Sneaker News Top 30 of 2012
December 28th, 2012 by Sneaker News | 182 comments

24 | NIKE ZOOM REVIS
2012 was an incredible year for Nike on both the domestic and global scale. Unbridled presence throughout the Olympic Games, dominance in the basketball footwear market, and other notable advancements in tennis, soccer, golf, and other global sports summed up an outstanding string of accomplishments for all of Nike’s concentrations. However, one of the most resounding headlines was Nike’s much-anticipated takeover of American football, which was confirmed after its acquisition of the NFL licensing rights following a bidding war against Reebok two years ago. With the unveiling of some incredible on-field equipment like the Bill Bowerman-inspired Elite 51 uniforms and the Vapor Talon Elite cleats, Nike was clearly ready to take on this powerhouse of a sport, and while the licensing deal hadn’t held it back, would this mean some new life pumped into the sneaker leg of a category that hadn’t seen a signature model for a Nike Football athlete in a decade?
Nike ended their ten-year drought without a signature shoe for an NFL athlete, selecting New York Jets star Cornerback Darrelle Revis and officially introducing his Zoom Revis model in December. Upon its release, Darrelle (who had his 2012 season cut short due to injury) joined an incredibly selective fraternity of legendary athletes in the NFL, which includes historic names like Bo Jackson, Barry Sanders, Deion Sanders, and a young and promising Michael Vick. While Nike already boasts an elite crew of top-notch NFL superstars on the offensive side, the choice of Darrelle Revis, a defensive player, for the next football sig, speaks volumes on his athletic superiority, his character, and his recognition as one of the top athletes in the world.
The Nike Zoom Revis was created by veteran design architect Ken Link, whose impressive track record at Nike is a mile long and well documented. By focusing on the essentials of speed and lightweight, Ken created a sneaker blueprint that fit the needs of Darrelle’s intense training; the Zoom Air cushioning, the lockdown system of the mid-foot strap, the exposed Dynamic Flywire, and the Traction On Demand system on the outsole all came together to create a high-performance training shoe that also happened to look pretty cool. Aside from the technical aspects, the Zoom Revis features a number of personal details that may not be visible at first glance; the Flywire cables, inspired by the bridges of New York City, read ‘24’ in Roman Numerals, while a personal message of “The only way to handle pressure is to apply it” found on the underside of the right shoe’s strap.
The unveiling of the Zoom Revis at year’s end could be seen as somewhat of a “cherry on top” of this first year of the Nike x NFL connection. After a few months of NFL-inspired releases in the form of the NFL Draft Pack, the Calvin Johnson CJ81 Collection, and the reissues of some 1990’s on-field gems like the Speed Turf Max, Total Air Pillar, and Air Diamond Turf II, it was clear that the sneaker-crazed segment of the NFL fanbase was not by any means ignored during this celebratory campaign. Only time will tell, but based on the Zoom Revis’ solid design and the historical popularity and legacy of football-derived Nike sneakers, let’s hope this is just the beginning for the Revis line and the brand’s further expansion into the infinite realm of gridiron footwear possibilities.










THIS SNEAKER IS DOPE!!!!! I WISH I COULD JUST GRAB FROM MY SCREEN RIGHT NOW. LOL!!!
fresh as fuck my niqha
蛋疼吧你
艹 真好看
It goes Rookie Galexy/ Yeezy/Galexy foaM
I like zhe AJ4
can you speak chinese?
@AJ123 不
avapkicks speaks blasphemy. Questions, Answers, any of the Pump series. I know this is only your opinion but damn.
no rookie galaxy
Playoffs 11's or the black cement 4's should of been number one!
i luv lebrons
reebok has never made a good shoe period
You crazy, you not a real sneaker head if you think reebok dont make good shoes@avapkicks
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@Chris Sneakerhead
how much?
Anyone know a levit wesite to buy shoes?
Anyone know a online website for shoes .. A legit website
@xavier987654321 its a few out there but their stock wont b that vast and the price will b super high
nice
I also feel some sort of way that the best release of a signature shoe all year wasn't featured by itself. The KD IV! I dislike every other KD except this one, including the KD V. These were incredibly made, had GORGEOUS colorways, and are the only low top basketball shoes I will ever hoop in because the fit and feel is INCREDIBLE. I can't see how the "Aunt Pearls" or "Gold Medals" weren't on this list representing in their own right! Besides ridiculously limited quantities, and thus leading to huge hype; I don't see how these wouldn't have made a top 15 list let alone a top 30. But hey, that's just my opinion.
