"What The?" Top 5

The Jordan 4 Retro What The is set to release this weekend, marking the first time Jordan Brand has released a sneaker carrying the monumental “What The” title. Popularly affiliated with Nike Basketball, the “What The?” series has become one of the brand’s most recognizable concepts. When a sneaker receives the “What The?” treatment, the design blends different colorways, themes, and inspirations all into one silhouette. This upcoming release, and how it ranks in the universe of past “What The?” releases, has sparked considerable debate over at StockX World HQ. So we decided to create a list of some of our favorite “What The?” models of all time. Here is our official “What The?” Top 5:

5. Nike Dunk Low COJP What The

We know what you are thinking…when did these release? In 2017, Nike released the Nike Dunk Low COJP What The as a Japanese exclusive. This design pays tribute to the original 1985 Be True To Your School campaign that ushered in a new era of Nike’s presence in the NCAA. Michigan, Kentucky, St. Johns, and Syracuse colorways can be found in this Dunk Low. These sneakers have averaged a twelve-month resale value of $358, but in the last three months, they have averaged a value of $493 – a 40% increase in resale value. It’s safe to say that this What The Dunk Low is on our watchlist for future growth.

4. Nike KD 5 What The KD

If we were to tell you that in 2012 people wore jeans with Kevin Durant signature models, would you believe us? It might seem farfetched heading into a new decade, but back then KDs had the streets on fire, courtesy of the Nike Zoom KD 4. Some of the best Nike Basketball colorways of all time stemmed from that silhouette (Yes, we are talking about Aunt Pearl and Weatherman). Amid all of the hype, Kevin Durant leaked a photo of an unreleased What The? colorway and the internet lost it. The What The? KD 4 never ended up releasing, but the anticipation remained. Luckily, Nike followed up with the KD 5 and granted the world’s wishes. The KD 5 What The KD was released to the public and the rest is history. These sneakers have averaged a resale value of $500 and premiums of 270%, becoming one of the most valuable Kevin Durant sneakers of all time.

3. Lebron X What The MVP

To celebrate LeBron’s fourth MVP award, Nike released the LeBron X What The MVP in limited quantities at select House of Hoops locations and UNKNWN Miami. These shoes made their debut during the 2013 Eastern Conference Semifinals and sent the sneaker world into a frenzy. The hype back then is still prevalent today. In the past year, the What the MVP has averaged a resale value of $1,812 and premiums of 806%. Nike followed up this release with four other What The Lebrons, but none have even come close to knocking the What The MVP off its throne. This is the most valuable What The? Basketball shoe that has ever released to the public.

2. Kobe 7 What The Kobe

This is it. This is the silhouette that converted the What The? concept from a one-time jaw-dropper into a renowned recurring series. Previously, basketball and Kobe fans alike were strangers to the What The? concept. The only people who were aware of this montage design were SB heads. In 2012, Nike selected the Kobe 7 to bring back this asymmetric design and usher in a new chapter of Nike Basketball. The What The Kobe featured design aspects of the Leopard, Poison Dart Frog, Shark, and other colorways all wrapped up in one product. These sneakers have averaged a resale value of $343 and premiums of 145% in the past year. Monetary value aside, the Kobe 7 What The Kobe is a legendary design and its success is the reason why many of the What The? Nikes exist today.

1. Nike Dunk SB Low What The Dunk

In 2007, Nike SB released “Nothing But the Truth”, their very first feature-length skate film featuring the Nike SB Team Riders. To celebrate this historic release, Nike created an SB Dunk Low from 31 different SB Dunks. Each part of the Nike Dunk SB Low What The Dunk is taken directly from those 31 Dunks, including panels, shoelaces, tongues, outsoles, and stitching. This shoe was a catalyst for Dunk culture in the sneaker world and is one of the most sought-after SB Dunks today. In the last twelve months, the What The Dunk has averaged a resale value of $4,974 and premiums of 4,045%. If these numbers don’t make you want to say What The #@$%? then you may want to wait. The What The Dunk has been skyrocketing in value in the final quarter of 2019. These sneakers, which were already hugely valuable, somehow became even more so: they have averaged a positively stratospheric resale value of $6,144 and premiums of 5,020% in the past three months alone. These numbers make this Dunk the most valuable What The? release of all-time. You can’t copy the original.