Our countdown of the greatest basketball sneakers in NBA history is here. To create this list, our #NBArank panel of sneakerheads voted on dozens of shoes. Now we're featuring the best of the best, starting with kicks 21-30.
All-Time Kicks
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-30 | Honorable mentions
Nike Zoom Kobe V
Year of release
2010
Players who wore 'em
Kobe Bryant
Classic ad
"My name is Kobe/this is my shoe."
The sneaker
Bryant's first three Nike sneakers were of conventional height. The Kobe IV was a little bit lower but could still reasonably be called a "mid." You couldn't remotely make that case with the Kobe V, which took the sneaker down to heights that had previously been reserved for soccer cleats. It seemed crazy at the time, but it worked, and it set the tone for the rest of Kobe's Nike line for years to come. -- A.R.
Adidas KB8
Year of release
1997
Players who wore 'em
Kobe Bryant
Highlight play
Did he really do that to Ben Wallace? Yep, he did.
The sneaker
Adidas might be calling these the "Crazy 8" these days, but true sneakerheads know these were Bryant's first signature sneaker. The design -- incorporating the patent leather that became so popular on basketball sneakers in the '90s -- was bold then and has withstood the test of time, outlasting Bryant's affiliation with the company. -- A.R.
Air Jordan XIII
Year of release
1997
Player who wore 'em
Michael Jordan
Classic ad
"Jordan Scores 43 In Wingtips!" read a headline in the last frame of the CEO MJ ad for the XIIIs.
The sneaker
This particular pair of Jordans is probably best remembered more for being worn by Denzel Washington (in the movie "He Got Game") than by Michael Jordan himself. That might not be the case if MJ had worn them for the entire 1998 Finals, rather than ditching them for the XIVs in Games 3-6. They're still probably among the most comfortable of the signature Jordan line. -- A.R.
Air Jordan VI
Year of release
1991
Player who wore 'em
Michael Jordan
Highlight play
One of MJ's most iconic buckets -- the midair switch against the Lakers -- came while he was floating in the VIs.
The sneaker
The first of eight different Air Jordan models in our top 30 countdown checks in here, and in a way it's fitting that the VIs are first. These may never have the cool factor of the Vs, which immediately preceded them, but they'll always be the sneaker on Michael Jordan's feet when he won his first ring. That alone secures their place in sneaker history. -- A.R.
Nike Air More Uptempo
Year of release
1996
Player who wore 'em
Scottie Pippen
Fashion forward
The More Uptempo's made a statement just this year when menswear designer John Elliott had his models lace them up for New York Fashion Week.
The sneaker
Instead of the large swoosh we'd become accustomed to on Nike sneakers, this model -- worn by Scottie Pippen during the 1996 Finals and Olympics -- focused on the "AIR," literally. There was no missing the giant word on the side of each sneaker, and while Nike has done some creative colorways over the years, the original black with white-outlined letters remains the best. -- A.R.
Nike Air Max LeBron VII
Year of release
2009
Player who wore 'em
LeBron James
Highlight play
LeBron rocked these on the way to an MVP award during his "last" year in Cleveland, including when he posterized every ounce of James Johnson in the playoffs.
The sneaker
After going with Zoom Air for LeBron James's first six signature models, Nike switched over to the Air Max system for the LeBron VIIs, producing what might still be his best-performing sneaker ever. The three-quarter length exposed air bubble hearkened back to some of the best Air Max sneakers of the '90s, and the exposed FlyWire set the tone for LeBron and Nike Basketball sneakers for years to come. -- A.R.
Nike Kobe 9 Elite
Year of release
2014
Player who wore 'em
Kobe Bryant
Fashion forward
Not only did Kobe and Nike unveil the 9s through a showing at L.A.'s Museum of Contemporary Art, but the Black Mamba also cited Michelangelo, Picasso and Leonardo da Vinci as inspiration for what he dubbed "The Masterpiece."
The sneaker
After years of low-cut models, Nike went extra high for Kobe Bryant's first post-Achilles injury sneaker, introducing a signature model that combined a style that pushed the envelope and top-of-the-line performance. What makes the Kobe 9 Elite so great is that it's a sneaker that's clearly designed to maximize on-court usage, but it remains stylish on the foot as well. -- A.R.
Reebok Kamikaze II
Year of release
1996
Player who wore 'em
Shawn Kemp
Check the rhyme
"Rock this Shawn Kemp, kamikaze/Burning cheese, Saganaki" | Action Bronson, "The Rockers"
The sneaker
If there was a design that inspired the Shaqnosis, it was this one. The black-and-white model, which Shawn Kemp wore regularly in the 1995-96 season (though strangely not in the NBA Finals), was an almost-perfect metaphor for Kemp's game. It featured bold up-and-down peaks, making it seem like the design was going to jump off the shoe as quickly as a prime Kemp would jump off the floor. -- A.R.
Reebok Shaqnosis
Year of release
1995
Player who wore 'em
Shaquille O'Neal
Highlight play
Remember Shaq's booming dunk on David Robinson in the '96 All-Star Game? Check the kicks.
The sneaker
Shaquille O'Neal's last on-court sneaker as a member of the Orlando Magic remains iconic to this day. The bold, hypnotic pattern looked like something from out of this world -- making it the perfect sneaker to appear on Will Smith's feet in the movie "Men In Black." Though some people still hate this design, the only truly unfortunate thing about it is that the retail versions didn't include the InstaPump technology that was included for Shaq's actual on-court kicks. -- A.R.
Pro Keds Royal Plus
Year of release
1970s
Players who wore 'em
Pete Maravich and Tiny Archibald
Check the rhyme
"I'm everlasting, like the toe on Pro Keds" | Craig Mack, "Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)"
The sneaker
These days Keds are most likely to be found on the feet of stars like Ariana Grande or Taylor Swift, but in the 1970s, some of the biggest basketball stars on the planet were wearing these canvas kicks. Coming in high and low models, the Pro Keds' simple-but-effective design allows for all kinds of creative color blocking that makes them stylish even today. -- Adam Reisinger
Nos. 16-20 | Full list | Honorable mentions
If you want to get involved in the discussion or just follow along, #NBArank is the Twitter hashtag to use. You also can follow along with @ESPNNBA as we count down the 30 best kicks ever.