The 30 Best Nike SB Dunks Of All Time
The SB Dunk could be considered one of Nike’s most vital sneaker silhouettes. With a couple of tweaks to the tongue, insole, outsole, and laces, Nike’s SB sub-brand turned the legendary Dunk — designed by the daddy of the Jordan I & Jordan II, Peter Moore — from a classic basketball mainstay to a modern skatewear icon. It’s onerous to think about, however twenty years in the past Nike wasn’t fairly the billion-dollar firm it’s at the moment and hardcore street skaters paid little thoughts to the model, regardless of it being one of the recognizable sportswear entities on the scene.
However with the SB Dunk, Nike was capable of solidify itself as hands-down the good model in streetwear. And fairly amazingly rapidly.
With manufacturers like Vans, Converse, Osiris, and D3 taking on all of the oxygen from skaters in search of useful and classy footwear, Nike was capable of seize everybody’s consideration by linking up with the best folks and types. First up was Supreme, who Nike teamed up with on the top of the model’s recognition to launch a few of the SB Dunk’s best colorways of all time. From there, Nike rolled out customized colorways for revered skaters like Richard Mulder, Danny Supa, and Reese Forbes, the graffiti artist Futura, and streetwear icon Jeff Staple. They even teamed up with Diamond Provide Firm.
For the reason that SB sub-brands launch in 2002, the sneaker continues to iterate upon itself to satisfy the shifting wants of skaters. Now, 20 years later, it has solidified itself as the last word skate shoe and the most effective silhouettes for collaborations. In celebration of the sneaker that helped put Nike on prime, we’re shouting out the 30 finest colorways within the label’s historical past. And if you wish to see some plum-colored dunks made only for the legendary Types P, take a look at his episode of Contemporary Pair with Simply Blaze and Katty Customs, beneath.
Supreme x Nike SB Dunk Cement, 2002
What a technique to kick off the checklist. The Supreme Nike SB Dunk Low remains to be one of many best pairs of the sneaker’s eighteen-year historical past. This explicit iteration is notable for its use of the textured “elephant pores and skin” nubuck leather-based first launched on the Jordan 3 again in 1988. When this sneaker dropped in 2002, it was the primary time the “cement” colorway was used on one other sneaker and Nike couldn’t have chosen a greater streetwear label to interrupt it out for.
Supreme Nike SB Dunk Low dropped in each a black and cement colorway with a crimson collar or the a lot brighter white and cement colorway, with the true blue collar. We lean extra in the direction of the black, however each pairs are wildly widespread — promoting for near $10,000 on aftermarket websites.
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Nike SB Dunk Low Richard Mulder, 2002
The debut sneaker in Nike’s “Coloration’s By” sequence — a set of Nike SB Dunks launched in colorways hand-selected by Nike’s roster of staff riders — the “Mulder” was chosen by professional skater Richard Mulder who tried to recreate the colorway of his first pair of Nikes. The Mulder is without doubt one of the sneaker’s finest colorways, because of its crisp leather-based higher with a easy vibrant blue swoosh. It’s minimalist, positive, however white leather-based sneakers have by no means appeared this good.
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Nike SB Dunk Danny Supa, 2002
One other nice colorway from the SB Dunk’s debut 12 months, professional skater Danny Supasirirat’s New York Knicks referencing tackle the SB Dunk was additionally a part of Nike’s “Colours By” sequence, consisting of colorways hand-selected by Nike’s sponsored staff riders. When Supa’s take dropped in 2002 it was a fast favourite amongst sneakerheads and holds as much as this present day as one of many silhouette’s finest shows.
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Nike SB Dunk Reese Forbes Denim, 2002
Say what you’ll about this pair of Nike SB Dunks, however credit score the place credit score is due. When Nike determined to take inspiration from a pair of signature denims that professional skater Reese Forbes had simply dropped, artwork director Natas Kaupas struck on one thing that spoke to a number of streetwear tastemakers.
The higher consists of midnight blue distressed denim with vibrant crimson accents. Even though you can make a robust argument for these being ugly, they fetch costs effectively above $5,000 within the aftermarket.
