SNX: This Week’s Best Sneakers, Featuring The Jordan 1 UNC Reimagined, SB Dunk Rodeo & The Latest Harden Volume 9

Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers of the week. For five months now, we’ve been finding excuses and justifications for why this year in sneakers feels so uneventful. Our thinking was that the big brands were responding to an oversaturation of the market, focusing on quality drops rather than quantity. It really felt like that was the trend until these last two weeks.

Now we’re being inundated with all sorts of new releases, colorways, and collaborations, which has us wondering — did it just take five months for this year to really start to cook? We don’t want to jinx it, but from the look of last week, this week, and what’s ahead, it looks like sneakerheads are getting absolutely spoiled with great drops. We’re not here to complain, we say bring it on!

Here are this week’s eight best sneaker drops. Let’s dive in.

Nike Air Force 1 ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ (Dirty Triple White and Triple Triple Black)

Price: $130 / $130

This dual pack from Nike is a celebration of the AF-1. Both are designed with wear-away details; the idea here is that each pair tells a story through scuff marks, crease lines, and stains, which this design celebrates. The Dirty Triple White features a pre-distressed AF-1 that scratches away to reveal a crisp clean pair underneath. With The Triple Triple Black, the color intensifies and evokes the look of a polished sneaker.

It’s a weird concept, but we love to see Nike having some fun with wear-away designs. This is a must-buy for hardcore AF-1 heads.

The Nike Air Force 1 Low Dirty Triple White and Triple Triple Black are set to drop on May 7th at 10:00 AM PST for a retail price of $130. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Nike Air Force 1 Low Retro White and Baroque Brown (Escape)

Price: $150

If you’re not into the gimmick of a wear-away sneaker, keep it simple and classic with this White and Baroque Brown take on the AF-1. A coveted colorway from 2002, the AF-1 “Escape,” features a full-grain leather upper, with a mix of brown tones contrasted with white punch hole paneling and crimson red embroidery.

The Nike Air Force 1 Low Retro White and Baroque Brown is set to drop on May 8th at 10:00 AM PST for a retail price of $150. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Sacai x Nike Zegamadome Summit White/Black

Price: $180 / $180

Nike has teamed up with sacai once again, and this time it’s for something other than a waffle shoe! The Zegamadome is a new running sneaker that combines the Zegama upper with the outsole of the Lava Dome hiking boot. The sneaker sports a suede, leather, and textile upper with a protruding heel counter, a double swoosh, and a futuristic design that’ll make you feel like you’re taking a step into the future.

The sneaker is available in two colorways: white and black. Classic.

The Sacai x Nike Zegamadome Summit White and Black is set to drop on May 9th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $180. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Nike Air DT Max ’96 University Red

Price: $170

Sorry if looking at this sneaker blinded you — this sh*t is vibrant as f*ck! Inspired by the fiery game and glamorous lifestyle of Deion Sanders, this sneaker sports an upper of real and synthetic leather, with responsive cushioning, an adjustable strap for a locked-in feel, and a blood red crimson colorway that demands attention anytime you enter the room.

This is the sort of sneaker that is going to inspire onlookers to shower you with compliments, so if that’s your vibe, this is your shoe.

The Nike Air DT Max ’96 University Red is set to drop on May 9th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $170. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Nike SB Dunk Low Pro Tourmaline (Rodeo)

Price: $135

Country music is bigger now than it has ever been (this is really saying something, as country has always been insanely popular, but not to the degree it is right now) so naturally, Nike had to get in on the hype with its American West rodeo-inspired Tourmaline Dunk.

Affectionally dubbed the “Rodeo,” this sneaker features Old West accents over a suede and leather upper dipped in forest green. Other details include leather piping, a red translucent outsole, and custom sockliner art that celebrates the great frontier. This sneaker isn’t just inspired by rodeo culture, though; it specifically looks to Black ranch owners and hands who helped revolutionize America’s first action sport.

The Nike Sb Dunk Low Pro Tourmaline is set to drop on May 9th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $135. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

thisisneverthat x New Balance Made in UK U991V2

Price: $269.99

New Balance has linked up with South Korean streetwear brand thisisneverthat for a Made in UK version of the 991v2. This premium offering features a pig suede and mesh upper over a FuelCell midsole with ENCAP cushioning, embroidered tongue branding, and reflective details throughout.

The sneaker sports a monochromatic moon rock colorway, relying on the reflective details to provide bursts of color. Is there another brand out there that can make the color gray look this good? We don’t think so.

The thisisneverthat x New Balance Made in UK U991V2 is set to drop on May 9th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $269.99. Pick up a pair at New Balance.

Air Jordan 1 High OG UNC Reimagined

Price: $180

You may think you’ve seen this sneaker before, but this UNC Reimagined has a few small details that set it apart from the 1985 original. The Reimagined features a distressed leather upper with an aged midsole, two sets of laces, and a color block design that combines the classic UNC Carolina blue with Sail contrast points. It looks great, easily one of the best Jordan 1 drops of the year.

The Air Jordan 1 High OG UNC Reimagined is set to drop on May 10th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $180. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Adidas Harden Volume 9 Glow Blue

Price: $160

The Harden Volume 9 tends to have an aggressive look to it, the colorways are often bold, loud, and brash, but this Glow Blue strikes us as a bit ethereal, and that’s a word we never thought we’d use to describe this silhouette. The Glow Blue features the same synthetic and textile upper with a BOOST midsole and Lightstrike cushioning that we’ve come to expect from the 9, but here it is dressed in metallic and sky blue tones, with a white bootie.

It’s clean, futuristic, and glimmers in certain light. It is simply one of the finest Harden signatures dropped all year.

The Adidas Harden Volume 9 Glow Blue is set to drop on May 10th at 12:00 AM PST for a retail price of $160. Pick up a pair at Adidas.

Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.