1.
The first half of 2015 is officially in the books. Out of the hundred of sneakers that’ve dropped in the past six months, some were bad. Some were okay. Some were good. And 10 were great.
Here’s our picks for the 10 best sneakers of the year so far.
2.
Rank: 10
Release Date: 5/16
Primeknit on a skate shoe? Not something you would expect, but Palace Skateboards and adidas made it work on their riff on the adidas Gazelle. Even though the sneaker’s inspiration is rooted in soccer, it’s very much a skateable sneaker with high-grip outsoles and rubberized coating in high abrasion spots in the upper.
4.
Rank: 9
Release Date: 2/12
The Flyknit Zoom Agility didn't have any memorable on-court moments or exclusive celebrity collaborations. It didn't even release in men's sizes. Yet it still makes this list based purely on design, and the way it was able to integrate the best of Nike's current technologies like Flyknit and hexagonal Zoom in such a sleek and unified silhouette.
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6.
Rank: 8
Release Date: 2/13
Steph Curry was one of several NBA players to get his first signature sneaker this past season. Not only did Under Armour’s gamble to sign the recently coronated NBA champ pay off, but the brand also put together one of 2015’s best on-court shoes for the league MVP.
Buy Now at Champs
8.
Rank: 7
Release Date: 3/26
Instead of looking to rehash a long lost retro or tout a new design innovation for Nike’s fabricated #AirMaxDay, it looked back… way back. The Air Max Zero was just a concept back in 1984 when designer Tinker Hatfield put pen to paper. Technology wasn’t available to bring the shoe to life during the early age of sneaker design, but Nike went back to Tinker’s original sketch in 2015 to make the idea come to life. It’s unclear if it’s considered a new silhouette or some kind of throwback, but one thing’s for sure - the Air Max Zero is one the best shoes of the year.
Buy Now at Flight Club
10.
Rank: 6
Release Date: 2/6
It’s no surprise that Portland Trailblazer Damian Lillard was due for a signature sneaker. What was surprising was the way that was debuted. Unlike leaked shots that may come from the dark corners of a factory, it was actually first shown in its entirety by the player himself on Instagram. And at less than $150 at retail, the sneaker has every tech a baller would need in a low top basketball shoe.
Buy Now at Champs
12.
Rank: 5
Release Date: 2/12
The Hyperchase may not have been an actual signature model, it's association with James Harden during his best season yet enhanced the significance of the shoe. It's the shoes non-traditional design however that first caught and held our attention.
Buy Now at Champs
14.
Rank: 4
Release Date: 2/28
Whether you like the design or not, there’s one thing that everybody can agree on about the adidas Yeezy 750 Boost - it’s going to illicit a reaction (much like the sneaker’s designer). The shoe’s drop during NBA All-Star Weekend in New York, which marked the incarnation of the adidas Confirmed app, even trumped some of the exclusive that Nike had going on in the during the week, making it one of the biggest sneaker stories of the year.
Buy Now at Flight Club
16.
Rank: 3
Release Date: 1/22
The Footscape tooling has lent itself to an array of interesting footwear in the past, but Magista version may be the most memorable yet. The Magista first brought Flyknit to soccer, but it was this version that brought the silhouette off-field.
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18.
Rank: 2
Release Date: 6/27
Probably the more wearable and more available of the first two adidas Yeezy launches, the 350 Boost is steadily becoming a hot ticket item on the resale market. Not that that should be a benchmark for one of the best sneakers of the year, but outselling Air Jordan 1s on eBay is definitely a clear indicator how many people are looking for this shoe.
Buy Now at Flight Club
20.
Rank: 1
Release Date: 2/11
When adidas first debuted the adidas Ultra Boost at the top of the year, it claimed the sneaker as “The Greatest Running Shoe Ever.” The three stripes might have been partly right. Not only was the sneaker one adidas’ most sleekest silhouettes in quite sometime, it also marked the next generation of Boost runners. That, mixed in with the Primeknit upper, also gave the Ultra Boost serious street appeal, making it the best sneaker of 2015 so far.
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