For nearly 40 years now, the Jordan brand has made its mark on the sneaker world. During that time, the company has perfected what makes a shoe spectacular. So it wasn’t surprising to see the brand by Michael Jordan dominate end-of-the-year rankings. This year, too, was no different. With a slew of top names in entertainment, Complex was ready to crown the Top 10 sneakers of the year.
Exactly how many from the brand made it on the list?
The Michael Jordan brand dominates Sneaker of the Year 2023 Race
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The panel had some huge names from the entertainment industry making the decisions. Among those in attendance were names like Lil Yachty, Jim Jones, Kristen Noel Crawley, and DJ Clark Kent. Further, the event’s host was?Complex Sneakers’?own Joe La Puma.
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However, the biggest name on the night was the Chicago Bulls legend. Whether it was collaborative or re-imagination, his brand led the way in the top 10 with multiple selections. So much so that both the winner and the runner-up spot belonged to products from the Jordan brand.
However, the first Jordan shoe on the list came in at Number 7. From the Travis Scott collaborative line was the Air Jordan 1 Low Olive. The next was another collaborative piece, this time in the form of the J Balvin Air Jordan 3s.
7. @trvisXX's Air Jordan 1 Low "Olive" pic.twitter.com/biZwtFgxDD
— Complex Sneakers (@ComplexSneakers) November 20, 2023
5. J Balvin's Air Jordan 3 pic.twitter.com/NrkrfgabwK
— Complex Sneakers (@ComplexSneakers) November 20, 2023
To round it off was the top two. In second place was the reimagined Air Jordan 3 with a White Cement pallet. But with soul ownership of the first place was a Nike SB collaboration of the Air Jordan 4 in a mint green shade.
Number 2. Air Jordan 3 "Reimagined" pic.twitter.com/1d1vbfYtvN
— Complex Sneakers (@ComplexSneakers) November 20, 2023
Number 1 is the Nike SB x Air Jordan 4 pic.twitter.com/1HeNbOtwB8
— Complex Sneakers (@ComplexSneakers) November 20, 2023
All in all, with 4 representations, the Jordan brand was the flavor for the Sneaker race of 2023. But what did the competition look like?
What was Jordan’s competition this year?
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Even though not specifically from the Jordan Brand, Nike had a brilliant showing in the standings. Apart from these 4 pieces, another 4 made it to the list. To begin the list, at number 10, was the Nike Air Force 1 “Terror Squad”. Right after was a collaboration between NOCTA and the sports apparel leader – the Nike Nocta Glide.
The Nike domination was in full effect at the top of the race as well. After the Jordan top 2, the following 2 were Nike pieces as well. At Number 3 was a collaboration with Corteiz of the Nike Air Max 95. Following that was another collaboration. This time around, a classic like the Nike Air Force 1 crossed over with Tiffany.
But, the sole competition was 2 pieces by New Balance. The brand is enjoying a renaissance with the likes of Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers at the forefront. By the looks of these rankings, those dividends are paying off.
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The standings make one thing clear. While competition may be coming, it remains far away from the pinnacle of Nike and Jordan.