As 2009 comes to a close, Complex will be releasing a series of lists recapping the year's best, from albums to girls. To kick things off, we put together a celebrity panel of sneaker heads to help us determine the best kicks of 2009. We recruited Matt Halfhill (Nicekicks.com), DJ Clark Kent (God's favorite DJ and sneaker connoisseur), Mayor (AF1 king), Wil Whitney (Founder of Nom de Guerre and Nike 21 Mercer Head Coach), and Chris Vidal (ALIFE manager), along with Complex sneaker experts Bradley Carbone and Joe La Puma. Nothing's getting by this team.
Before we drop Complex's official top 10, we're giving each of our trusted panelists the chance to tell you about their personal Top 10 sneakers of the year, starting with Matt Halfhill of NiceKicks.com's Top Ten Sneakers of 2009...
#10: Nike 1/2 Cent "Royal"
MH SAYS: "Jordan saw some stellar success with the Spiz'ike, but Nike one-upped the Spike Lee mix with the Nike 1/2 Cent. Rather than a slapped together sneaker with parts and pieces of different retros, the 1/2 Cent blended the best of the best together to make a great looking shoe. Who would have thought people would chase after a $190 sneaker in a recession?"
CLICK HERE TO SEE MATT'S #9 SNEAKER OF 2009
Marcus Troy December 14th, 2009 at 06:16 PM
Great pics Matt!
thehoodnerd December 14th, 2009 at 06:40 PM
^yup pics where on point. I missed those UNDFT Converse that was a great collab.
senga December 14th, 2009 at 07:20 PM
that's a solid list!
OGJORDANhead December 14th, 2009 at 07:28 PM
thes should be number 1 and y r the soles yello the retro r so icy the rest of the shoes on here are wack like KRS1 said wic wic wackkkkkkkkkkk
mbj December 14th, 2009 at 08:32 PM
List of a true hypebeast. this list should be flipped exactly 180 degrees.
23 December 14th, 2009 at 08:37 PM
hmmm i agree with yeezys at number 1 i wouldve put griffeys #2 eggplants #3 1/2 cents #4 and lime green uptempos #5 and the rest after
B December 14th, 2009 at 11:35 PM
wtf how u got converse over jays wit no yeezys in here o hell nah
Booms December 15th, 2009 at 12:19 AM
Really...wow. Are we talking about most stories generated, or are we talking nice shoes we'd love to wear?
arenas December 15th, 2009 at 01:15 AM
auto dunk is soooo clean!
lijah23 December 16th, 2009 at 08:45 AM
u forgot SUPRAS buddy