Ahead of the return of the Kobe 8 ‘What The’, our SoleSavy staff ranked our favorite sneakers that have defined the ‘What The’ line.
In the list, you will see some of the most significant sneaker releases of all time, some long-forgotten sneakers, and even unreleased samples. When putting together this list, our staff considered cultural impact, model appeal, and, of course, execution.
Without further ado, here is how we ranked our favorite ‘What The’ sneakers:
#12- Nike Mercurial Superfly SE – Released in 2016, the Mercurial Superfly brought the ‘What The’ concept to the world of football. The boot featured nods to sixteen differnt mercurial boots from the past- including the Mercurial R9 made for El Fenomeno.
#11- Thomas Campbell x Nike SB Dunk High– In 2017, Nike teamed up with Thomas Campbell, who directed Nike SB Chronicles Vol. 3., to release a hightop ‘What The’ Dunk high. Atlas released the sneaker with a special box- and was limited to 100 pairs.
#10- Nike SB Dunk High ‘What The Doernbecher’– The first pair on our list that was not released to the public. Nevertheless, it signified Nike SB’s relationship with Doernbecher’s special cause. A total of eleven pairs were created and auctioned off to benefit Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland.
#9- Nike Kevin Durant 4- Another sneaker to never release appears in the nine-spot of our list. When the KD 4 was originally released, at the height of the Nike Basketball boom, head designer Leo Chang revealed this sample featuring the iconic ‘Weatherman’, ‘All-Star’ and ‘Nerf’ colorways. The three most impactful colorways of the model, mashed into a ‘What The’ that remains in the vault.
#8- Nike LeBron 9– Our first LeBron sneaker to appear on our list is the unreleased Lebron 9 ‘What The’. Featuring nods to beloved pairs like the ‘Hardwood Classics’ and the ‘Watch the Throne’ colorways, the sneaker never properly released via retailers.
#7- Air Max 95 ‘Greedy’– This spiritual entry into the ‘What The’ line was released in 2015. The ‘Greedy’ Air Max 95 mashed up the most iconic Air Max 95 colorways into one sneaker to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the model’s release.
#6- Nike Kevin Durant 6– Fittingly arriving in the sixth spot of our list is the KD 6. Inspired by his jersey number , the ‘What The’ KD 6 featured 35 different graphics and colors throughout the sneaker.
#5- Nike LeBron 11– The LeBron 11 ‘What The’ was a celebration of the first ten years of LeBron’s relationship with Nike. The sneaker featured design details from LeBron’s first ten signature sneakers- including a unique usage of different sneaker tongues from the LeBron 7 and LeBron 8.
#4- Nike Kobe 8– Comprising of thirty or so different design details from the Kobe line, the Kobe 8 ‘What The’ originally released in 2013. It is slated to return this Spring- more on that shortly.
#3- Nike SB Dunk Low x Paul Rodriguez– The ‘What The Paul’ Dunk Low brought back the ‘What The’ design to the Nike SB Dunk Low. The sneaker celebrated not only the legacy left by the original, but Paul’s beloved line with Nike SB as well.
#2- Nike LeBron 10 ‘What The MVP”– Released to celebrate LeBron’s fourth MVP Award, the ‘What The MVP’ stands out from most of the sneakers released with this motif. It’s prismatic look more sneakily introduces nods to previous LeBron sneakers; while celebrating the abstract performances from LeBron on the court.
#1 Nike SB Dunk Low ‘What the Dunk’ – The sneaker that started it all. Designed to be the “dunk that ended all dunks,” the ‘What The Dunk’ changed Nike SB forever. More over, it created a new legacy line for Nike sneakers that has been felt on the track, the hardwood, and even the pitch.
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This week, Nike is revisiting the ‘What The’ line to celebrate Kobe Bryant.
The aforementioned Kobe 8 ‘What The’ will be the latest sneaker to release in the Kobe Protro line. The return of this beloved ‘What The’ sneaker is the continuous effort by Vanessa Bryant and Nike to celebrate Kobe’s impact to the game- and to sneakers.
The ‘What The’ Kobe 8 Protro will release via SNKRS on April 13th.
Stay up to date on this release and more via the SoleSavy DROPS app. There you can find the latest news details as well as release info and raffle management.
