If you are sneakerhead that’s a fan of the Nike Dunk then the past few years have been nothing but good times for you. Just a couple years ago, it might have seemed like the Nike Dunk couldn’t get any more popular but this year the Dunk has received even more amazing storytelling and color themes from The Swoosh. It’s impossible to choose with so many great releases but in no particular order, these are The Best Nike Dunk Releases of 2022.
Nike Dunk “UCLA”
It’s impossible to choose just one colorway from the countless “Varsity” Dunks that have dropped lately but considering the locale and rarely released colorway, the “UCLA Bruins” represents the classic colorways dropped in 2022. Whether you tried to collect them all, or just chose your local team colors, these Dunks were on everyone’s wish list at one point this year.
Nike Dunk “Jackie Robinson”
Between the baseball-inspired laces and labels, the crazy mix of materials, the messaging within the graphics, the ever-popular mini Swoosh logo on the toe, and the fact that these are tied to the most important person to ever play the game of baseball, these Jackie Robinson Dunks are one of the best of all time. Add in the fact that Nike’s partnership with the Jackie Robinson foundation has raised millions in program development and scholarships, these are probably at the top of the list for many sneakerheads.
HUF x Nike SB Dunk
Skateboarder extraordinaire and entrepreneur, Keith Hufnagel, passed away back in 2020 after a long battle with cancer but his legacy received a new collab this year with the release of HUF Dunks. Released as a part of the 20th anniversary of the HUF brand, three pairs released as a tribute to the colors and places that Hufnagel left his biggest marks. If the HUF name sounds familiar, it should, they’ve dropped a number of collabs with Nike and other skate brands as one of the West Coast’s most influential skate brands.
eBay x Nike SB Dunk “Sandy Bodecker”
It should go without saying that the Sandy Bodecker inspired “eBay Dunks” are one of the best of the year. Aside from the incredible storytelling and incredible events surrounding the release, the charity auctions raised nearly $400,000 for the Bodecker Foundation.
Union x Nike Dunk “Passport Pack”
The Union x Nike Dunks might not have lived up to the hype of the resell market compared to previous Union collabs, but the intention behind LA’s leading sneaker and streetwear boutique’s latest release did exactly as it was supposed to. Like the Air Jordan collabs before it, the Union Dunks were designed to be customized and a ton of people who were able to get a pair took to tearing apart the upper for a one-of-a-kind look. Reddit user KrispyKickz was just one of the many that turned his Pistachios into a better-than-original creation.
Nike SB Dunk “Bubble Gum Pack”
One of the most successful packs of the year from Nike SB was the MLB-inspired “Bubble Gum Pack” that released at skate shops like Flatspot. With colorways representing the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants, each Dunk featured details that pay homage to the details of the team’s home stadium, and colors and materials inspired by the team’s jerseys. The nickname for the pack came from the pink splash on the heel that looks like the shoe had stepped in bubble gum.
Nike Dunk “Lisa Leslie”
Arguably one of the greatest WNBA players of all time, and undoubtedly one of the pioneering signature athletes in the footwear industry, Lisa Leslie’s Los Angeles Sparks inspired Nike Dunks are a well deserved tribute to a legend. If you’re not familiar, do some YouTube research and readup on her importance over at Andscape.
“What The Paul” SB Dunks
But wait, didn’t those release in 2021? Yes. However, American Curler Matthew Hamilton wore them on the global stage for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. While the shoes might have first dropped last year, Hamilton’s pop culture moment deserves a nod thanks to one of the biggest pop culture moments for the Nike Dunk in a long time. It’s estimated that the viewership of the Olympics in 2022 was 2 billion people. Richard Heathcote captured these detailed shots and according to GQ, the pairs were acquired and customized with the help of Project Blitz.
Nike’s Panda Dunk Just Won’t Go Away
…and they shouldn’t. The classic colorblocking of the Nike Dunk in black and white, known as the “Pandas,” should just be available at your local sneaker store all the time. It’s this generation’s white on white Air Force 1, popular across culture divides, iconic styling, and restocked so often that the sneaker community couldn’t stop thinking about it even if we wanted to.
