The 25 Greatest Sneakers In Miami Heat History

Sneaker talent in South Beach.

Jan 17, 2012
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The Miami Heat franchise has only been around since '88, but they've made up for their short history with some major on-court kicks. Anticipated to rep the East in the NBA Finals (unless Derrick Rose has his say) they have two of the biggest players with signature lines in LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Today is actually Flash's 30th birthday, so we felt it was only appropriate to pay homage to arguably the team's greatest player of all-time along with the dopeness the rest of the Heat have worn during their existence. Click on the gallery to check out The 25 Greatest Sneakers In Miami Heat History.

NikeAlonzos

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24. Nike Air Movin' Uptempo

Year: 1997

Player: Dan Majerle

Complex says: The distant cousin of a few other Air Uptempos — these shoes aren't as classic as their pricier relations, but still worthy of a mention. The sneaker shares a similar cut to the Air Max Uptempo '97 but utilized a smaller (and lighter) Air bag to hold down wings like Thunder Dan. 

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23. Nike Air Force High

Year: 1993

Player: Glen Rice

Complex says: One of the greatest shooters in the NBA and an alleged victim recipient of a Sarah Palin one-night stand, Glen Rice wasn't always known for his sneaker selection (my man wore Warner Bros. shoes AND Nauticas). In '93 he broke out the Nike Air Force Highs, a shoe more catered towards big men — a favorite of Alonzo Mourning and Rony Seikaly during the same season. 

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22. Nike Air Maestro

Year: 1996

Player: Tim Hardaway

Complex says: The Maestros that Hardaway rocked in '96 aren't remembered like the OGs Pippen rocked in the All-Star Game a few years earlier but still ill. The mid-top cut and black and white colorway was a staple from Nike in the mid-90s worn by PGs including T-Bug and Damon Stoudamire. 

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21. Nike Air Force V Low

Year: 1990

Player: Rony Seikaly

Complex says: Admit it — in the past week you realized Seikaly's sneaker game deserves a lot of respect. One of the originators of the Heat's game, Seikaly switched the style up for big men and typically chose some low tops for his play around the rim. During the 1990 season you could catch him in the Vs, 16 points and 11 boards a game. (Charles Barkley favored the AFV Lows, too.)

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20. Nike Air Vis Zoom Uptempo High PE

Year: 1999

Player: Alonzo Mourning

Complex says: The Vis Zoom Uptempos weren't anyone's signature kicks when they dropped in '99, but you know Nike was gonna lace 'Zo proper. The visible Zoom Air units set these off correct and were a favorite among all type of players from centers like Mourning to more wing-type players like Shareef Abdur-Rahim. 

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19. Nike Air Afterburner Flight

Year: 1999

Player: Tim Hardaway

Complex says: In '99 the Afterburners were king on the court with guards. The low feel to the court and lightweight materials helped guards like Hardaway get by defenders with a quick step and get off the floor quick. Timmy had mad shoe game on the low.

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18. Air Jordan Retro VII "Charcoal"

Year: 2002

Player: Eddie Jones

Complex says: Probably better known as the "Raptors" but in '02 they still donned the charcoal name. Eddie Jones was one of the original Jordan Brand athletes, and chose the VIIs for part of the season. Re-released again in '09 as part of the "60+" pack, you can expect to see these once again along with the "Olympics" in 2012. (His PE game was mean, too, but they saw most of their time on the bench.)

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17. Converse Wade I

Year: 2006

Player: Dwyane Wade

Complex says: Before Wade was down with Mike and company, he started his time in the L rockin' Converse. The only non-Nike on the list holds up pretty well even with D. Wade's Jordan looks. The sneaker blurred a classic Converse look and new design perfectly. Wade had a few injuries while he was down with the star — we're sure Kobe was in his ear to jump ship. 

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16. Air Jordan I "Alpha" 

Year: 2009

Player: Dwyane Wade

Complex says: After Wade left Converse, Jordan Brand was waiting with open arms and hooked up the dynamic Chi-town guard with some heat out the gate. Paying homage to the greatest off guard of all-time, Dwyane broke out the "Alpha" Is, the modern-day interpretation of the shoe that started it all.

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15. Jordan CP3.IV PE

Year: 2011

Player: Mike Bibby

Complex says: Shortly after making the move from ATL to MIA, Bibby kept up with his tradition of rocking some of the illest Jordan models out. His Miami'ed-out version of Chris Paul's signature kicks earned much deserved praise for its quick look and feel to gun down the floor. More than Mike Bibby did, anyway.

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14. Nike LeBron 8 V2 "Cool Grey"

Year: 2011

Player: LeBron James

Complex says: After taking his talents to South Beach, Nike kept hooking "The King" up with a million colorways and player editions and even building multiple versions of the 8s. In 2010 the "Cool Grey" V2s were flying off the shelves and — despite the fact that they didn't go with the Heat unis at all — LeBron gave them some run at home.

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13. Jordan Fly Wade II "Christmas"

Year: 2011

Player: Dwyane Wade

Complex says: We weren't sure we would see a NBA season in 2011 (or even 2012) but thanks to a Christmas miracle, David Stern brought it back just in time for holiday edition kicks. The Fly Wade 2's Lunarlon cushioning and all-over matte Varsity Red fuse just may be Dwyane's dopest model/colorway yet. 

