I don’t know if you have ever met a Sneaker Head, but they are some of the most insane and passionate people I have ever met. I know a guy who has every single pair of Jordans ever made, never worn, mint condition. I met a dude who had over 200 pairs of dunks, and sold a few to send his son to a good school. I even know a guy who is so in love with Nike Dunks, he created a massive painting, called it Dunk Therapy, has shown it all over L.A., and sold prints of it at shoe conventions. There are very few things that get twenty and thirty-somethings more fired up about their youth than sports and fashion. This affinity explains the recent spike in interest in the throwback jerseys and shoes, and nowhere is that more clear than in the realm of basketball. It seems as though many sneaker lovers are in the same boat as me, interested in the reissues from their childhood more than in new styles. Ive owned every pair of shoes on this list, with the exception of the Barkleys. Gross.

These shoes got great exposure from Dee Brown’s “no-look” slam dunk contest victory in 1991, when he took his sweet time pumping up his Reebok Omni-Lites in front of the cameras.


Released in 1993, the Air Raid embodied the culture of “White Men Can’t Jump” and playground basketball rather than the sleek play on the courts of the NBA. The shoe’s hallmark was its indestructibility, not its performance features. In a nod to the posturing and trash-talking that takes place during outdoor basketball, this shoe was created by esteemed Nike designer Tinker Hatfield to look as intimidating as possible.

A natural spokesperson for Nike’s newest extra-cushioned shoes was Charles Barkley, whose stocky physique and powerful play spoke well to the shoe’s design. Nike may have taken it a little far when they introduced an ad campaign of Barkley fighting an animated Godzilla, but the point was made.

To this day, Nike and Michael Jordan have probably had the most symbiotic relationship of any corporation and its endorser, and the Air Jordan brand has become synonymous with the “basketball shoe”.

While it was dormant for a few years in the 90’s, it’s still safe to say that Nike’s Air Force 1’s have been the most popular basketball shoe in the world since their release in 1982. Just ask Nelly.

These shoes to me are more closely associated with kids. Babies even. Seriously, your shoes lighting up when you walk? Lets get real. No one ever said nostalgia was always a good thing.

Released in 1985, it was worn by both Magic Johnson and Larry Bird for several years in the late 80’s, ensuring that the shoe would get no shortage of airtime. I also wore these my senior year when I was busy dominating the public high school group 4 conference.

Classics. Period.

Introduced in 1969, today the Adidas Superstar looks like a shattered ankle waiting to happen. But it was the most popular shoe in the NBA for most of the 70’s, with 75% of the league wearing them.