The Best New Sneaker Designs Of 2023

10.Nike Vaporfly 3

Release Date: 03/06/23
Price: $250

Unlike most of the sneakers on this list—and our other year-end lists—this shoe will actually help you do something. It’s a real running sneaker with real performance technology in it. The Vaporfly series has been around in some form since 2016, so the foundational design idea of plated sneakers that propel you forward faster doesn’t feel terribly cutting edge, but there’s nothing wrong with a brand finding a good idea and iterating on it. The Vaporfly 3 proves that this line is still exciting, at least for runners, and doesn’t take the tech to the cartoony extreme that its cousin the Alphafly does. —Brendan Dunne

9.Nike Ja 1

Release Date: 02/19/23
Price: $110

If it wasn’t for the nonsense surrounding Ja Morant, this sneaker would likely be higher up on the list. And we’re not docking Ja simply because of that, but it seems to have faded a touch in public perception. But let us not forget how big the rollout of this shoe was. How hyped all of you were for it. The launch colorway was dang good too. And the Swarovski pair at All-Star Weekend had serious buzz. Every basketball sneaker looks the same now, or at least most of them. The Ja 1 is no different, but this shoe, at the time, was positioned as a potential heir apparent to the Kobe and Kyrie hole in the brand’s basketball lineup. Or at least that’s how people were talking about it at first. Let’s see how it’s remembered in the long run. —Matt Welty

8.Jordan Tatum 1

Release Date: 04/07/23
Price: $120

Let’s be honest—it’s tough to make people care about a Jordan Brand sneaker that isn’t an Air Jordan retro. But the brand certainly seems like it’s going in the right direction with Jayson Tatum’s signature line. Like any iconic signature sneaker, the design is only part of the equation. It also needs moments that the fans can look back on. And Tatum wasted no time creating one of them. The Tatum 1 was debuted by the Celtics superstar during the 2023 NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City. Tatum laced up the Zoo and Pink Lemonade colorways for his record-breaking 55-point performance that resulted in him receiving Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player honors. Throughout the remainder of the 2022–23 NBA season, fans were treated to a variety of impressive colorways like the Blueprint PE and a classic Cool Grey option (a nod to Tatum’s favorite Air Jordan). Along with some of the other selections on this list, it looks like the next era of performance basketball sneakers is a promising one, even if we still aren’t going to be wearing these jeans like we would have in the 2010s. The resounding success of the Tatum 1, and Tatum’s continuous stellar play, has us eager for what’s to come from the signature line of one of Jordan Brand’s top athletes. —Mike DeStefano

7.Nike LeBron 21

Release Date: 10/14/23
Price: $200

Much of LeBron James’ signature sneaker line with Nike has been characterized by sturdy (or arguably bulky) silhouettes—a style befitting of the four-time NBA champion’s 6’9”, 250-pound frame. The Nike LeBron 20 finally switched things up on that formula, revitalizing the line two decades into its existence, with a true low cut that looked more like something we’d come to expect from Kobe Bryant’s footwear than the powerful models typically found in LeBron’s.

The LeBron 21 takes an evolutionary approach to design, building on the success (and the low-top cut) of the 20 with a more technical build that features molded detailing on the upper, a cable-based lacing system, and a top-loaded support shank. The molding of the upper, paired with a wide range of materials, combines to create some truly unique aesthetic possibilities. Add that to the fact that James, now in his 21st NBA season, continues to make history on a nightly basis, and his footwear feels more relevant now than it has in years. —Zac Dubasik

6.New Balance 991v2

Release Date: 10/05/23
Price: $250

If my vote was the only one that mattered here, this would be number one on the list. It’s also my favorite sneaker this year. Just look at it. It looks so dang good. Every picture of it keeps looking better and better. The New Balance 991 might already be the best New Balance sneaker of all time, depending on who you ask. And, somehow, they made it better. So many times, the process of updating a classic goes wrong. But not this time. The shape is refined; it’s given the FuelCell technology in the midsole, with the turquoise gel hits. It’s the first 990 shoe ever designed and made at the brand’s UK factory. And they’ve already done projects with Stone Island and Patta on it. But the OG grey is the best. Go buy a pair—you won’t regret it. —Matt Welty