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12. Air Jordan 2011

Year: 2011

Player: Dwyane Wade

Complex says: The Air Jordan 2011 is possibly the best new Air Jordan since Mike's final retirement, and one of the most underrated shoes of the year. D. Wade proved their durability, helping lead the Heat to a second-place finish in the East and his second trip to the NBA Finals. He had some ill PEs, but we're riding with the GRs.

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11. Nike LeBron 8 V2 Low "Triple Black"

Year: 2012

Player: Mario Chalmers

Complex says: The best part about teamin' up with someone who has his own shoe? Ask the Bulls in the '90s or Chalmers last season — your connect keeps you supplied with the freshest footwear. A few weeks ago Miami was without two of the big three, missing Bron and Wade with injuries — Chalmers murdered the competition in three overtimes rocking the murdered-out LeBron 8s.

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10. Nike Air Force STS

Year: 1989

Player: Alan Ogg

Complex says: Alan Ogg was an undrafted rookie who played just two seasons with the Heat, but he made his impact known. Well, he wore some dope kicks anyway. The Air Force STS was the epitome of late-'80s style with the large branding on the tongue and heel and elephant-print trim combined with a damn near combat boot cut for the high top. Nike, we can't plead enough — please bring these back and toss back a pair of Jordans being released for the fifth time in 10 years.

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9. Nike Air Bakin

Year: 1997

Player: Tim Hardaway

Complex says: The Air Bakins were almost as cold as Timmy's crossover. Worn by Hardaway and former Run-TMC running mate Mitch Richmond throughout the season, they caught a little heat for having the "Air" script on the heel resemble the Arabic form of "Allah". Praises due either way — you can also thank them for your Posite Boots.

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8. Nike LeBron 9 PE

Year: 2012

Player: LeBron James

Complex says: The first shoe to use Hyperfuse and Flywire combined in the same body, LeBron's 9th model is by far his best performance wise. Nike really cut out the fat on the shoe and didn't give up anything designwise to keep up with its superior innovations. 

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7. Air Jordan Retro XII "Flu Game"

Year: 2004

Player: Lamar Odom

Complex says: Odom killed it with J's when he was a Clipper and then really toned it down once he got to South Beach. During the 2003-04 season you could catch him in the "Flu Game XIIs" occasionally when he wasn't hooping in Shox. 

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6. Air Jordan XI "Space Jams"

Year: 2001

Player: Eddie Jones

Complex says: When the Space Jams dropped in 2000 it was only a matter of time before other players started biting MJs style with the cold patent leather look in the fresh black and royal colorway. The kicks didn't match the MIA uniforms but the Jordan Brand made sure longtime endorser Eddie Jones was slangin' Js in one of the best pairs of Mikes to date. 

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5. Jordan Fly Wade 

Year: 2011

Player: Dwyane Wade

Complex says: When Jordan Brand revealed Wade's first signature shoe, people came back with some mixed reviews. After each new color surfaced and the Heat rolled on to kill the negative press it was hard to deny that JB came correct with the silhouette. These all-red joints were fire.

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4. Air Jordan IX "White/Black/True Red"

Year: 1994

Player: Harold Miner

Complex says: With Mike committing errors in the outfield, Nike needed someone to step up and show the masses what the Air Jordan IXs were made of. Although he wasn't All-NBA material, for a minute Harold Miner was one of the most exciting players in the league thanks to his high-flying antics (he won just as many Slam Dunk titles as MJ — came up a few short on the 'chips and scoring titles, tho). 

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3. Nike Air Zoom Flight '95

Year: 1996

Player: Tim Hardaway

Complex says: Wade and Bron might be the future, but Timmy Hardaway once was holding the Heat down and year after year he was pressin' the court in the latest and greatest from Nike (ironically, his signature T-Bug kicks were some of the worst he wore). During the 1995-96 season the Nike Air Zoom Flight 95 was one of the most popular sneakers out, and was endorsed by Jason Kidd. The sneaker is arguably part of an untouchable era at Nike when the brand perfectly mastered the combination of performance and design with the buggin' out look and low-to-the-court feel of the Zoom Air unit.

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2. Air Jordan X "Chicago"

Year: 1995

Player: Harold Miner

Complex says: The Jordan X "Chicagos" are about to see the light again this Saturday. Although they haven't built up as much hype as the Holiday XI releases or the Cement IVs dropping next month, these could easily end up on a lot of "best of" lists for '12. And maybe they should have been called the "Miamis," since Harold Miner was the one holding it down on the court in until Mike came back from his Field of Dreams (as best as we can recall, Pip didn't wear them that often).

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1. Nike Air Zoom Flight '98 "The Glove" PE

Year: 2006

Player: Gary Payton

Complex says: We're guessing you weren't expecting these. Originated in 1998 while he was with the Sonics, GP brought back the Gloves in Miami. The sleeve over the sneakers played on GP's nickname "The Glove" perfect, and in the late '90s the side lace/zipper move was the rage. Forget PE colors, GP got a PE model. AND he won a 'chip. Beat that.

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