We put together a master list of what we felt are the 10 Best Nike Dunks Of All Time. See which styles made the cut, and have fun strolling down memory lane after the jump.
10. Nike Dunk Low "AKA" (Patent Charity Dunk Pack)
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2006
• Allen Benedict, purveyor of AKA (also known as) and curator of 12oz. (Complex Cartel what up!) put together this set of patent low tops inspired by iconic spray can colors. There were only a few sets of these sneakers, never released at retail. Instead, Benedict worked with Nike to raffle the shoes off to benefit Free Arts NYC—a non-profit organization that helps at-risk and neglected children. The set of seven dunks raised nearly $15,000. Win/win.
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9. Nike x HAZE Dunk Low
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2003
• HAZE is an O.G. New York graf head, and the man has paid his dues. Nike was/is aware of that, which is why he was one of the early collaborators (Stash's AF1 was around the same time). Still coppable? Not really, so why not sit back, relax, and take notes.
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8. Nike Sportswear x Nylon Magazine Dunk Hi
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2009
• Dare we tip our five-panels to another magazine? Nike and Nylon teamed up on these and debuted them on editor's feet during New York Fashion Week in Feb. 2008. The sneakers went to retail (and the magazine cover) this past summer. These bright bangers were done right, and gave the big "F you" to those who were all about toning down their sneakers. Gotta co-sign.
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7. Nike Dunk Hi "Orchard St. Customs"
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2003
• Oh, you don't want to give us a collab? Watch this. During the summer of 2003, streetwear label Orchard St. customized 40 pair of Dunk His and tossed them over lampposts. You want to climb up there? Go get yourself a free pair of sneakers. Ranking this version at #7 might be high for a pair of customs (these are the only ones on this list) but the idea was genius, and the resale on these puppies is up over the $1K mark. You can go make your own list if you want to line 'em up differently.
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6. Nike Dunk Hi "Nylon Vandal" (Coachella)
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2008
• The first colorways of the all-nylon Dunk were gifted to artists at the Coachella music festival and were introduced to retail later that year as the Vandal Dunks. New colorways are still dropping every couple of months, and are a must cop if you don't have a pair. Reasonably priced, still coppable, and more staying power than nylon pants- don't expect them to go anywhere near out of style for the next few years.
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5. Nike x Pharrell Williams Dunk High
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2004
• Fans of N.E.R.D and Hypebeasts (can we call people Hypebeasts before that site started?) creamed their skinny jeans waiting in line for Skateboard P's dunks. Hype aside, they're sick, and if you have a pair on ice, you'll be good even if your 401k is lookin' lean.
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4. Nike Dunk (Original 7 School Colorways)
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1985
• These aren't #1, well, just because. They're hot, and getting one's hands on an original pair is impressive, but there's three more that are better. Back in 1985, collegiate basketball powerhouses UNLV, Kentucky, St. Johns, Syracuse, Arizona, Michigan, and Iowa got to match their shoes to warm-ups, t-shirts and their uniforms. Georgetown wanted it's own, and pushed for a Terminator in Hoyas colors. The Dunk program moved from there, and produced the freshest on-court kicks the NCAA had ever seen. After the sneakers took an archive nap, Nike resurrected the silhouette and gave it the vintage treatment 20 years later.
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3. Nike Sportswear x Dave's Quality Meats Dunk Hi
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2008
• Dave & Co. embraced tone on tone colorways and created a fully perf-ed nubuck Dunk in three sick colorways (Cave Purple, Ice Green, Industrial Blue), and one shop only black version. It's the first Nike release for sale to the general public with a shop logo, an interesting little factoid for sneakerheads (all others w logos were not retailed). Our favorite part of this drop though? The Complex CSN video that had the Internets going nuts.
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2. Nike Dunk Low Pro B "Smurf"
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1999
• There was a time when there was no Nike SB, when Nike was producing fat-tongued Dunks but wasn't really sure what to do with them (the building full of cool guy-execs came later). These Nike kicks were blue suede shoes, and you had to cop through a Japanese friend with a nike.co.jp hookup. Things done changed.
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1. Nike Dunk Hi "Wu-Tang Clan"
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1999
• It can be argued that these are simply the original Iowa Goldenrod Dunk colorway with some Wu-Tang embroidery. Actually it doesn't need to be argued, that's what these are. But these Dunks take the number one spot for a few reasons. First, they are limited as crap. You can grab them at Flight Club, maybe ($5k+), but not really. At the original drop, releases were rumored at only 36 pairs (plus a few more that Nike dudes made for "sampling"). Second, they're the Iowa colorway, which is the best of the orignal seven, and the black/yellow has all kind of power undertones behind it. Third, this was the sneaker that started regular Nike's foray into the world of acknowledging cool. After the Wu-Tang Dunk came Pharrell's, and then shop Dunks like UNDFTD and Kicks/HI and DQM's Air Max 90. This was the Dunk that started teh second coming of the sneakerhead, and it's still the best of the bunch as far as we're concerned.