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Nike SB Buck, 2003
The Nike SB “Buck” colorway got here straight from the thoughts of Nike co-founder Phil Knight, who stayed repping Oregon onerous with this design that borrows the colours of the College of Oregon. Different highlights from the design embrace “PK” branding on the heel and suede paneling over the leather-based higher.
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Nike SB Dunk Futura, 2003
New York graffiti artist Futura has designed so many SB Dunks that we might most likely do a reasonably dope rating of simply his designs. The SB Dunk ‘Futura’ was a skate-shop unique launch that dropped in 2003 and noticed the sneaker outfitted with a tumbled leather-based higher in a steely Nightshade colorway with gray suede mudguards, and black mesh panels.
For a sneaker that celebrates a graffiti legend, it’s an incredibly understated design. That’s not a nasty factor, it could simply be the very best SB Dunk to be related to Futura.
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Supreme x Nike SB Dunk Excessive, 2003
We don’t blame Supreme for doing an entire 180 with their follow-up to the Cement SB Dunk — that’s a tough sneaker to observe. However the 2003 high-top SB Dunk isn’t with out its charms. That includes a varsity crimson and white colorway with a definite star-patterned graphic beneath the swoosh, this design seems like a dope victory lap to kick off the second 12 months of Nike SB Dunks.
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Nike SB Dunk Low Tokyo, 2004
A part of Nike’s Metropolis Sequence, the Tokyo SB Dunks swap out the leather-based higher for a canvas/muslin mix that provides the sneaker a form of down-to-earth workwear vibe. The Tokyo was absent of branding on the heel and tongue, making this a favourite amongst DIY sneaker painters who handled the pair as a clean canvas.
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Nike SB Dunk Jedi, 2004
Unofficially dubbed the “Jedi,” this SB Dunk is rumored to be impressed by Yoda, inarguably the last word Jedi grasp. The sneaker encompasses a worn brown leather-based higher, impressed by Yoda’s match, with inexperienced paneling paying tribute to the grasp himself with vibrant inexperienced stitching, heel tabs, and laces, a reference to Yoda’s lightsaber shade.
Adidas appears to have the Star Wars model on lock, so Nike would by no means truly name this sneaker the “Jedi,” nevertheless it does give a glimpse right into a world the place Nike teamed up with Star Wars as a substitute of Adidas.
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Nike SB Dunk London, 2004
One other low-key subdued design out of Nike’s Metropolis Sequence, the London’s additionally performed with the bottom higher of the SB Dunk, buying and selling the leather-based for a full-suede make-up. The tonal panels of gray captured the foggy vibe of town, and to spherical out the design an embroidered define of the River Thames in midnight blue adorns the facet heel panel.
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Futura x UNKLE x Dunk Excessive Professional SB, 2004
Identified merely because the “UNKLE,” this SB Dunk was a cross-collaboration between New York Metropolis icon Futura and the British trip-hop producer Unkle and sees the high-top SB Dunk coated in graphics that recall UNKLE’s album Reign executed within the model of Futura’s graffiti work.
The sneaker options a mixture of black and white leather-based with pink overlays and a chalky white swoosh.
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Nike SB Dunk Low Paris, 2004
The very best colorway out of Nike’s Metropolis Sequence, the Paris Dunk is only a lovely pair of kicks. Made in collaboration with French painter Bernard Buffet, every pair of the Paris featured a completely distinctive higher, making the manufacturing run of simply 200 pairs really feel all of the rarer.
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Nike SB Dunk Hemp Pack, 2004
Dropping in a crimson mahogany, bonsai, and cascade blue iteration the Hemp Pack featured uppers composed completely of hemp. Not solely do they nonetheless look dope 16 years later nevertheless it’s additionally proof that Nike is completely able to making sustainable sneakers.
Why they don’t proceed to take action is past us.
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Nike SB Dunk Excessive FLOM, 2004
Made in collaboration with graffiti artist Futura, the FLOMs, or “For Love Or Cash” Dunks featured a tile-based higher composed of various denominations of forex. In an odd manner, they really feel like a precursor to Travis Scott’s tackle the silhouette from this 12 months, offering that Futura has at all times been forward of the sport it doesn’t matter what discipline he decides to dip his toes into.
