Believe it or not, there was a time just a handful of years ago when basketball sneakers (particularly Nike) were king in the re-sell market. It seemed like release after release would sell out and then immediately fetch a $300 – $500 price tag. Whether it be the Lebron line, KD line, Kobe signatures, etc – Nike basketball was the definition of hype. With all of that hype, Nike (and other brands), made it a point to make special colorways each winter to be worn on Christmas Day and then released to the public soon after. The Swoosh had a good 5-year run of Christmas themed basketball packs, headlined usually by the Lebron, Kobe, KD, and (later) Kyrie line.

For the last few years Nike and other sneaker brands have not released Christmas specific shoes for the holiday. The hype is no longer with signature basketball sneakers like it was 4-5 years ago. Instead, athletes (for the most part) have just been debuting new colorways of their respective signature models on the 25th. Should brands like Nike and Adidas bring back their Christmas releases? We compiled a list of the Top 10 Christmas Themed Basketball sneakers. The only criteria for our list was that the shoe had to be an actual colorway that released at retail (not a custom), be a basketball sneaker (sorry ‘Ugly Sweater’ SB’s), and have an apparent Christmas theme to them (red & green, movie related, mint green, snow, decoration inspired, etc.). Look below to see which athletes have the best Christmas themed shoes.

10. Adidas D Rose 3 “Nightmare Before Christmas” – Derrick Rose – 2012

9. Nike Lebron 9 “Christmas” – Lebron James – 2011

8. Adidas D Rose 7 “White Christmas” – Derrick Rose – 2016

7. Nike KD 6 “Christmas” – Kevin Durant – 2013

6. Nike KD 5 “Christmas” – Kevin Durant – 2012

5. Nike Kobe 8 “Christmas” – Kobe Bryant – 2012

4. Nike Lebron X “Christmas” – Lebron James – 2012

3. Nike Lebron XI “Christmas” – Lebron James – 2013

2. Nike Lebron 8 “Christmas” – Lebron James – 2010

1. Nike Kobe 6 “Grinch” – Kobe Bryant – 2010

Week 9 in the NBA saw the debut of two anticipated sneakers – one in a Protro form, and one in a brand new silhouette altogether. It was no surprise to see DeMar DeRozan as the one who got to debut the Nike Kobe 5 Protro “Chaos” on court. DeRozan’s Kobe line runs deep and he can always be seen rocking one Kobe model or another. Russell Westbrook debuted his new Jordan Why Not Zer0.3 model, in a fittingly loud and vibrant color scheme. Westbrook’s third signature shoe is his lightest yet and comes with a mid-foot strap and an aggressive looking midsole pattern.

Lebron James hit the court in arguably his best player exclusive colorway of his 17’s yet. There’s just something about how good purple and yellow look against a black background. A staple in the weekly top 15 countdown even wore mismatched shoes for one of his games this week. P.J. Tucker absolutely shut the list down by wearing a college P.E. that is nearly impossible to obtain. Two players sported some colorful New Balance OMN1S’s, with neither player being named Kawhi Leonard. One point guard was even brave enough to rock some classic Nike basketball kicks that are nearing 17 years old! View our Top 15 Kicks Worn During Week 9 below to see which athletes wore which shoes and to see where they rank.

15. Q4 Sports The Specialist “Dodgeball” Custom – Langston Galloway – Detroit Pistons (done by @andr3wtl)

14. Jordan XXXIV “Snow Leopard” – Kemba Walker – Boston Celtics

13. Nike Hyperdunk OG “Blackout” & “Philippines” – De’Aaron Fox – Sacramento Kings

12. New Balance OMN1S P.E. – Montrezl Harrell – Los Angeles Clippers

11. Nike Kobe 1 Protro Undefeated Orange Camo (Phoenix) – Marcus Morris – New York Knicks

10. Jordan XIII “CP3” (Away) – Montrezl Harrell – Los Angeles Clippers

9. Nike Zoom Freak 1 P.E. – Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks

8. Nike Kobe 5 Protro “Chaos” – DeMar DeRozan – San Antonio Spurs

7. New Balance OMN1S “Spurs” – Dejounte Murray – San Antonio Spurs

6. Nike Zoom Flight 2K3 – Isaiah Thomas – Washington Wizards

5. Jordan Why Not Zer0.3 – Russell Westbrook – Houston Rockets

4. Nike Kobe 8 Elite “Superhero” – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder

3. Nike Kobe 5 “Lower Merion Aces” (Home & Away) – Montrezl Harrell – Los Angeles Clippers

2. Nike Lebron XVII P.E. – Lebron James – Los Angeles Lakers

1. Jordan XIII “Oregon” P.E. – P.J. Tucker – Houston Rockets

Kobe Bryant has been out of the league for a few years now but he is still smiling from afar. The future Hall of Famer’s Nike signature line seems to be the most worn and frequently preferred choice across the entire NBA. Kobe 4’s, 5’s, 6’s, and 8’s rank among the top selections from Bryant’s line to grace the hardwood. It has been ten years since the Nike Kobe 4 and 5 initial release run and they still are a solid performer to be worn on court by some of the best players in the world. Players like Tobias Harris (76ers), Gary Harris (Nuggets), Buddy Hield (Kings), and Derrick Jones Jr. (Heat) seem to be in constant competition with each other as to who can bring out the best Kobes from the vault. Justin James (Kings), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Pelicans), Trey Lyles (Spurs), Abdel Nader (Thunder), and Allonzo Trier (Knicks) are not too far behind when it comes to dipping into their respective Kobe stashes as well. Look for this week’s list to consist of a few older Kobe models we have not seen so far this season. Will a Kobe model take the top spot in week 8 of our Top 15 Kicks?

