The best Nike SB Dunks, ranked
Taking into account rarity, price, design, and significance to the sneaker canon, these are the best of Nike's iconic sneaker
By 
LIKE MOST THINGS in streetwear, items that have once belonged to subcultures often become some of the most hyped pieces around. Case in point: the Nike SB Dunks, which have been gaining wider appeal in the last few years thanks to high profile collabs with designer and streetwear labels.
A division of the athletics brand founded in 2002, Sandy Bodecker (it’s his initials in the name) set out to marry a shoe built for skateboarding with wider streetwear culture. The most popular style being the Low cut, SB Dunks became the perfect blank canvas for thousands of iterations in the years that followed, its place in the cultural firmament cemented even further when rappers like Travis Scott were on-boarded to design a pair. Not to mention the sneaker’s biggest patron, and Hollywood’s biggest sneakerhead, Ben Affleck.
And like all things in hype-culture, it’s that mix of celebrity endorsement, limited run, and a drop-style acquisition basis that makes these shoes fetch up to six-figures on sneaker-specialised resale markets such as GOAT and StockX. To rank them may perhaps be asking for a fight, but we broke down the very best Nike SB Dunks out there. Taking into account rarity, value projections, and their significance to the sneaker canon, scroll on for our objective roundup.
10. Nike SB Dunk Low ‘What The Dunk’
Released: October 2007
As ubiquitous as it is to see Ben Affleck papped with a large cup of Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffee, the actor is also a big fan of Nike SB Dunks. In fact, the range and breadth of the actor’s collection surely makes him one of Hollywood’s biggest sneakerheads. But when Affleck stepped out in a pair of ‘What The Dunk’, it gave us pause. Released in October 2007, the sneaker features a wild, Chimera-like design: panels made up of various colourways, patterns, and motifs from several other models. One of the rarest sneakers out there, the pair currently fetches $73,800 on StockX.
9. Nike SB Dunk x Off-White ‘University Red’
Released: December 2019
Probably one of the most coveted sneaker collabs in recent memory, the late designer Virgil Abloh’s Off-White take on the SB Dunk is one for the books. Reimagined as a lowtop, Abloh, a historian by nature in his approach to design, paid homage to the original UNLV Dunk from 1985 with the ‘University Red’ leather uppers and grey colourway. And in his true fashion, the sneaker features orange flywire overlacing, the Off-White quotation logo printed on the remedial side, and the iconic zip tie.
8. Nike SB Dunk Low Pro Tie-Dye ‘Raygun White’
Released: 2019
No, not as in Rachel ‘Raygun’ Gunn. Released in 2019, this version was a tribute to Sandy Bodecker, Nike’s first SB Dunk designer, who passed away the year before. Featuring tie-dye colouring and an embroidered alien (the mascot of the Roswell Rayguns), the model was originally released in 2005, the first sneaker to feature the iconic Nike SB tongue label.
7. Nike SB Dunk Low ‘Big Money Savings’
Released: April 2024
A newer model, this one made it on the list purely for design points. Inspired by mega-stores in the US, ‘Big Money Savings’ is designed to have the feel of their vintage wares. Predominantly made in taupe suede overlays, it’s the silver brocade quarter panels that catches the eye for that foil finish. The teal outsole and tongue label also give it that premium feel.
6. Nike SB Dunk Low x Supreme ‘Cement’
Released: 2002
In the SB Dunk’s first year, New York Soho streetwear brand Supreme partnered with Nike to create the ‘White Cement’ SB Dunk, their first in what would be a long line of collaborations. Inspired by the design of the Air Jordan 3, seen in the cement grey elephant print, the model has been worn by the likes of Travis Scott, who was seen performing in them during a performance. By design, it’s relatively considered under the radar for the calibre of the collab, but remember, collabs weren’t common practice in the early-00s. Considered part of the shoe’s early period, it’s no less a highly sought after grail at $9,400 on StockX.
5. Nike SB Dunk Low ‘Eire’
Released: 2006
What did we say about Ben Affleck being a fan of the shoe? Widely regarded as one of the rarest Nike SB Dunks ever, Affleck is, of course, an owner of the ‘Eire’ (the Gaelic word for Ireland; it’s stitched on the back). The sneaker’s release in 2006 commemorated the 90th anniversary of the Irish Easter Uprising (hence the orange, white and green), which also features an embroidered Irish Harp on the heel. Gotta give the actor points for repping Irish sovereignty. And while most SB Dunks are created with an all leather outer, the ‘Eire’ is made of suede, smooth like the foam in a pint of Guinness.
4. Nike SB Dunk Low ‘Sandy Bodecker’
Released: December 2022
A reincarnation of the 2003 Nike ‘eBay Dunk’, this pair is the stuff of sneaker legend. During a charity auction at the time, an original pair was sawed into pieces and then sold to the highest bidder (it was later revealed to be Sandy Bodecker), the funds contributing to skateparks in Portland, Oregon. Brought back to life in 2022, the re-release features the same playful colourway, with translucent panels as homage to the destruction of the original pair.
3. Nike SB Dunk Low x Travis Scott ‘Cactus Jack’
Released: 2020
Travis Scott, rapper and a prominent collaborator of Nike, designed the paisley overlaid ‘Cactus Jack’ in 2020, just as SB Dunk hype was kicking off. So, of course, the shoe’s biggest fan has a pair, in ‘Deep Mocha’. A hidden feature to the pair is that its paisley upper tears away with more wear, a patina-like effect that reveals the cement elephant grey print, which you might recall was seen on Travis Scott’s pair (his being a Nike and Supreme collab).
2. Nike SB Dunk Low x Diamond Supply Co. ‘Tiffany’
Released: 2005
This one’s a bit of a minty; the novelty of having a piece in ‘Tiffany’ blue drew long lines and campouts at the time of its release in 2005. As its name suggests, it features a much more premium look than what’s been explored so far: leather uppers in the famed blue of the American jeweller, crocodile-embossed leather, and a silver Swoosh.
1. Nike SB Dunk Low ‘Freddy’
Released: 2007
As you can imagine, a blood-splattered pair of Nike SB Dunks brought up a few legal issues. Released in 2007, the pair was inspired by the A Nightmare On Elm Street villain seen in the knit red and grey panels and taut skin-like leather overlays. Production on the design stopped immediately, with there only being a rumoured 26 samples in existence, one of them being on StockX, for $266,400.
Are Nike SB Dunk Low true to size?
Yes, Nike SB Dunks Lows fit true to size. Remember, before its rise in sneaker culture, the shoe is first a skateboarding shoe, meaning it is designed for a secured fit.
How do you style Nike SB Dunk Low?
As styling most things now is in a bit of a ‘anything goes’ mood, Nike SB Dunks are a specific look in itself. Considering its history in skating culture in the 2000s, and then its wider adoption in streetwear a decade later, Nike SB Dunk Lows are best paired it with other laid-back pieces. If you were to wear them with jeans, a straight-cut or wide fit work best for chunkier shoes. These silhouettes also apply to trousers and cargo pants.
And in terms of what’s on top, a boxy fit of T-shirts (graphic or not), hoodies, and chore jackets are the go – keeping in mind that casual pieces are key.
Related:
Travis Scott is bringing his sold-out Circus Maximus tour to Australia
Are Tyler, The Creator and Supreme actually working on a collab?