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Nike SB Dunk Excessive Professional Sea Crystal, 2004
Sandy Bodecker was to the Nike SB what Tinker Hatfield is to the Air Jordan and considered one of his finest iterations ever happened when Bodecker stumbled upon a shade in Nike’s seasonal shade palette choices in 2004 that reminded him of the washed-out sea glass that he as soon as collected as a child on the seashores of Connecticut.
Different notable variations to the SB design on this iteration embrace the usage of Pig Suede which helped to carry out the sneaker’s distinctive colours.
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Nike SB Dunk Pigeon, 2005
Most likely essentially the most legendary sneaker on this checklist, the Pigeons happened at a time when sneaker tradition was coming into a brand new golden age. Made in collaboration with Jeff Staple, the Pigeon’s launch was so hyped {that a} riot broke out over the sneakers in New York Metropolis, town the sneakers have been repping with their embroidered pigeon on the heel.
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Nike SB Dunk De La Soul, 2005
How do you make considered one of Nike’s coolest streetwear silhouettes even brisker? By paying tribute to considered one of New York’s best hip-hop teams. For those who’re a hardcore De La fan, you’ll immediately acknowledge this shade scheme which takes inspiration from the group’s legendary debut, 3 Ft Excessive and Rising full with hand-drawn daisy graphics and a high-top minimize.
The higher consists of brown suede and is roofed in contrasting accents of inexperienced and orange with an elephant print on the toe wrap. The sneaker was re-released within the low-top kind in 2015, that launch is dope as effectively however we’ve received to present props to the OG.
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Stussy x Nike SB Dunk Cherry, 2005
A fan favourite to make sure, this collaboration with Stüssy sports activities a colorway of chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla impressed by Neapolitan Ice Cream. Why Nike felt the necessity to add a cherry to the tongue (and identify) when Neapolitan Ice cream doesn’t have cherry is a thriller we don’t care to unravel as a result of — inaccurate identify or not — this pair is simply too contemporary.
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Nike SB Dunk Raygun, 2005
The Rayguns maintain the excellence of being one of many first of the Dunks to function the SB emblem on the tongue. This mismatched colorway was impressed by a fictional ABA staff referred to as the Roswell Rayguns and options an alien — which might naturally be that staff’s mascot — embroidered on the heel. It’s a foolish idea, positive, however the colorway of orange flash, deep black, and vibrant white is without doubt one of the Dunk’s finest.
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Diamond Provide Co. x Nike SB Diamond Dunk, 2005
The Diamond Dunks appear to be they might be higher utilized in a show case in a sneaker museum than getting beat up on a skater’s ft. Would that cease us from sporting a pair if we owned considered one of our personal? Nah. That includes crocodile-embossed leather-based, a shimmering chrome swoosh, and Tiffany Blue leather-based detailing, this collaborative kick designed by Diamond Provide Co. founder Nick Tershay is an plain entry on this checklist.
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Nike SB Dunk SBTG, 2006
Designed by famed Singapore-based artist Mark “Sabotage” Ong, the Dunk SBTG featured hand-painted graphics and patterns by ONG and a screened lace flap. The lace flap hasn’t been seen on a notable pair of SBs since, making the SBTGs immediately recognizable amongst seasoned sneakerheads and SB Stans.
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Nike SB What The Dunk?, 2007
Mockingly, when Nike determined to design a Dunk cobbled collectively from 31 of the very best SB Dunk colorways, the acknowledged objective was to create a “Dunk to finish all dunks,” and also you’ll discover an enormous hole between the years 2007 and 2019. Don’t get us mistaken, Nike didn’t cease making Dunks within the intervening years, the designs simply fell off fairly onerous and the SB Dunk wouldn’t begin to get its groove again till round 2017.
You’ll rapidly discover how the higher of the What The Dunk takes on a form of Biggest Hits high quality. Sadly, the design turns into a large number. Nonetheless, it signifies the tip of an period for the SB Dunk. Oh yeah, and proudly owning a pair means you maintain a small fortune — these are expensive on the aftermarket websites.
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Nike SB Dunk Freddy Krueger, 2007
The Freddy Krueger might be the rarest SB Dunk ever, it’s so uncommon that it was by no means truly launched. The sneaker was impressed by and paid tribute to horror icon Freddy Krueger, of the Nightmare on Elm Avenue franchise, and options blood splatters over the leather-based mudguard, a metallic silver swoosh meant to reference Krueger’s lethal gloves, and an higher that remembers his iconic sweater.
