The Best Sneakers Of 2023 | Complex Con(versations) 

What's your #1 sneaker of the year?

Not having the @full size run” boys on this especially on their last season of their show, is sneaker blasphemy

Can we get Ronnie Fieg on the panel next year? He’s unbiased about brands and would be in favor of some shoes other than AJ 1,3, and 4.

This has all the energy of trying to lead a meeting at work that doesn’t have a clear agenda. Kudos to Joe for weathering the storm, but this panel needs a remix next year.

There are so many sneakers that should have been on this list. Jae tips, Ronnie Fieg sambas, Action Bronson 990v6, and some others. The panel needs to be different and have some people represent the East Coast and other places in the world. Not just East coast people who obviously love only air force ones and Jordans.

they lost me as soon as they started talking about friends/family pairs and dropping so much $$$ on whatever pair. the 10 ten should always be accessible to the general public

Someday this conversation needs to be done with a group who cover sneakers all year as their day job from multiple independent entities.

Can we get some people on next years panel who don’t live in their own little sneaker bubble? More excited for the sneaker of the year show with Welty and Dunne

I’m ready to start a gofundme to fly anyone other than Clark and Jim to the next panel! Clark hyping his own shoes that would be outlet specials if they were a GR and Jim spending a quarter of the time talking without a mic, then when he holds it up all I hear is Easter feets.

This list and panel is all over the place.

Noctas on this list is insane 😂

This year end list could be done so much better. Welty and Dunne should be involved, Jim Jones and Clark only likes AF1 and Jordans. Bring in a new panel in 2024. Guests should come in with their too 5 and compare.

This was a tough watch, could have used some more structure here. My head still spinnin'

Two years in a row of whack panels. We need Brendan and Welty to fix this mess.

It’s so obvious to me that the panel on these things every year are the wrong people !! Jim Jones shouldn’t be on no sneaker panel !! Let’s get a real sneaker panel let the people vote on the judges cuz these 4 people are out of touch

Clark claiming 300 pairs was a “release” is crazy 😂 but I respect the hustle.

Dear Complex, I have been looking forward to this discussion for quite some time. Here are some thoughts. As both a long time viewer of both FSR and Complex Sneakers Pod/Show, I can tell you that not having the context for the list is a huge disservice. First and foremost however is the problem with the format in which this is being delivered. This conversation is more than an hour long and I don’t know why you are trying to limit this to an hour. ALLOW THE NECESSARY TIME for the panelists to make their argument, that is why they are there. Here is how I would improve this delivery if you NEED to keep it to an hour: 1. Give the list upfront in two sections. 10-6, 5-1 2. Keep a running scoreboard. This year, you guys upped your graphics game (Great job btw) with the screen in the back. The list should be put up and adjusted live as the discussion is being had. 3. If you are going to talk about Brendan and Welty, just have them be part of the panel and they can give the complex perspective as the two list sections are being given. 4. Make the panelist give you a ranked top ten, and have those list available so everyone can see all the shoes at once and they can shuffle selections. In all honesty, if this was 2 hours long, I know I’d watch it. I know people want to argue the size and composition of the panel. I get that. But the only way to expand the horizons of the panel with east and west coast influences, or as Clark says Sneaker vs Hype, then you have to make this discussion LONGER. It can be 7 people, but if they only have 10 seconds to talk, you can’t really get their perspective. Honestly, this year’s list was a miss, and it breaks my heart to say it. I truly appreciate all your hard work, and I know you can do better. I know you will. With much love and respect. -J

The terror squad Air Force 1s are this year’s Khaled 5s.

For the love of God they need to do better with selecting the panel. Yatchy definitely is solidified sneaker enthusiast and collector and has no issue with articulating his opinion on sneakers without bias. Unfortunately Clark is too condescending and closed off to anything that is not either an Air Force One or something made by a New Yorker to be on a panel discussing shoes that are mostly not AF1s and made a NY person. Jim is cool but he just supports what his industry friends put out…which is cool but too political for this debate. I think this panel should be the all stars of the best guest from Full Size Run, Sneaker Shopping, and The Sneaker Podcast to debate this list. People like Don’t Charge Abdul from DC should be on this panel because he know the knows.

