About Us

Ankle Sprains are Now Optional: The Choice is Yours

Ektio is a Revolutionary Ankle Support Technology designed to provide the highest level of ankle support to athletes everywhere. The Ektio Basketball Shoe was created and designed SPECIFICALLY to counter the most common injury on the basketball court, Sprained Ankles!

You’ve probably sprained your ankle before, and if you haven’t there’s about a 93% chance you will if you play a lot of basketball. If you have, you certainly know the pain that comes with a sprained ankle. If you haven’t, let’s hope you never have to find out!

When you wear regular basketball shoes (or any type of shoe for that matter), your foot and the shoe are separate entities. This separation allows for movement inside the shoe. When you land on an uneven surface (generally another player’s foot) after jumping for a rebound or driving the lane for a ferocious dunk, that movement is enhanced. Your foot goes in one direction, and the shoe goes in another. The separation that occurs leads to stretching of the ligaments, which results in a sprain.

Although Ektio has made sure to provide a light and mobile shoe because we understand athletes want to be light and quick, there is a clear tradeoff between lightness and stability. We refuse to compromise ankle support for lightness; our priority is keeping you healthy! It’s great to be light and quick, worse to be on the bench with a sprained ankle!

Ektio basketball shoes are designed to replace the use of tape or ankle braces. No more need to wear those bulky, uncomfortable, and restricting ankle braces on the court….Don’t believe us, try it for yourself! You’ll be amazed…

Ektio Technology shown to improve shooting efficiency

Balance is one of the most important aspects of consistent outside shooting. Players that remain balanced and stable during jump shots will be more consistent than players that find themselves off-balance on a frequent basis. No other shoe on the market offers the stability and balance that the Ektio shoe offers, leading to conclusion that the Ektio technology can increase shooting efficiency in some capacity.

Results from a survey of basketball players who have made the switch to the Ektio basketball shoe, 42% indicated an increase in shooting efficiency since making the switch. Interestingly, NOT ONE person (0%) indicated they lost any accuracy on their shot since wearing the Ektio shoe.

Improves shooting efficiency: click here to learn more…

Ektio NBA Supporters

We’re not the only ones who think this is groundbreaking.

Former NY Knick and NBA All Star, John Starks, missed 40 games during his career due to ankle sprains. John believes that, “Ektio is the shoe that will set the standard that every shoe today and in the future will be measured by.” John has become part of the company and is busy promoting the brand and the technology to the basketball community.

Rick Barry, Hall of Famer, 8 time All Star, 5 time All-NBA 1st team, NBA Champion and Finals MVP, has also joined the Ektio team. Rick believes very strongly in the technology and wants to be a part of keeping basketball players healthy around the world. Here is what Rick has to say about the Ektio technology, “I love the Ektio Basketball shoe, but, as they say, timing is everything. Well, my timing was off by over 25 years. So, I missed out on wearing the best possible basketball shoe to help prevent ankle sprains. There is no other shoe available with patented technology that has proven to be so successful in reducing the chance of spraining your ankle. I missed far too many games in my career with sprained ankles. If I were playing today, I’d be wearing the Ektio Basketball Shoe.”

Ektio Background

Ektio is the brainchild of basketball-player-turned-orthopedic-radiologist Dr. Barry Katz. After obtaining patents and prototypes, Katz met former NY Knick John Starks and showed him the shoe. John became a believer right away and became part of the team. Others involved in the evolution of Ektio include orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Thomas Nordstrom and podiatric surgeon Dr. Steven Dribbon. Pro-athlete shoe designer Omar Bailey, who has designed footwear for companies such as New Balance and Adidas, created the look. David Cox, who has done work for Nike, was the head of Asian Development for K-Swiss oversees manufacturing. Jon Katz, Barry’s son, is heading up the sales and marketing efforts for the company. Jon is pursuing his MBA in Strategy and Marketing at NYU’s Stern.

Other Applicable uses of the Ektio Revolutionary Ankle Support Technology that have been shown to be equally effective during play include but not limited to:

  • Volleyball
  • Tennis
  • Trampoline activities

Quick Facts about Ankle Sprains:

Based on numerous studies, spraining your ankle for the first time will lead to a 35% greater chance of re-spraining it again!

There are over 25,000 ankle sprains DAILY that throw players into the emergency room. Out of all orthopedic injuries in the world, sprained ankles are number ONE! And, after a really bad injury, a player never comes back as strong. Careers end because of the instability of the ankle after enduring too many ankle sprains.

The company’s name comes from the Greek words, “Ektor” and “Alexio,” meaning “Protect” and “Defend.” And that’s exactly what the Ektio shoes do.