The sneaker was barred for authorized functions earlier than it was launched to the general public and solely exists in pattern kind. Nonetheless, someplace there’s a vault filled with Krueger’s that’ll by no means be worn or see the sunshine of day. That’s really unhappy.
Comme des Garçons x Nike SB Dunk Hello, 2017
Launched throughout New York Vogue Week in February 2017, this PVC higher high-top Dunk was made in collaboration between Nike and Japanese trend label Comme des Garçons. The sneaker sports activities a combined higher of PVC and leather-based with twin branding and a breathable insole, as a result of as cool as with the ability to see how hearth your sock sport is thru your sneakers, nothing ruins a PVC higher like some sweaty toes.
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Parra x Nike SB Dunk Summary Artwork, 2019
Although not as cool because the Parra Nike Blazer that the dutch artist of the identical identify produced for Nike in 2019, the Parra Dunk was in every single place eventually summer time’s ComplexCon. That includes a definite tender chenille swoosh over whiter leather-based with crimson, pink, and blue accents, the Parra Dunk oozes severe 80s vibes, providing a unique tackle the SB Dunk and reinvigorating the model.
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StrangeLove x Nike SB Dunk Valentine’s Day, 2020
Nike dropped this collaboration with StrangeLove skateboards simply in time for Valentine’s Day in a particular pink field with a heart-shaped window, a coveted reward amongst skater {couples}. That includes an higher of crimson, pink, and white velvet, atop a transparent pink outsole, the StrangeLoves usually are not simply the most effective Nike SB Dunks of all time, they’re the most effective drops of this 12 months.
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Nike x Paul Rodriguez P-Rod SB Dunk, 2020
Earlier than the SB Dunks received the “SB” of their identify, they have been only a easy 80s basketball silhouette meant for the court docket. Then they grew to become the premier skate shoe for about 20 years within the new millennium, and now possibly they’ll get pleasure from a 3rd life as a boxing shoe. Paul Rodriguez, aka P-Rod, designed this Mexican-flag-inspired leather-based tackle the high-top for his signature SB Dunk, and it was a good way to start out the 12 months through which the SB Dunk grew to become cool once more.
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Travis Scott x Nike SB Dunk Low Cactus Jack, 2020
Most likely essentially the most hyped SB Dunk for the reason that unique Supreme Cement, Travis Scott’s earthy tackle Dunk completely displays the rappers’ aesthetic. That includes rope-style laces, a woodsy camo sample, and Cactus Jack branding, Travis Scott’s iteration on the Dunk swaps out the tongue for an additional thick model and provides some paisley bandana patterning on canvas overlays.
When this shoe dropped in February, so many sneakerheads flooded the Nike website that it needed to briefly shut down.
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Ben & Jerry’s x Nike SB Chunky Dunky, 2020
The Chunky Dunky was the sneaker that proved that even a pandemic and an economic system barreling towards melancholy wasn’t sufficient to cease sneakerheads from completely shedding their thoughts over a pair of sneakers.
What’s cool concerning the Chunky Dunky are all of the small particulars — the cow print leather-based overlays, how the higher makes use of the Ben & Jerry’s emblem, the psychedelic tie-dye collar that pays homage to Ben & Jerry’s crunchy hippie roots… It’s a sneaker for sneakerheads and an awesome reminder that the very best sneaker designs come from a spot of humor and enjoyable.
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UNION LA x Nike Dunk Low Argon, 2022
Okay, it’s not technically an SB Dunk, however who cares, that is hands-down the dopest Dunk of the 12 months and we needed to embrace not less than one gem from 2022. Made in collaboration with LA retailer UNION, the Argon was a part of Union’s ‘Passport Pack,’ which paid homage to hard-to-find colorways of the early ‘00s.
The design featured a tearaway ripstop higher with sloppy orange stitching that reveals a blue leather-based underlay with twin Nike and UNION branding over a translucent rubber outsole. The entire sneaker has this lovely glow about it because of a mixture of hyper royal, white and psychic blue.
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