990v6 is the most comfortable sneaker I have worn, the Carhartt go HARD

Need a new panel next year. Keep Yachty, dump the rest. Sneaker of the year isn't based on what your borough wears Jim, there's literally a whole world that has sneaker culture too

need an episode of the pod discussing from complex pov why they made the list the way it is. actually talking about each sneaker moment and why it was deserving of the spot. felt like joe was trying to get there talking about the mesh shoe summer only for the convo to be dominated about vomeros in that section. NB and asics had a huge year and what about born raised and jarritos dunks not even discussed

Brendan shouting "you can‘t buy 'em anyway" got me in TEARS 😭😭😂😂

leaving Jae Tips off the list obliterates the list's creditability

Just let the fans vote who they want on the panel.

Man no love for any of the crazy SB Dunks this year? Crenshaw, Born x Raised, Yuto, Jarritos? At least one of those should be up there

Action should be way higher. It’s an amazing shoe.

Please stop inviting Clark. The interruptions are unbearable at this point

I cannot stress enough how dismissive they were of NB… everyone loves to say New Balance had an incredible year… yet they don’t have a top 10 sneaker? Ik it was still on the list BUT for them to want the bronsons off??? That’s bull. biased conversation as usual 😭😭

9 out of 10 are Nikes...L list. Vomeros were a forced trend, nobody could afford Tiffanys, and the TS AF1 were nostalgic but not a top sneaker

Why Clark get the invite every year? Dude’s opinions are so outdated in my opinion. Those terror squads ain’t it whatsoever.

TS AF1 shouldn't even have been on the list 😅

To hear these influencers and self proclaimed drip gods can’t put a fit together with the action Bronson NB’s is nuts to me. They’re one of the top 10 best releases. I’m stunned.

No mention of Born and Raised? Wild. Nocta glides not even top 20 lol..

Entertaining but we need more variety in the panel. Panel is always East Coast/Nike/Jordancentric. Also, don’t throw my boys Dunne and Welty under the bus, for the most part the list was solid to start. Next year they HAVE to be up there. Also love the idea of Ronny Fieg being there.

next year this show needs to be done in a podcast format and nb dropped alot of good pairs this year

Jim jones don’t need to be up there honestly.

New set of panels suggestion: 1. Ronnie Fieg 2. Jeff Staple 3. Jacques Slade 4. YT Sneaker Reviewer: Sort of like Seth Fowler or Sean Go 5. YT Sneaker Reseller: Cris Rodrigues (Syndicate / Store Credit) or Tia / Anastasia (Sneak City) Or please keep Dunne & Welty

Not everyone lives in Harlem, Jimmy. It's a big world.

Vomero is Nikes attempt to keep pace with what’s popping right now!! ASICS and New Balance murdered Nike this year in that category

Why not call it the Nike of the year at this point…

Jim Jones and Kristen had no business being on this panel. And Travis was not the first to use a reversed swoosh!

This list was ABSOLUTE DOO-DOO JUICE

Biggest problem I have with Complex is that they don’t consider west coast culture enough. Sneaker of the year list looking different with west coast opinions involved.

Why would y’all say you couldn’t see the panda in the terror squads? 😂

Panel suggestion for next year: JLP, Welty, Dunne, JFG, Jeff Staple, Tinker Hatfield

Sb 4s and Wc3s are absolutely deserving for 1&2.

Next year .. Dunn and Welty gotta be on this.

This was hard to watch.

Can we get a more diverse panel, where is Matt Welty and Brendon Dunne?

Change the panel please next year

1. Please get some unbiased panels. Panels that literally love different brands, silhouettes, pay attention on what people buy & wear. The fact that they didn't understand and even hated AB's 990v6 being on the list already means they don't deserve to be there. 2. I think it's best to move the sneaker of the year decision on January, and let the year finish first. We still have a lot of good releases this November & December.

Def need a diff panel next year

Complex should put a current or an ex-NBA player in the panel who likes a lot about sneakers and wore it in actual court, rather than just for fashion purposes.

Clark "if you put a lot of a good sneaker out they will buy them" then spends half the episode on a shoe that had 300 pairs

Love this!!! I look forward to these every year!

