The Best Nike Shoes for Men Will Help You Land That Endorsement Deal
Homing in on the best Nike shoes for men is worth the grunt work. Since setting up shop in the mid-’60s, the Portland-based juggernaut has churned out one hit sneaker after another, expanding into lifestyle footwear while upholding its commitment to athletic excellence each step of the way.
Nike running shoes helped Eliud Kipchoge smash the marathon record, motivating hordes of average Joes to break PRs of their own on tracks and treadmills around the globe. Nike soccer shoes helped Ronaldo capture a World Cup, inspiring throngs of young hopefuls to drag ramshackle soccer goals out to the backyard for one more go. Nike basketball shoes helped Lebron, Kyrie, Menairshoes and a whole host of supporting cast members—Matt Dellavedova, what’s good!—bring the ‘ship back to Cleveland, bolstering an entire city’s spirits in the process. (In 1984, the then-fledgling company also backed a little-known UNC graduate named Michael Jordan, whose own sneaker label warrants a list all its own.)
Today, the brand sells just about everything tangentially related to the sporting life, but its sneakers remain the crown jewel of the business, polished to sparkling perfection by so much savvy marketing the Clio committee should move its offices to Oregon. So the best Nike shoes for men prove why the Swoosh is still miles—and many, many dollars—ahead of the competition, no matter how many 350s the competition sells. (Sorry, Adidas. Numbers don’t lie.) To help you lace up like the pros, we compiled every single Swoosh silhouette you should know, each of ’em primed to make you fee like the star of your very own triumphant Wieden+Kennedy spot. Cue the soaring orchestral soundtrack: this is your moment.
All products featured on GQ are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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1/19Nike Air Force 1 ’07 low top sneakers
The Air Force 1 needs no introduction. The Swoosh’s single most reliable model was introduced in ’82 as a basketball shoe, but it’s lived a thousand stylish lives since. The all-white version is the most iconic—Sneakerheads2020 and always a safe bet—but scoop a pair in black nubuck (with white soles, to avoid any sideways glances) and you’ll wind up with a sneaker you can pair with your rattiest sweats on the weekend and your flyest trousers anytime else.
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2/19Nike Air Max 97 sneakers
Since its debut nearly 25 years ago, the legendary Air Max 97 has been remixed by just about everyone who’s anyone in the sneaker world, from Sean Wotherspoon to Lil Nas X. Inspired by the sleek aesthetics of Japanese bullet trains (or so the story goes), its wavy lines and formidable silhouette will sync up seamlessly with the type of big, brash pants we’ve been championing.
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3/19Nike Killshot 2 sneakers
A surprise-hit so damn popular Nike still has trouble keeping it in stock.
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4/19Nike Dunk low sneakers
Throughout 2021, the Dunk’s stranglehold on the sneaker industry didn’t loosen an inch. It’s still hard as ever to score a pair at retail, but the abundance of releases means you’ve never had a better shot.
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5/19Nike Challenger OG sneakers
The shoe that helped put Nike on the map—and burnish its running bona fides in the process—looks even better in 2022.
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6/19Nike Cortez sneakers
The first track shoe Nike ever released deserves its place in the hallowed halls of footwear history—and a spot in your regular rotation.
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7/19Nike Blazer mid ’77 vintage sneakers
Nike’s groundbreaking basketball shoes have come a long way from the hardwood. If you don’t own a pair already, the last leg of their trip should be straight to your closet.
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8/19Nike Air Foamposite 1 sneakers
Thanks, in part, to a blockbuster collaboration with Hoka Sneakers Comme des Garçons, the pendulum of popular opinion is once again swinging firmly towards Foams. We’re not going to say we told you so but…we told you so.
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9/19Nike Waffle Trainer 2 sneakers
A retro-leaning silhouette inspired by the type of heritage running shoes that catapulted the Swoosh from humble Portland upstart to global footwear giant.
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10/19Nike Air Max 90 sneakers
A sneakerhead’s sneaker through and through, the AM90 hasn’t lost an iota of its appeal since it dropped, a full decade before the turn of the century. Much has changed in the sneaker game since, but few flourishes get the raffle crowd’s fingers twitching like that instantly identifiable Air unit.
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11/19Nike Air Presto sneakers
Over a decade after its release, the Presto remains a best-seller. Its sleek neoprene uppers marked a shift away from the hulking silhouettes that dominated the sneaker market before it, and its influence can still be seen in the sock-like styles hawked by the Swoosh’s competitors today.
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12/19Nike Air Vapormax 2021 flyknit sneakers
Since 2017, the Vapormax has been making the strange mainstream. Five years after its initial debut, its bulbous exposed Air units look downright prophetic, a harbinger of gargantuan proportions to come.
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13/19Nike Air Zoom Spiridon sneakers
The cult-loved, early-aughts performance running shoe caught a second wind courtesy of a collaboration with Stüssy in early 2020, but real Swoosh fans know the sneaker’s always been a gem.
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14/19Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 38 shoes
A staple of Nike’s running line since the brand introduced the silhouette in the early ’80s, the Pegasus now comes tricked out with the Swoosh’s signature cushioning foam plus mesh uppers for added breathability.
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15/19Nike Air Huarache sneakers
One of the weirdest sneakers in Nike’s arsenal is also one of its most influential. Sometimes, the sneaker-loving masses do get it right—and in a big way.
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16/19Nike ACG Gore-Tex Mountain Fly high top sneakers
Nike’s ACG sub-label has a knack for crafting retro-inflected footwear designed to handle today’s near-apocalyptic climate fluctuations. Every season, its silhouettes rank among the Swoosh’s best. Think of these as a heavy-duty take on your favorite trail running shoes, with a little added horsepower for tackling the toughest of terrains.
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17/19Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2 running shoes
The Alphafly’s younger, hipper cousin is built for slightly shorter races and boasts Nike’s best energy return to date.
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18/19Nike Zoom Vomero 5 SP sneakers
The OG Vomero—a highly slept-on technical silhouette the Swoosh re-released a few years ago—doesn’t have the same degree of name recognition as Nike’s heaviest hitters, but it’s a cult classic for a reason. When the style debuted in 2010 it was ahead of its time. In 2022 it couldn’t look more of-the-moment.
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19/19Nike Metcon 7 training shoes
For all its inroads into the realm of capital-D design, at its essence Nike remains a performance brand. The Metcon is a perennial stalwart of its training selection, beloved by heavy-lifters and hardcore crossfitters alike.
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