The Olympic torch made the final leg of its journey to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games today, with many of the over 10,000 athletes from the 184 participating countries present for the opening ceremony along the Seine River. Not only are the world’s greatest athletes about to demonstrate their astonishing skills but brands are set to celebrate the competition with special designs. Over the years, Olympic-themed footwear offerings have grown from a few pairs of country-specific kicks to expansive collections. Throughout history, Nike, as a major sponsor of Team USA, has maintained the Olympics as a flagship event, and although other brands have created some admirable styles — we're looking at you, adidas and New Balance — Nike's drive to create Olympic sneakers along with the sheer volume of releases it's produced means the brand holds all ten spots in our review of the best Olympic-themed sneakers.
Limiting silhouettes to one mention each, we’ve assembled a comprehensive list of what shoes have best celebrated the Games, along with notes on Olympic history, to celebrate the beginning of this year’s competition.
Air Jordan 7 “Olympic” (1992)
When it comes to Men’s Olympic Basketball, no team is as renowned as the USA’s Dream Team from 1992. Composed of all-time greats such as Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson, and of course, Michael Jordan, it was the first time that NBA players could participate in the Olympic Games. The crew annihilated the field as they won all eight games by an average margin of 44 points with the closest match being a 32-point blowout in the gold medal game against Croatia. Jordan, the only player to start every match, mesmerized the world with not only his dominant play, but with his kicks too. Having released the Air Jordan 7 that year, he wore a special “Olympic” colorway of the shoe that has returned twice since then. Equipped with a white leather upper, accents of red and blue nod to the USA while hints of gold foreshadowed his eventual triumph at the event.
Nike Air More Uptempo “Olympic” (1996)
After a dominant debut for NBA players at the ‘92 Games, Team USA sought to replicate its success with another stacked lineup that included stars like Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen and Charles Barkley. Just like '92, none of the eight games the team played were particularly close, and the US was awarded its 11th gold medal from the event. With Jordan not opting to participate, it was Pippen who turned heads with the Nike Air More Uptempo in an “Olympic”-themed look. A dark blue base was joined by the silhouette’s signature graffiti-inspired “AIR” lettering in white, matching the toe and heel, which both host blue Swooshes. Pippen’s jersey number of 8 was highlighted at the heel in gold while a touch of red graced the tongue branding. Since its debut back in 1996, the shoe has been re-released for the Olympic Games of 2012, 2016, 2020, and is set to return once again this year, with the 2024 pair pictured above.
Nike Air Presto “Australia” (2000)
Stepping away from hoops for a moment, Nike treated Australia -- the host country of the 2000 Olympic Games -- to a special version of the Air Presto. Distributed exclusively to athletes and VIPs associated with the country, this pair remained a grail for Air Presto collectors for two decades. Then, for the 20th anniversary, the Swoosh opted to bring the beloved design to the public, which is pictured above. The teal t-shirt-inspired upper dons the Southern Cross stars that appear on the country’s flag, which are embroidered in yellow. An “AUS” hit appears at the translucent heel cage while the tongue sports an “AUS” badge.
Nike Hyperdunk 08 “United We Rise” (2008)
After striking gold three times in a row at the Olympic Games, Team USA was humbled in 2004, losing three games (including a memorable opening defeat at the hands of Carlos Arroyo and Puerto Rico) and only taking home a bronze medal. In response to this, the Redeem Team -- featuring some of the NBA’s most dominant players such as LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Paul -- was assembled in 2008 and led by Kobe Bryant who was appointed as team captain. Despite having released the Nike Kobe 3 that year, Bryant opted to rock the Hyperdunk line’s debut model in a special USA-themed “United We Rise” colorway. The patriotic assemblage featured a blue-tinted upper that hosts navy detailing at the heel counter, midsole and Swooshes -- the latter of which is outlined in red. Its overlay, which runs from the toe to the collar, carried a thematic all-over graphic while “United We Rise” text appears at the tongue tag. Eight years later, it returned to shelves in celebration of the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, which is the pair pictured above.