So many great new balances were left out and the jjjjound ASICS over the vomero and v2. For me the corteiz 95 was shoe of the year hands down

No more Clark. his bias is terrible.

few seconds in, DJ Clark looked agitated already lol

Ahhhh how refreshing! Another list of Nikes, Jordans, Jordans, and oh wait.. more Jordans 🤝🤝🤝

FINALLY I'VE BEEN WAITING ON THIS

I would definitely rock the Jae tips. I rock with Saucony all day everyday

The ALD new balance definitely belong on the list. Saw it everywhere on ig and moodboards

This list was horrendous. I’m not even a fan of Nike sb dunks but to not have any SB dunks when there were at least 3 worthy pairs this year is wild

We need Lil Boat on every panel every year!!

Cant wait to see what Jim Jones thinks of this years Sneaker of the Year list🙄🙄🙄 Get Matt and Brendan on the panel and some more designers/collaboraters on the panel

Why didnt they have Brendan and welty up there they trying to get more views. We didn't need jones or that girl up there

That was fun. Thanks!

Wale not being apart of these shows is WILD

They do have a sneaker of the year list on the podcast. I’m sure that episode will drop in a couple of weeks.

Born n raised not making it is crazy

Imma come back to this show everytime someone likes my comment🤞

That was difficult. They are discussing if F&F pairs belong on a sneaker of the year list?! Needs a strong host for a jury like this and Joe is too nice. Discussion went all over the place and then they need to rush the last 3 (so the most important) spots?

They got #1 and #2 right everything else can be replaced 🤷🏾‍♂️

Those Gucci Adidas from last year were hard, also keep full size going

Can we see each of the panelist’s top 10 list anywhere? I’m curious about their selection

#10 isn’t a good pick these are shoes that came out way too late. Culturally these didn’t cause no waves

Give me one good reason why Welty isn’t on the panel?

You guys have to add the panelist individual lists to these!!!. Even if it’s a link and not covered live

Thank you for having boat on this n not all old heads tryna tell me that dj Khaled Jordan’s are good 😭😭

Bronson’s 990v6 deserved a higher spot in my opinion!

You need to change this list to 'Colour way of the year' as they are all shoes from the 80s and 90s

My boy JLP was heated 🤣

Best video of every year

This video frustrates me so much. It frustrates me because I always look forward to it as I love hearing discussions around sneakers and comparing/ranking them and yet, for the second year in a row, it just ends in a big disappointment. The panel barely gives any interesting arguments, they just argue over a position in the ranking. I don't mind the TS AF1, but talk to me about their significance, about why they are so impressive. There's also no chemistry at all, the way some guests reply to JLP when he tries to balances things out is just conflictual and disrespectful. Complex should be the #1 source for sneakers content. For it to remain this way I feel like their end of the year list should be a must. It should be THE list. Right now it is a joke only carried by big names and high subscribers count. People love sneakers, they want to hear the panel talk about them and the way they impacted the year. My solution? Start from scratch, invite people who work in the industry and really care about them. There were so many amazing guests on the Complex podcast this year, people with cool stories to share. I want them on this panel. p.s.: I really don't care about how many pairs of rare shoes some rich celebrity owns. This discussion should not be about you, it should be about the sneakers.

Clark annoying af

These lists be mad hype 😂

I think they give more time on this and put up their list.

Terror Squad ones are Panda Af1 with a TS logo Nike is lame af for that

Surprised there weren't any SB Dunks on the list (Born & Raised or Rammellzee were both phenomenal). But that isn't as much of a disservice, as leaving out Welty and Dunne from the conversation is. We need some "reasonable/logical" voices on the panel, and after last year's Con-versation I was really hoping to see the both of them on this one.

Someone trolling Clark saying “you can’t buy them anyway” about his sneaker 😂😂

Kent....Thank you for mentioning the Vomero 5s!!!! 💫

Yachty was a great addition jim jones needs to stay at home

I loved the Chris Paul lows, Jae Tips were fire and the Balvin 3's.

Listening to Lil Yachty talk about anything will make your brain shrink.

This list definitely needed atleast one pair of Nike SBs, alot of great SBs came out this year!

32:00 "Joe threw me under the bus" Does she realize she's the one who put them on her list?

yo no one has ever cared for jim, does he really have nothing to do so complex just keeps hiring him for these shows?

Union 1s were such a dope creative underrated shoe this year

Lets go