15. Jordan XX1 “CDP” (2008) – Montrezl Harrell – Los Angeles Clippers

14. Nike Kobe 5 “Varsity Red” – Derrick Jones Jr. – Miami Heat

13. Nike Lebron 9 “Summit Lake Hornets” – Jaxson Hayes – New Orleans Pelicans

12. Nike Zoom Freak 1 “Alphabet Soup” – Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks

11. Nike KD 6 “What The” – Derrick Jones Jr. – Miami Heat

10. Nike Hyperdunk OG – P.J. Tucker – Houston Rockets

9. Nike Lebron XVII P.E. – Lebron James – Los Angeles Lakers

8. Nike Kobe 5 “Dark Knight” – Buddy Hield – Sacramento Kings

7. Nike Kobe 8 “Venice Beach” – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder

6. Jordan XXXIV “ParaNorman” P.E. – Jayson Tatum – Boston Celtics

5. Nike Kobe 5 “China” – Tobias Harris – Philadelphia 76ers

4. Jordan VII “Hare” – P.J. Tucker – Houston Rockets

3. Nike Lebron XI “Oregon P.E.” – Montrezl Harrell – Los Angeles Clippers

2. Nike Lebron XVII P.E. – Lebron James – Los Angeles Lakers

1. Jordan Why Not Zer0.2 SE “Mighty Ducks” P.E.’s – Russell Westbrook – Houston Rockets

You would think sneaker companies would run out of colorways for sneakers eventually right? Nope – not even close. Player exclusive color schemes and themes seem to be spewing from a pot that is never-ending. When it comes to Lebron’s 17th edition, Kyrie’s 6th model, the Jordan XXXIV, Donovan Mitchell’s Issue #1, Paul George’s PG 3, the Kobe 4 Protro, Giannis’ new Zoom Freak 1, etc – these players could seemingly rock a different colorway on their respective choice of shoe for the entire season.

Jordan Brand is really amping up the colorways, and more importantly the themes, on the Jordan XXXIV’s this season. JB hasn’t been this creative on their signature model in quite some time. With the likes of Jayson Tatum, Blake Griffin, Mike Conley, and (hopefully) Zion Williamson, the Jordan XXXIV looks to be in good hands. Lebron is on his 17th model and is basically sporting a new colorway every night. It’s hard to comprehend at this point that back in the day Michael Jordan literally wore 3-4 colorways of his sneakers for an entire season, meanwhile LBJ can rock 3-4 colorways of his XVII’s in one week. Players like Paul George and Giannis will even do pre-game warm-ups in one shoe and then change to a different pair for the game. With the amount of colorways on each particular shoe it makes us not only tune in to the game on TV, but also look to see if our prized superstars are breaking out a never-before-seen colorway on our favorite silhouettes. Thankfully, players and shoe companies come up with dozens and dozens of iterations when it comes to footwear nowadays, or else our Top 15 Kicks list each week would be pretty bland. Look below to see which players highlighted week 7.

15. Nike PG 3 P.E. – Paul George – Los Angeles Clippers

14. Jordan XXXIV “The Office” P.E. – Blake Griffin – Detroit Pistons

13. Adidas D.O.N. Issue #1 “Tiger Stripes” – Donovan Mitchell – Utah Jazz

12. Nike Kobe 5 – Buddy Hield – Sacramento Kings

11. Nike Lebron XVII P.E. – Lebron James – Los Angeles Lakers

10. Jordan Why Not Zer0.2 SE “Caution” P.E. – Russell Westbrook – Houston Rockets

9. Nike Kobe 5 “Big Stage” – Tobias Harris – Philadelphia 76ers

8. Nike Zoom Freak 1 “Villanova P.E.” – Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks

7. Nike Kyrie Low 2 “Iron Man” Custom – Royce O’Neal – Utah Jazz (done by @andr3wtl)

6. Nike Zoom Freak 1 “Oregon P.E.” – Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks

5. Nike Lebron XVII P.E. – Lebron James – Los Angeles Lakers

4. Nike Kobe 6 “Orange County” – Tobias Harris – Philadelphia 76ers

3. Nike KD 4 “Gold Medal” – Derrick Jones Jr. – Miami Heat

2. Nike KD 4 (unreleased) – P.J. Tucker – Houston Rockets

1. Nike Kobe 6 “Prelude” – Derrick Jones Jr. – Miami Heat