Editors' Picks: The Best Sneakers of the Month

Gerald Flores, Editor-in-Chief

The Nike LunarEpic is one of the best sneakers that Nike released in 2016. When it debuted earlier this year, one of its trademark features (besides the pressure-mapped Lunar cushioning) was the compression sleeve on the upper. We all knew a low-top version was on the way. The multicolor "Unlimited" version that dropped as part of Nike's collection for the Rio Olympics was definitely, in my opinion, the strongest colorway we've seen yet. 

Brendan Dunne, News Editor

Yeah we saw a million Olympics shoes release this summer, but this pair was able to separate itself from the pack by not just doing the red, white, and blue thing. I like that the Ultra Boost has no business still being relevant this long after its release but still manages to do so. I actually don't own these–I tried to pick up a pair on Eastbay and struck out–but I'm happy to see so many people still excited about the shoe.

Zac Dubasik, Managing Editor

Nike Basketball drops so many colorways of signature sneakers that it’s easy to forget the majority of them. The Kyrie 2 has been refreshing in the sense that there have actually been quite a few memorable versions. It’s unfortunate that the exact pair he wore when he hit the championship-clinching shot hasn’t been made available, but the "Parade" edition is the next best thing. It might not be the Finals shoe, but it’s the same shoe he celebrated the victory in.

Brennan Hiro Williams, Social Media Editor

I don't actually like these sneakers. I just want to point out that the fastest man in recorded history won his seventh, eighth and ninth gold medals at the Olympics this month, and this is all we have to show for it. Did you even know these released?

Brandon Richard, Senior Writer

The 1996 Olympics in Atlanta was, by far, the greatest sporting event I've ever seen. And it's tough to imagine anything surpassing it in the future. From Muhammad Ali lighting the torch, to Michael Johnson's golden double, to Kerri Strug sticking her landing, to Kurt Angle winning with a broken freakin' neck, it was an event filled with moments that I'll never forget.

"Inspired by" is a phrase that mostly makes me cringe when I see it used in the context of sneakers these days—just because so many of the stories are contrived as hell. We recently poked a little fun at that by illustrating random moments from Michael Jordan's career that could eventually be tied to Air Jordan colorways. But this isn't the case with Nike's Atlanta-inspired trainer. The colors, arguably the best to ever hit the Air Trainer SC High, are pulled directly from the '96 games' logo. The peach logo, gold hardware, and confetti outsole put it over the top as one of the year's best releases.

Rich Lopez, Release Dates Manager

Truth be told, I'm still not completely sold on the Air Jordan 31, but I chose this sneaker because this "USA" colorway got me a lot closer to appreciating the sneaker than the "Banned" colorway has, which is crazy to say. As a person that grew up watching Michael Jordan play the game and has owned nearly every single Air Jordan style, I actually want to love the Air Jordan Game shoe every year.

I'm not the type that feels the need to preemptively hate on the new Air Jordan, but unfortunately that has been more of the case recently. I personally feel that the "USA" colorway brings out the best of the Air Jordan 31 and is much cleaner than the black/red colorway. I also appreciate the fact that the sneaker is tied to a more current event, the 2016 Olympics, and not a historical moment that it has nothing to do with. I'm hoping that Jordan continues to release better colorways of the 31. Hopefully I will get even closer to copping a pair.