Top 7 Best Knee Pads for Basketball – A Comprehensive Guide

The best basketball knee pads on the market will always provide tremendous value in return for what you are spending on those pads. While Nike Basketball Knee Pads are always going to be an immensely popular option, especially among the younger people, the brand and the cost of that brand are always a guarantee of an outstanding product.

In this article we will sift through some of the other compelling brand currently available on the market, to help you find more value. Affordability and functionality are common features for most of the pads that we have listed in this article.


Knee Pads

Specifications

Price

GP Basketball Knee Pads

Average Rating

  • Comes in three sizes, including medium, large, and extra large.
  • Made from spandex and plastic material.
  • Pads come in black.


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WANGMINGDE Knee Docsleeves

Average Rating

  • Available in two sizes, including large and extra large
  • Pads are available in black
  • Made from mix cardboard


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Cantop Compression Knee Pads

Average Rating

  • Available in four sizes, ranging from small to extra large.
  • Available in four designs, including black, blue, red, and white.
  • Made from Spandex, and Ethylene Vinyl Acetate material.


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Bodyprox Protective Knee Pads

Average Rating

  • Available in three sized, ranging from small to large.
  • Made from polyester material.


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McDavid Hex Knee Pads

Average Rating

  • Available in seven colour schemes and designs.
  • Available in five sizes, ranging from youth to extra large.
  • Made from foam and Hex technology.


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COOLOMG Basketball Knee Pads

Average Rating

  • Available in seven colour schemes and designs.
  • Available in six sizes, ranging from XX-small, to X-large.
  • Made from Ethylene Vinyl Acetate.


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HiRui Knee Pads

Average Rating

  • Available in five sizes, ranging from small to XXL
  • Available in four colour scheme and design, including black, blue, navy, and white
  • Made from spandex and silicon material


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What To Look For When Buying A Basketball Knee Pad?

1- Cushioning 

The first thing you should consider when searching for the best basketball knee pads is primary function. The whole point of a basketball knee pad is to provide cushioning for any blow that might be sustained to the knee. This kind of blow could be sustained by crashing into another player, it could be sustained when dunking a basketball, and it can be sustained when you fall to the playing surface.


2- Support 

The secondary function determining the best basketball knee pads is support offered to the knee joint, which in turn will have an impact on the agility and movement in other parts of the lower limbs. Insomuch as support matters, you also don’t want movement to be hampered by the primary function, which is the cushioning that we have already spoken about above.


3- Compression

While basketball pads are designed to be as lightweight as possible, that extra padding and everything else that goes with does add some weight to your body. Having more to carry around also means that your body will be worn down a lot quicker, at which point fatigue starts to set in. The compression component to the design of your pads will help stall that fatigue, and keep you competing and training for much longer.


Top 7 Best Knee Pads For Basketball

GP Basketball Knee Pads

When you consider the primary function of the best basketball knee pads, your concerns will naturally center on durability. While it is inevitable that the basketball knee pads will wear themselves out, you do at least want some level of assurance that they will last beyond just one or two games.

The foam fabric used in the design of these pads helps provide that reassurance, which doesn’t just have to do with expenditure, but also with your safety. The whole point of a basketball knee pad is to mitigate the impact of collisions on your joints. If they wear out quickly, that objective will not be realised.


Pros

  • Pads are made from EVA foam.
  • Pads are well ventilated and breathable.

Cons

  • Pads are only available in one colour.



WANGMINGDE Knee Docsleeves

The fabric types used for the manufacture of these pads include nylon, spandex, and silicone. All of those things are designed to help mitigate the impact on your knees when landing from a jump, while also limiting the pressure on your knee joint during intense training and competition.

A sport like basketball demands that you change direction very suddenly, while also having to do that at a very high speed.These pads provide the support that you need to achieve all of that with minimal fuss.


Pros

  • The knitted fabrics makes the knee pad more breathable and more comfortable.

Cons

  • Pads are only available in two sizes.
  • Pads are only available in one color.



Cantop Compression Knee Pads

These might sometimes feel like Basketball Tights with Knee Pads or even Basketball Leggings with Knee Pads. Something that is understated with most basketball pad designs is the UV protection that they could also provide. While these particular pads are useful for support, compression, and protection from potential injury, the sleeve design also protects you from the sun.


Pros

  • Pads are made from PEF celular technology.
  • Pads also serve a compression function.

Cons

  • If you are going to have any form of struggle with these, it will be finding the right size.



Bodyprox Protective Knee Pads

The immediate impression you might get before you purchase these pads is that they are unlikely to last long. They are pull-on pads, which means they are likely to stretch a considerable amount every time that you put them on. Over time they won’t fit as well as you would like.

However, in the short term, these pads serve an outstanding protective function, and that should be your major takeaway here.


Pros

  • The pad design is pretty lightweight, making movement easy.

Cons

  • The pads are made from a clumsy fit.



McDavid Hex Knee Pads

Among other things these could be great  Kids Basketball Knee Pads. This is also one of those basketball items that serves multiple functions. The first of those is the protective function, against chafing, scratches, or bruising. The second importable function of these pads is support, which is especially required when you are recovering from a basketball related injury.

Finally, there is also the compression function, which means that the design of these pads also assists with mitigating the impact of fatigue in the lower half of your body.

Pros

  • Pads designed with strong moisture management technology.
  • Material has minimal impact on skin, regardless of intensity.

Cons

  • The size charts can be confusing.



COOLOMG Basketball Knee Pads

These could be outstanding Youth Basketball Knee Pads. The manufacturers have used polyester, spandex, and silicon, to help make these knee pads more breathable, more elastic, more comfortable, and more protective than many similar products that are available on the market.

The EVA padding on this basketball item is thicker than most, which offers more of a guarantee about the pads performing their primary function, which is protective. When you purchase knee pads like this, the last thing you need is a pad that either doesn’t fit well, or a pad slips off the moment you start to intensify your basketball training or competition. These pads tend to stay in place considerably longer than most.


Pros

  • The pads can be cleaned in a washing machine.
  • They don’t fade quickly after washing.

Cons

  • While they are perfect for basketball, you will need something thicker for rougher codes.



HiRui Knee Pads

What strikes you about these pads, almost immediately, is that they feature such a slick design. They aren’t bulky and they just blend in so well with your basketball kit or uniform. One would even venture to say that these are stylish basketball pads. All of this is achieved without ever really compromising on performance outcomes.

Once you have purchased these pads you will be well protected and flexible or agile all at the same time.They provide some of the best Knee Support for Basketball.



Pros

  • Pads are also highly effective with pain relief.
  • Made from honeycomb crash proof design.

Cons

  • You might struggle keeping these pads in place.
  • You might also struggle to make these pads last.

Conclusion

Once you have purchased a set of basketball knee pads, regardless of the brand or the vendor that you purchased them from, you want to walk onto the court feeling like no money has been wasted. That is determined by both the playing experience that you have with your basketball pads, and whether that high level experience can be sustained over the long term. 

That is to say, you don’t just want these pads to be great the first time that you use them. You also want them to be great the tenth time that you use them, and possibly beyond even that.