Air Jordan 6 “Beijing” (2008)
The 2008 Games in Beijing were loaded with exciting releases as the Air Jordan 6 got in on the fun with an Olympic rings-inspired “Beijing” colorway. Starting with a white leather upper, Jordan Brand made use of the shoe’s layered midsole design by including notes of blue, green, red and yellow. From there, it referenced the fifth and final ring by utilizing black across the rubber outsole. The five colors appear around the collar too. Red enlivened the lining, as well as the Jumpman branding at the tongue and heel. Yellow covered the heel’s “AIR” text and tongue’s “JORDAN” note. Green outlined the tongue’s cut-outs. Blue appeared atop the heel tab. Black rounded things out as the base color of the tongue and heel tab.
Nike Dunk High Supreme “Olympic Octagon” (2008)
The Nike Dunk is no stranger to adopting Olympic-based looks, though its most unique project came in 2008 when it also looked to the Olympic rings to serve as inspiration for a collection of Dunk Highs. With one monochromatic colorway dedicated to each ring -- resulting in pairs of blue, yellow, black, green and red -- this “Olympic Octagon” pack is a Dunk collector’s dream. Each colorful iteration leveraged a patent leather upper with quilting present at the toe box, midfoot and collar. Yellow stitching gave four of the colorways a pop of color at the midsole while the white tongue tag nods to the arrangement of the Olympic rings by using octagons in place of circles, leaning on the luck that Chinese culture associates with the number eight. Not pictured here, an all-white pair was also assembled to complete the collection.
Nike Kobe 7 “Olympic” (2012)
After successfully earning a gold medal in the 2008 Olympics, Kobe Bryant and Team USA carried their momentum over to 2012 by assembling another star-studded roster featuring the likes of Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul. While both Bryant and James thought the squad could beat 1992’s Dream Team, members of that legendary squad laughed the comparison off. That being said, the 2012 roster did put up impressive results as another spree of victories concluded with a record-breaking 30-point performance by Durant in the gold medal game, which saw Team USA triumph over Pau Gasol and Team Spain by just seven points. This time around, Bryant stuck with his signature line, sporting the Nike Kobe 7 in a patriotic “Olympic” rendition. One of many Kobes to carry USA’s red, white and blue, this pair stands out as a fan favorite thanks to its sharp arrangement. A white base is joined by navy at the Swooshes, collar and midsole as red enters the mix at the Flywire cable system, tongue branding and heel. Later that same year, the colorway was remixed with a “Gold Medal” finish that adjusted its color blocking and included celebratory gilded accents.
Nike LeBron 10+ “Gold Medal” (2012)
Kobe Bryant wasn’t the only star of Team USA to rock a special rendition of their signature shoe for the Games that year. LeBron James took the court in his then-unreleased Nike LeBron 10 to demonstrate the upcoming model’s capabilities. When it came time to arrive on the market, Nike Basketball had tweaked the USA-themed pair James wore during the Games to present it in a fitting “Gold Medal” finish that swapped the lateral reverse Swoosh from red to gold and added a lion’s head lace lock in a matching gold. Elsewhere, a white base was accompanied by red and blue detailing across the tongue, sole unit and laces.
Nike Air Force 1 Low “Olympic” (2020)
While the pandemic resulted in a delay of Tokyo’s 2020 Olympic Games, Nike stuck to its release schedule, which included revisiting 2004’s “Olympic” take on the Air Force 1 Low. At the surface, the pair looked to mostly recreate its predecessor, including silver at the toe, black at the midfoot and Swooshes, red towards the lateral heel, green around the medial heel, blue for the lining and lime green at the rear in place of yellow. However, upon peeling back the shoe’s layers -- quite literally, at that -- the upper featured a special thematic base. Underneath the initial exterior rests a shimmering silver at the forefoot and Swooshes, gold at the midfoot and bronze around the heel. Beyond referencing the Games’ three medals, the shapes of various flags are included throughout the bronze and silver segments.
Air Jordan 4 “Wet Cement” (2024)
As this year’s Olympic Games officially begin in Paris with the opening ceremony, celebrating the dedicated athletes participating in this year’s competition, the Swoosh has again assembled a wide variety of thematic sneakers. Of its many Olympic releases for 2024, which includes 55 different safari print-equipped pairs for the “Electric Pack,” it’s the Air Jordan 4 “Wet Cement” that takes the cake. The all-gray presentation of the AJ4 may remind sneakerheads of 2017’s initial KAWS collaboration, a pair that fetches thousands of dollars on secondhand marketplaces. Its inspiration comes from Paris and the city’s cobblestone streets, resulting in a luxe build that suits the fashion capital.
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