We're counting down the greatest basketball sneakers in NBA history. Our #NBArank panel of sneakerheads rated dozens of shoes. The result is our Top 30 list. Today, we unveil sneakers 6-10.
All-Time Kicks
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-30 | Honorable mentions
Reebok Questions
Year of release
1996
Player who wore 'em
Allen Iverson
Highlight play
The Answer working The GOAT.
The sneaker
Allen Iverson had a style all his own, and that translated to his first pair of signature sneakers. When he crossed up Michael Jordan, A.I. showed he could compete with the legend -- both on the court and in the sneaker shops. Two more "Questions" and 13 "Answers" followed, but none surpassed the original, which still sells well in retro re-releases today. -- A.R.
Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars
Year of release
1920
Player who wore 'em
Charles "Chuck" Taylor
Check the rhyme
"In L.A., we wearing Chucks not Ballys (yeah, that's right)" | 2Pac, "California Love"
The sneaker
Speaking of setting the standard, there literally is no standard without the Chucks. These were so engrained in the culture that they outlasted Converse as a company (it's now a division of Nike) and didn't get a redesign until 2015, nearly 100 years after the original was first released. -- A.R.
Air Jordan V
Year of release
1990
Player who wore 'em
Michael Jordan
Classic ad
Maybe the best of the Mars Blackmon and MJ spots?
The sneaker
This shoe took the mesh side panels from the Air Jordan IV and built upon them, adding 3M reflective coating on the tongue and clear soles on the bottom -- two pieces of styling that seemed outlandish at the time but are commonplace now. It was just one of the many examples of how the earliest Air Jordans set the standard for sneakers for years to come. -- A.R.
Nike Air Max LeBron VIII
Year of release
2010
Player who wore 'em
LeBron James
Highlight play
Arguably the most memorable image of LeBron and Wade's Heat era came with the VIIIs on James (and inarguably the dirtiest nonchalant alley-oop ever).
The sneaker
When LeBron James took his talents to South Beach, he also brought his best sneaker with him. While the South Beach colorway didn't always translate to other sneakers, it looked glorious on this one. Overall, this might still be the best fitting of the LeBron line, and the lion face on the tongue remains a striking image. -- A.R.
Converse Weapon
Year of release
1986
Players who wore 'em
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird
Classic ad
"Choose your weapon."
The sneaker
If you haven't heard the story by now, here's the Cliffs Notes version: Magic Johnson and Larry Bird started the journey from being respectful rivals to close friends while filming a commercial for this sneaker at Bird's home in French Lick, Indiana. But this shoe was far bigger than that one moment -- during the mid-'80s, the biggest stars in the league (not named Michael Jordan) were almost all wearing the Weapon. -- Adam Reisinger
No. 5 | Full list | Nos. 11-15
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