A Look Back at the 15 Best Sneakers of the 2000s

2000. The year the Nike Air Presto was released. The iconic trainers developed by Tinker Hatfield. The debut of the Presto’s changed the game for all running shoes going forward due to their design and comfort.

The Nike Shox BB4 was Vince Carter’s first signature shoe, and it was one that had a major impact in the basketball community. The White Obsidian colorway was probably the most popular release, which at the time was considered futuristic due to its technical features. 

Commonwealth first linked up with Reebok in 2007, dropping a collaboration on the Pump Omni Lite that almost instantly became popular in the sneaker community. So much so that the two partnered again in 2009 for three new pairs that were originally presented through an in-store raffle. 

The word “phat” alone should give you an indication of what time period we’re working with here. Don’t get it twisted people. Phat Farm was high in demand, and so were their sneakers. If you showed up to school in Phat Farm shoes, you definitely had some eyes on you. Especially with the black high tops.

Sure Nike and Kobe ended up becoming almost synonymous with one another as the two brought forth numerous classics in the sneaker world, but there’s something so pure about Bean’s early shoes with adidas. It’s very much representative of who he was during that time which was young, hungry, and on a mission.

As we mentioned earlier, the 2000s were the decade that Nike SBs put their foot down and hit the ground running. Released in 2007 and appropriately named “Paris,” these SBs were welcomed with an official launch in Paris, and were (and still are) viewed as sacred due to the fact that they never made it into the United States.

While 2006 wasn’t the first time that Supreme and Vans partnered, it was a turning point in terms of the popularity of the collaboration. The checkered print (which came in red, black, and white) was one that caught the eye of many in the mid-2000s, which further put people on to the greatness of teaming up with Supreme for partnerships. 

2003 saw the release of the Nike Mayfly, which was designed to be a racing shoe. Racing shoes in general don’t always get the respect that they deserve as they aren’t the most “stylish” or in demand. You probably aren’t going to see a racing sneaker as an exclusive SNKRS or Confirmed release anytime soon unless it’s a major collaboration, but the Mayfly certainly deserves its respect for its ultralight feel and technology.

We weren’t kidding about those SBs and their 2000s impact. The Nike SB Blazer Supreme Red took inspiration from the 1980s in terms of the high top structure and bold red color, along with elements of its original 1972 release. The shoes also sport a Gucci-inspired heel stripe which we have come to see more of in recent years. As you can see from the price, the Supreme Red Blazers are still very much a coveted item to this day.

Also released in 2006 was adidas’ collaboration with Neighborhood, a Gazelle which has remained another fan-favorite since its release despite its simplicity. Amore updated version of the shoe was released in 2018, featuring a slightly more modern version of the sneaker while still keeping in line with the simple elements of the shoe that people fell in love with back in 06. You can't find the OGs these days, but the re-release is available on StockX.

If you ask any longtime basketball fan who is also a sneaker enthusiast what Allen Iverson sneaker was and still is the most influential, the answer (slight pun intended) is most definitely the Reebok Answer 4. You know…the ones he stepped over Tyronn Lue in during the 2001 NBA Finals (sorry Tyronn we know you probably tired of hearing about it the same way Jalen Rose is tired of hearing how Kobe scored 81 on him). The Answer 4 will always be iconic. It's hard to find OG pairs, but Reebok has been re-releasing some epic iterations recently.

Any shoe called Terminator has to be cool for obvious reasons, and the assignment was more than understood from both Neighborhood and Nike as they teamed up in 2008 to drop the Neighborhood x Nike Terminator “Boneyards,” which was a reimagined version of Nike’s signature OG Basketball Silhouette with elements of core details from both Stussy and Neighborhood. What do they call that again? Oh, a classic.

You already know Nike had to send Jordan off in style in what was really his final year before retirement in 2003. 

The younger generation got their introduction to “Kiss of Death” with the reissue in 2021, but these bad boys originally dropped in 2006. It’s not all that time that a sneaker gets brought back at the request of many, so this collaboration was definitely a game changer.

Give us two pairs of what was probably the most popular sneaker of the early 2000s (we’ll stand on that). The Air Force 1s had a whole song written about them by Nelly. That folks is what we call influence.