10. Nike Air Penny 5 (2.45%)
As we say goodbye to 2012, let us now take a look at what the Kicks on Fire audience selected as their favorite kicks of the year. There were so many tent pole releases in the year; it was tough enough to narrow it down to the 36 nominees that ended up making the ballot (imagine if we had listed every colorway like we originally planned… ugh…). The response from the community was obviously very passionate, but as you will see as you approach the top four of the list, there were a select number of kicks that really dominated the narrative of 2012. Some might say it’s all hype while others might be upset their favorites did not make the list, but numbers don’t lie. Well, at least in this case…
Image: CNCPTS
Highlight Releases: Red Eagle, Miami, Tour Yellow
Penny’s comeback continues with a strong showing in the voting, not just with the release of a new (true) signature shoe close to 15 years after the last one, but with another pair that made this list.
9. Air Jordan 9 Retro (2.67%)
Image: Nike
Highlight Releases: Johnny Kilroy Pack, Cool Grey, Olive
I’m a little surprised that the Air Jordan 9 did not crack the top five of the voting. With so many drops bunched up in the crowded last quarter of the year, it’s possible that they all just blurred together after a while and nobody really found one that truly stood out from the pack. But seriously, “Motorboat Jones?” Fantastic name…
Image: Nike
Highlight Releases: Olympics, one half of the Golden Moments Pack, J2K Pack
Despite having only a handful of releases, the Air Jordan 7 proves that you can’t keep a classic silhouette down. And the success of the J2K Pack is hope for the future that Jordan Brand is really going to start to try different things with their retro products to really give them new life instead of bringing back the same colorways yearly.
Image: Nike
Highlight Releases: Crown Jewel, Cutting Jade, Carbon
The problem with the LeBron 10 (and every pair of kicks that is currently dropping during the NBA season) is that their releases get cut off and those that release in 2013 cannot be considered in this list. That being said, the LeBron 10 got plenty of hot releases to close out the year, but you get the feeling that the 2013 releases could have helped put this over the top.
Image: Nike
Highlight Releases: Galaxy, Miami Vice Elite, Championship Pack
There many who would make the argument that that Nike LeBron 9 is the best pair of kicks that LeBron James has ever put out. Between the highly praised “Galaxy” colorway and the subsequent Elite releases, it’s hard to say that any pair of kicks had a more dominant run in 2012 than the LeBron 9. But again, it might be hampered by the fact several of its best colorways (Cannon, China, etc.) dropped in 2011. The King might be the big winner on the NBA court this year, but it still wasn’t enough to crack your top five.
5. Nike Zoom KD 4 (4.83%)
Image: Nike
Highlight Releases: Galaxy, Scoring Title, Rogue Green
In a minor upset, the guy that LeBron beat in the NBA Finals gets some form of revenge by eclipsing him in the kicks side of things. The KD 4 was buoyed by Kevin Durant’s grassroots campaign during the NBA lockout, becoming a folk hero of sorts. That image might have helped sales of his kicks more than we will ever know, but the KD 4 had plenty of great drops during 2012, with or without the assistance of pickup flag football games with fans.
Image: Nike
Highlight Releases: Galaxy, Metallic Red, Stealth
The “Galaxy” and the next pair on this list really changed how we buy our sneakers in 2012, for better or worse. But even without the popular All-Star colorway, the Foamposite One had a number of significant releases this year that sold out in record time. And as 2013 takes the Foamposite to a new direction, this might be the last year we see the kicks in its current one color form. I think that deserves a toast.
Image: Nike
Highlight Releases: Solar Red, Pure Platinum
Well, I guess you guys didn’t think that Yeezy jumped over the Jumpman, huh?
Image: Nike
Highlight Releases: Black/Red, White/Cement, Fire Red
The Air Jordan 4 was in position to pull off a wire to wire to victory, but it was overtaken by the our eventual winner. That’s not to say the all-time classic was a slouch. Between the return of its classic colorways coupled with the debut of a new, albeit confusing colorway (sure, it’s called “Cavs,” but the Knicks fans can wear them too, you know…) and the reemergence of a rare favorite in the “Thunder,” it was really the Air Jordan 4s voting to lose. And it somehow did lose, to of all things…
Image: Nike
Highlight Releases: Just one… ok, I guess the White/Red Low counts too… if you’re Jordan Crawford…
When the voting started, the race was pretty tight between the Air Jordan 4 and the Nike Air Yeezy 2. The Air Jordan 11 “Playoffs” was actually fourth in voting after the first day. But then like MJ in the fourth quarter, it just took over and pulled away with the victory in the closing hours. So if we were to compare the Air Jordans to the actual Michael Jordan, it’s really MJ 1998 vintage. It still sells gangbusters and people still love it enough to dominate the landscape, but it is no longer the runaway hit that is once was.
Is this the last hurrah of the Air Jordan 11’s dominance? Nope, but we are slowly approaching a new era in kicks where everybody needs to step their game up in order to really compete. Thanks for all of your votes, everybody and looking forward to an even better 2013.
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