5.Nike Sabrina 1

Release Date: 09/01/23
Price: $130

Sabrina Ionescu is the future. What she brings to the WNBA—a generational stardom and shooting the likes of which the league has never seen—could change the game of basketball; what she brings to Nike—a new signature shoe that’s the brand’s first unisex line from a women’s basketball player—could change the sneaker business. Those are lofty statements, but Ionescu really is on that level. Her signature debut, a sleek low-top model with a fitting Kobe-esque cut, is a strong start in what will likely be a long line. And it represents a shift in the industry, where shoes are not presented along the strict binary lines of men’s and women’s. For proof of its immediate impact, look no further than the NBA, where the Sabrina 1 has already become a popular wear. —Brendan Dunne

4.Adidas AE1

Release Date: 12/16/23
Price: $120

It’s hard to remember the last time an Adidas Basketball model had people talking about something other than its sale price. But from the initial leak to the rollout campaign, to the beef it inspired with Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards’ first signature sneaker actually has people talking.

The AE1’s looks are striking thanks to the large TPU wing that dominates the design. Its shape, however, feels familiar, as if it shares some DNA with the now-defunct Adidas Yeezy line. That fresh-yet-familiar quality is something that’s been missing in Adidas’ basketball lineup for a long time, and it has the ideal athlete behind it.

That Edwards could stir up controversy around the AE1 should come as no surprise. The Minnesota Timberwolves star has been outspoken and confident throughout his still-brief ascent to fame, but has backed it up on the court. He was selected to the NBA All-Star team in just his third season, and was one of the few bright spots on Team USA’s ill-fated FIBA World Cup run in 2023. The shoe drops just as he’s becoming a full-blown star—one that currently has his team sitting atop the Western Conference standings. —Zac Dubasik

3.Puma MB.03

Release Date: 06/29/23
Price: $175

When was the last time basketball sneakers felt this exciting? The storytelling approach to signature lines, and sneakers in general, feels pretty tired in 2023, but a kudos is in order for Puma for the way it’s splashed vivid colorways across this signature shoe for one of the NBA’s most entertaining young players. LaMelo Ball’s Puma MB.03 is not the most striking sneaker as a silhouette, but wild special editions like the GutterMelo (NFT crash be damned) and the Dexter's Laboratory collab have helped the shoe stand out in the increasingly crowded basketball sig space. And the shoe works beyond the flashy colorways: People are actually hopping in the Puma MB.03, giving the brand just a tiny bit of market share in a category that Nike’s absolutely dominated for most of the 21st century. That might not make Puma a legit challenger to the Swoosh just yet, but it sure is a start. —Brendan Dunne

2.Drake x Nike NOCTA Glide

Release Date: 09/15/23
Price: $160

Let’s go ahead and say it: This is Drake’s best Nike sneaker yet. Leaning heavily on the Swoosh’s 1990s design language, the NOCTA Glide reinterprets Jason Kidd’s Zoom Flight 95 through a 2023 lens. The Glide is sleeker than the aforementioned retro hoops model, taking on more of a runner shape and replacing the leather and nubuck cuts with sportier, more breathable materials. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but the nostalgic appeal is part of what makes it work well. Drake’s previous drop, the NOCTA Hot Step Air Terra, was a fine shoe, but the Glide is just more exciting, plain and simple. After years of OVO x Air Jordans in the same colorways, this is a promising direction for Drake’s footwear. We’ll see where they take it next. —Riley Jones

1.Cactus Plant Flea Market x Nike Air Flea 2

Release Date: 10/18/23
Price: $220

Cynthia Lu’s Cactus Plant Flea Market Nike collaborations aren’t for everyone, but that’s also exactly what makes them so good. Looking like some sort of amalgamation of a bicycle tire and a bicycling shoe, the Air Flea 2 has continued the trend of CPFM sneakers that push things outside of the hype comfort zone. There are no shoelaces to be found; instead, the shoe is secured by two large Velcro straps. Those straps are affixed with snaps that allow a massive, cartoonish Swoosh to be placed in different positions, along with smaller CPFM-themed trinkets that can be snapped on. Even the rollout of the shoe was unconventional, with people getting their first look at the collaboration when it was worn by the bassist of hardcore band Turnstile during Rolling Loud Miami. If that wasn’t enough, they come in two colorways: a mismatched Faded Spruce and a slightly more toned down Black/Alabaster.

These may not have quite enough universal appeal to top the overall Best Sneakers of 2023 list, but as far as new sneakers go, this was the year’s most daring, and the risk paid off. Salute to CPFM for doing something innovative, and to the Nike team for being able to pull it off once again. —Riley Jones