, you need to specify why you need them. These are the main uses:
- Extra protection and support
- Treating a sore ankle
- Stabilization while recovering from an injury
Each one of these cases is best supported by a specific type of ankle brace. It’s best to consult your physician in general, but especially if you’ve suffered an ankle injury before.
Good Fit
Think about this as buying the perfect footwear, you take your time when you pick a shoe, and you might try on hundreds of brands before one of them really fits well.
Comfort comes from the way the braces feel when you move your ankle. So try out its range of motion before saying yes.
You might want to pick a thick and good quality pair of basketball socks, this should make the braces fit better and minimize friction, also you could need a crew-cut pair of socks to cover the whole length of the braces.
Durability
These supports go through a lot of wear and tear, and they’ll only be effective if they maintain their original flexibility and compression.
Pick a brand you can trust with consistent performance over a long period, these aren’t items we need to change every other week.
Final Thoughts
Wearing ankle braces can decrease the probability of ankle injuries significantly, which saves the player from all the inconveniences of such unfortunate incidents.
Staying healthy and protected is usually easy by taking a few simple measures, and one of these is wearing ankle braces that could offer protection or help players in recovery. The Mcdavid Ankle Support Braces are great for doing just that.
They’re also well designed, look familiar, they’re easy to wear, and you can even adjust them without taking off your shoes. It’s well ventilated and comfortable.
The Liomor Ankle Support Breathable Ankle Brace for Basketball is another good alternative. These braces are budget-friendly, provide good support and protection, and they have the simplest design.
They fit nicely around the foot and inside any shoe, and they’ll keep your foot well ventilated. They’re also available in extra-large sizes. Alternatively, using athletic tape on an ankle is also effective.
Looking for a knee brace for basketball? Click here!
Troy Wright
I am a lifetime basketball enthusiast and loved playing basketball competitively through high school. I still try and play at least 3 times a week and explore all kinds of equipment and training to keep myself on the court and continually getting better. I am a college basketball fanatic and move onto the NBA when March Madness ends.
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