The Top 5 Jordans Of All Time

Sorry Kanye, we love you but the Yeezy never jumped over the Jumpman. Comparing a handful of hyped adidas releases to a timeless Jordan collection that's still hot 30 years later is out of the question. Decades after 'Ye retires and his moth eaten fineries are a thing of the past, Air Jordans will still rule supreme as the standard by which all other sneakers are judged. And now, our picks for the best Jordans ever.

1. Air Jordan 1 "Bred"
The shoe that started it all. Contrary to popular belief, the Bred 1s weren't banned by the NBA when Mike first rocked them. That honor actually belongs to another shoe called the Nike Air Ship. Only they were way uglier, so now the title belongs to the Breds, with their buttery leather and minimalist appeal. Rumor has it that over 250,000 pairs were made for this year's re-release, yet they still sold out in milliseconds, lending credence to the fact that Money's first ever signature shoe is still coveted by sneakerheads both new and old.

2. Air Jordan 3 "Cement"
If one design accent stands out above the rest on this beautiful shoe, it's the cement pattern on the toe bumper and heel panels of the shoe. While the cement pattern is a little simplistic from a design standpoint, combining it in small amounts with a visible Air bag made the 3s hot seller and cemented (Puns bruh!) MJ as a fashion icon. The legend of the 3’s was only further capped by MJ rocking them en route to winning the '88 NBA Dunk Contest. Sadly though MJ’s fashion icon status would later be revoked when he was seen in public wearing jeans about 12 sizes too large. Maybe we don’t wanna be like Mike.

3. Air Jordan 4 "Cement"
Continuing the tradition of adding a little punch to each additional release, the cement print went from cracked to speckled on the 4s. Plastic wings on the heel added better lockdown and the all-too-familiar icy-clean colorway only added appeal. Entertainment street cred happened too, as the 4’s were the footwear of choice for Buggin Out's character in Spike Lee's seminal flick Do The Right Thing. True to his namesake, fam started wildin' when some unfresh dickhead ran into his kicks with a bike and to this day, scuffing a pair of prized Jordans could get you beef just on general principle. Tread carefully when around your sneakerhead homies, you've been warned.

4. Air Jordan 6 "Infrared"
The championship shoe. His Airness won his first chip rocking 6s so that alone would make the shoe stand out above the rest. The O.G. Infrareds had hits of reflective 3M beneath the ventilation holes, and brought that design aspect back for 2014's Black Friday drop. Practical? Nah. Fresh? Hell yeah. The infrared color debuted on the 6s first and its pinkish hue seemed like a huge style risk at the time. That risk paid off in the long term, with massive amounts of hypebeasts clamoring for the re-release after Kanye gave them the unofficial co-sign. You ain't gotta lie to us Yeezus, we still know you keep a few pairs in the closet right next to that dartboard with Ray J’s face on it.

5. Air Jordan 11 "Space Jam"
Mike wasn't winning any Oscars for the movie, so his wardrobe designer sure as hell should have won one instead when these particular 11s debuted in Space Jam. One of a handful of releases that strayed from the typical Bulls-centric colorways, the black and white combo with just a touch of concord purple really did make kids believe they could fly. Of course, nothing was further from the truth, and most of us found that out the hard way. Nevertheless, the design of the Space Jams meshed the smooth dressed up appeal of patent leather with a tough nylon upper, and the icey sole made the entire shoe suitable for almost everything in your wardrobe.