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We?re finally here, the end of the year. You may have been following Complex?s best sneakers of 2012, but here are the Nice Kicks Staff Picks of 2012. Each staff member ranked their ten favorite sneakers of the year, respectively. Scroll through and let us know who you thought had the best picks of the year.
George Kiel III
10. Air Jordan 9 “Cool Grey”
I’m not really a fan of the 9, but this is my favorite pair because, well, it’s grey. I had them when they came out in 2002, so it was good to re-up 10 years later.
9. Nike Zoom KD IV “Cool Grey”
The KD IV was the silhouette of the year in my opinion, and this was one of my favorite colorways that I didn’t get. Low-key grey and yellow is a pretty cool color combination.
8. Air Jordan 1 “Gucci”
I absolutely love the Gucci colorway. This was my latest pickup because I happened to walk in the store and they only had a size 11.5 left. I haven’t worn them yet, but I will very soon.
7. Nike Air Penny V “Red Eagle”
The Penny V didn’t woo me when I first saw them online, but when the Nice Kicks store received their shipment of the “Red Eagle” Penny Vs, I took a liking to this shoe. The Penny line continues to produce great silhouettes.
6. Nike Air Foamposite One “Stealth”
I’m not into the bright Foam colors, but I dig the subtle pairs and this is the most subtle one I’ve seen in a while. This is easily one of the top 5 shoes of the year for me.
5. adidas D Rose 3 “Brenda”
adidas did a really good job with the D Rose 3. It’s one of my favorite basketball shoes on the market right now. The red on the Brenda makeup is so vibrant. I dig these.
4. Nike LeBron X “Prism”
This is hands down my favorite LeBron X so far. It’s subtle yet eye-popping in the right places. I would like to get my hands on these soon.
3. Nike Hyperdunk+ “Charcoal”
I’ve played in the Hyperdunk 2012 more than any other shoe in the past six months. It’s definitely one of my favorite basketball shoes out right now, and the Charcoal pair is amazing in my eyes.
2. Nike LeBron X “Yellow Diamond”
The yellow diamond LeBron X is my second favorite colorway of LeBron’s 10th shoe. As I stated earlier, yellow and grey looks good together. Also, I know they don’t come out until next year but we “saw” them in 2012.
1. Air Jordan 4 “Oregon”
This is one of my favorite shoes that I’ll probably never own. The green contrast stitching on these 4s is pretty awesome.
