The Best Basketball Shoes of the 2000s by Year

2008

Nike Hyperdunk

Nike used the 2008 Olympics as the launching pad for its biggest basketball shoe in years, the Nike Hyperdunk. While worldwide endorsement and an awesome viral marketing campaign made them buzzworthy, futuristic design and playability made them a hit. Hoopers of all positions took to the Hyperdunk then and still do today.

Nike Zoom Sharkley

image via kukuten

The Nike Zoom Sharkley was everything the Hyperdunk wasn’t. Dated in design and built for the rigors of the outdoor game, the shoe was more celebrated in a performance sense than any fused-retro before or after. Guards were getting in on the fun of the Barkley x Rodman mashup, with iD options and pro-level PEs carrying the silo into the next season.