With the Paris 2024 Olympics kicking off, sports fans around the world clocked in to watch their favorite athletes. From Simone Biles’ comeback to Rayssa Leal competing in her own kicks at 16 years old, a lot is going on. And of course, with sports events, you can’t turn a blind eye to the hot kicks they serve. So today, we’re paying our respects to our favorite Olympic sneakers throughout the years. But if you wanna see what 2024 has in store, we got it covered with all the Olympic-themed drops. Now, let’s jump in, shall we?
Top 5 Olympic Sneakers – Ranking Our Favorites!
So, we’ve had so many amazing Olympic sneakers throughout the years, and it’s hard to pick favorites. That’s why we decided to go with our five personal favorites and then some more. You might agree here, and you might not. If you don’t, well, it’s time to start your own list of grails, don’t you think?
Air Jordan 7 Olympic (1992)
This year was all-around epic for the USA basketball team. You see, not only did the team win the Olympic gold, but they went on to make history. The Dream Team, as we know it today, won their games by an average margin of 44 points! That team featured some of the biggest NBA stars at the time like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, and more. It was the first time that the team included active NBA players, and it was a game-changer.
In addition to that, MJ and Pippen were the only two who won the NBA ring and the gold medal in the same year. But it was the fashion statements that MJ made that turned heads. From his multicolored set to the iconic Jordan 7 Olympic, everyone still remembers his style! So, it goes without saying that the AJ7 Olympic is one of our favorite Olympic sneakers. These babies retroed in 2004 and 2012 too, and they’re currently worth about $400 in resale!
Nike Air More Uptempo Olympic (1996)
Just as the Jordan 7 Olympic made waves in 1992, the pair we’re about to talk about did it in 1996. The Nike Air More Uptempo, aka the Uptempo, was one of Scottie Pippen’s favorite kicks! In fact, he wore the Nike Air More Uptempo Olympic colorway during the Atlanta 1996 Olympics. And of course, the Dream Team 2 snagged another gold for the men’s USA basketball team. Now, the best news here is that these babies will make a comeback in 2024! You can watch our blog for the latest news about this release.
Nike Hyperdunk 08 United We Rise (2008)
Not to be dramatic, but the introduction of this silhouette helped shape many of Nike’s basketball kicks. You see, when the Redeem Team, led by Kobe Bryant, stepped into the 2008 Olympics court, that was it. Multiple players on the team were wearing the Hyperdunks, which featured groundbreaking new tech back them. And well, Kobe Bryant wore his own version of the kicks which made them all the more loved. These babies retroed in 2016 in honor of the Rio Olympics, and they’re currently worth about $250 in resale!
Nike Kobe 7 Olympic (2012)
We can’t mention the Hyperdunk without talking about the 2012 Kobe 7 Olympic! This is another one of our favorite Olympic sneakers for many reasons. First off, the Hyperdunk DNA appears in Kobes, especially this one. You see, the Kobe 7 Olympic featured details that look very similar to the 2008 Hyperdunks. These babies stole a corner in the history of Olympic basketball. Why? Because Kobe wore them to play his last Olympic game and to help the USA team win another gold medal! Today, the kicks are worth well over $1,000 on the aftermarket.
Nike KD 4 Gold Medal (2012)
We can’t talk about Olympic sneakers without mentioning Kevin Durant. The same year we said goodbye to Kobe on the Olympic court, KD stepped on that same court for the first time. And well, it was also the first time he won the gold medal with team USA! Now, that was certainly a reason to celebrate, hence the iconic Nike KD 4 Gold Medal. The celebratory pair dropped shortly after the USA win, and it remains one of the coolest KD4 colorways. Today, these kicks are worth about $350 in resale.
Honorable Mentions
We definitely took a long time to decide what our top Olympic sneakers are. And because of that, we decided to add three pairs as honorary members to that list. So, without further ado, here are the three that almost made it to our round-up! Well, they kinda did, huh?
Jordan 6 Beijing (2008)
Nike Dunk High Supreme Olympic Octagon (2008)
Parra Nike SB Dunk Low (2021)