Honestly my #1 release of the year was the "Paranorman" Foam. I have copped every limited release and general release foam since 97, and these are the only ones I haven't retrieved; and honestly, it's the one time I didn't feel cheated by either the company (Nike) or retailers as to why I didn't get a release of a particular shoe. It seemed to be an honest and fair raffle on twitter, that gave that patron an extremely well deserved prize for sharing a picture that directly linked to the theme of the product. I submitted plenty of "weird" childhood pics, but understanding that I might not be 1 of the 800 "weirdest" children captured in the world helped settle my disappointment. I haven't even mentioned the craft and beauty of the shoe itself. Next to the galaxy and metallic red it would be my 3rd favorite foamposite. The release was genuine, the theme and idea was genuine and the shoe was simply AMAZING! My favorite sneaker was the galaxy (My favorite sneakers have been foams since they released so I'm extremely bias), but the amount of BS i had to go through and amount of money I had to pay to purchase one pair to actually rock was ridiculous, even though I was and always am willing to do all sorts of waiting, and hours of lines to purchase releases. The paranormans were all positives about a sneaker and it's release, in a world where the "sneaker game" has taken a turn for the worse. It was a huge breath of fresh air on a very recently SUPER HYPED model of sneaker that ranks #1 all time in my opinion.
the zoom revis should have been in the top 1O in my opinion..they were fire!
where the crimson foams at
I don't agree with this list but hey to each their own
Where's the wdywt app SN? Lol just curious on the progress.
Personally i think the foamposite galaxies was the best shoe of 2012 not a huge fan of the yeezys anyway
Amazing pictures that showed off of the little nuances that made each shoe special. Overall this was a good list but I would not have included the Lebron X. That shoe still hasn't found its must have colorway. I can't wait until they announce the Black Friday and Christmas Jordan retros.
For real here. Not brand new but a lil shiny to sneaker blog, release thing. Is there any place like Hanon shop. On line or in our country? Why they do all those great New Balance colorways?
@Tuddy306 You should go back and start over (Kindergarten, first grade, etc.).
Stussy shoe is diffrent. But just in case they gotta slap New York on the back. No hater here I'm a fan of Supreme but enough New York. U dont rule the shoe world. Maybe it's Orgon?
I'm from philly and all but two of Iverson" shoes are crap.
Thebeaner. Is right! His shoes are simply done right. On my shoe list for 2013. Geta pair.
i feel the PARANORMANS was a better FOAM than the GALAXY foams. that slime green on the bottom is better than the galaxys. the green slime smoke screen on the side is dope i mean, the galaxy was dope but i feel the PARANORMANS are better
The Ewings were trash when they were release in the early 90's. hypebeast have made trash popular
@Qubayza ur so right. Slap in the face. These company's think they can re-release crap and cause a craze. They're prob right. I'm sitn in a little row home w/ 18 yrs left til I own it. Has nuthn to do wit bein a knick fan, when I was a young buck I laughed that shoe. Rember bobo's.well they're back in blue and orange
@Qubayza Your entitled to your own opinion, but must not be from NY or if you did you must have lived under a rock back then. When the Ewings dropped EVERYONE under 25 had them back in the 90's. No internet ,no hype machine... just hard core Knickerbocker fans.
@IgotthatFIRE @Qubayza you are correct about that! i had the ewings back in the day and they was the joints to have in NYC! and that buzz came off of seeing people with them, not like how sneaks now a days are constantly pushed by the companies themselves! but to say ewings are trash you are seriously a rookie in this game
props to ronnie fieg tho... He shouldve had most of all his releases on this list....
Think some of the things that go into being on that list are shoes that can leave a lasting impact because of material . Or that represent a trend in the shoe game. For example i wouldnt paint in that Ewing shoe but it does say somthn about todays sneaker buyer and trends.
Nike Flyknit over Bred 11s , 4s , etc ... REALLY?
@WZRDUPSO The Flyknits were just a marketing ploy by Nike for the Olympics. They are ridiculous and only look decent in volt.
@WZRDUPSO yes puto.... flynit is crazy in all aspects with respect to AJ11 bred
@WZRDUPSO wait til u see the technology of that flyknit shoe inspires. Gona b a whole species of shoe w/ that technology. Like hyperfuse is in air max 90 lunar tr 1 , or the lunar bottom af 1 even cole hann shoes. See what i'm sayn. Flyknit gota b somewhere on that list.
Nice kicks
ok so the yeezy got number 1...If we took all the branding of it wouldnt make the list right
how are those lebrons better than playoff 11s LOL
@npt the 11s came out when? the lebrons has BETTER technology going for it! thats why, it's a better shoe to ball in, but as for looks, i rather wear the 11s
This a nice shoe should have been higher
I'm not new at shoes. I am new at being able to comment on shoes. Lets just say no iphones where i was. I dont collect. I wear. The list was big. Sneaker News didnt have to cut alot out. New Balance shoe collabs are incredible. As an oldhead where was air max 95 BB and Lunar Air Force 1. Get that Ewing shoe out there. It was a money project from the beginning. The big shoe companies weren't gona give an aging slow center a big shoe deal. Its a crap shoe. In 10 years if my nephew is paying $400 for Shaq's shoe. I'll wear sandals!
This list is absolutely horrible. Lebron X's shouldn't have made the list at all much less #5