10. Nike Dunk Low "AKA" (Patent Charity Dunk Pack)
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2006
• Allen Benedict, purveyor of AKA (also known as) and curator of 12oz. (Complex Cartel what up!) put together this set of patent low tops inspired by iconic spray can colors. There were only a few sets of these sneakers, never released at retail. Instead, Benedict worked with Nike to raffle the shoes off to benefit Free Arts NYC—a non-profit organization that helps at-risk and neglected children. The set of seven dunks raised nearly $15,000. Win/win.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Nike x HAZE Dunk Low
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2003
• HAZE is an O.G. New York graf head, and the man has paid his dues. Nike was/is aware of that, which is why he was one of the early collaborators (Stash's AF1 was around the same time). Still coppable? Not really, so why not sit back, relax, and take notes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Nike Sportswear x Nylon Magazine Dunk Hi
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2009
• Dare we tip our five-panels to another magazine? Nike and Nylon teamed up on these and debuted them on editor's feet during New York Fashion Week in Feb. 2008. The sneakers went to retail (and the magazine cover) this past summer. These bright bangers were done right, and gave the big "F you" to those who were all about toning down their sneakers. Gotta co-sign.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Nike Dunk Hi "Orchard St. Customs"
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2003
• Oh, you don't want to give us a collab? Watch this. During the summer of 2003, streetwear label Orchard St. customized 40 pair of Dunk His and tossed them over lampposts. You want to climb up there? Go get yourself a free pair of sneakers. Ranking this version at #7 might be high for a pair of customs (these are the only ones on this list) but the idea was genius, and the resale on these puppies is up over the $1K mark. You can go make your own list if you want to line 'em up differently.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Nike Dunk Hi "Nylon Vandal" (Coachella)
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2008
• The first colorways of the all-nylon Dunk were gifted to artists at the Coachella music festival and were introduced to retail later that year as the Vandal Dunks. New colorways are still dropping every couple of months, and are a must cop if you don't have a pair. Reasonably priced, still coppable, and more staying power than nylon pants- don't expect them to go anywhere near out of style for the next few years.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Nike x Pharrell Williams Dunk High
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2004
• Fans of N.E.R.D and Hypebeasts (can we call people Hypebeasts before that site started?) creamed their skinny jeans waiting in line for Skateboard P's dunks. Hype aside, they're sick, and if you have a pair on ice, you'll be good even if your 401k is lookin' lean.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Nike Dunk (Original 7 School Colorways)
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1985
• These aren't #1, well, just because. They're hot, and getting one's hands on an original pair is impressive, but there's three more that are better. Back in 1985, collegiate basketball powerhouses UNLV, Kentucky, St. Johns, Syracuse, Arizona, Michigan, and Iowa got to match their shoes to warm-ups, t-shirts and their uniforms. Georgetown wanted it's own, and pushed for a Terminator in Hoyas colors. The Dunk program moved from there, and produced the freshest on-court kicks the NCAA had ever seen. After the sneakers took an archive nap, Nike resurrected the silhouette and gave it the vintage treatment 20 years later.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Nike Sportswear x Dave's Quality Meats Dunk Hi
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2008
• Dave & Co. embraced tone on tone colorways and created a fully perf-ed nubuck Dunk in three sick colorways (Cave Purple, Ice Green, Industrial Blue), and one shop only black version. It's the first Nike release for sale to the general public with a shop logo, an interesting little factoid for sneakerheads (all others w logos were not retailed). Our favorite part of this drop though? The Complex CSN video that had the Internets going nuts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Nike Dunk Low Pro B "Smurf"
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1999
• There was a time when there was no Nike SB, when Nike was producing fat-tongued Dunks but wasn't really sure what to do with them (the building full of cool guy-execs came later). These Nike kicks were blue suede shoes, and you had to cop through a Japanese friend with a nike.co.jp hookup. Things done changed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Nike Dunk Hi "Wu-Tang Clan"
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1999
• It can be argued that these are simply the original Iowa Goldenrod Dunk colorway with some Wu-Tang embroidery. Actually it doesn't need to be argued, that's what these are. But these Dunks take the number one spot for a few reasons. First, they are limited as crap. You can grab them at Flight Club, maybe ($5k+), but not really. At the original drop, releases were rumored at only 36 pairs (plus a few more that Nike dudes made for "sampling"). Second, they're the Iowa colorway, which is the best of the orignal seven, and the black/yellow has all kind of power undertones behind it. Third, this was the sneaker that started regular Nike's foray into the world of acknowledging cool. After the Wu-Tang Dunk came Pharrell's, and then shop Dunks like UNDFTD and Kicks/HI and DQM's Air Max 90. This was the Dunk that started teh second coming of the sneakerhead, and it's still the best of the bunch as far as we're concerned.
