Explore the Nike SB Dunk World
Nike SB Dunk: from basketball to skate culture
The Nike SB Dunk was born from the evolution of the original Dunk, a silhouette developed in the 1980s for college basketball and later adopted by skaters. In the early 2000s, Nike reinterpreted the model specifically for skateboarding, creating a version that maintained the Dunk's identity while adding features designed for use on the board.
With the debut of the Nike SB line, the Dunk officially entered skate culture and began a journey that would transform it into one of the most recognizable silhouettes in sneaker culture. Skate shops, professional skaters, artists, musicians, and brands have contributed over time to build an archive of colorways, collaborations, and releases that have become collector's items today.
The SB Dunk represents a distinct branch of the Nike Dunk family, with its own history and identity built around skateboarding.
Nike SB Dunk Low and Nike SB Dunk High
The Nike SB Dunk family mainly includes Low and High versions, which share the same origin but are characterized by different proportions.
The SB Dunk Low uses a lower profile around the ankle and is the most popular variant of the line. Over the years, they have become the base for some of Nike SB's best-known collaborations, alternating between relatively essential releases and models characterized by much more elaborate materials, graphics, and storytelling.
The SB Dunk High, on the other hand, maintains a higher construction, reinterpreting the proportions more closely linked to the Dunk's basketball origins in a skate-focused key.
The lifestyle versions of the silhouette are collected in the Nike Dunk Low and Nike Dunk High, while the SB line maintains an identity specifically linked to skateboarding.
The collaborations that defined the Nike SB Dunk
Collaborations are a central element in the history of the Nike SB Dunk. Since the early years, the silhouette has been used as a creative platform together with skate shops, skaters, artists, and brands, giving rise to releases that have become particularly important for enthusiasts and collectors.
The relationship between Nike SB and Supreme produced several Dunks that became symbolic of the intersection between skateboarding and streetwear, while Travis Scott reinterpreted the SB Dunk Low through materials, patterns, and details related to the Cactus Jack universe.
Another project that became immediately recognizable is the one with the Grateful Dead: the SB Dunk Lows from the Nike x Grateful Dead collaboration reinterpret the iconography of the famous Bears through bright colors, fur-effect materials, and details dedicated to the band.
Concepts, meanwhile, built one of the most recognizable sagas in the silhouette's history with the Nike SB Dunk Lobster, developed over time through colorways like Red, Blue, Purple, Green, and Orange, as well as extremely limited versions.
These are joined by projects with Yuto Horigome, Futura Laboratories, Jarritos, Ben & Jerry's, Parra, The Powerpuff Girls, April Skateboards, and numerous other entities that have used the SB Dunk to tell different identities and stories.
What distinguishes a Nike SB Dunk from a classic Dunk
The Nike SB Dunk retains many of the aesthetic elements of the original Dunk, but it was created with modifications developed specifically for skateboarding.
The first SB versions introduced a more robust construction, more padding in the tongue and collar area, and Zoom Air cushioning, while maintaining the panel design and proportions that had made the Dunk recognizable.
Constructions and details may change based on the specific release, but the relationship between Dunk design and skate culture remains the element that most distinguishes the SB line from the lifestyle versions.
It is precisely this dual identity that has transformed the SB Dunk into a sneaker capable of existing simultaneously on the board, in streetwear, and in the world of collecting.
Nike SB Dunk Lobster, Supreme and grail releases
The history of the Nike SB Dunk includes models produced in very different quantities, periods, and methods. Some releases have become particularly sought after because they are linked to the early years of Nike SB, historic collaborations, or extremely limited distributions.
The Concepts Lobster represents one of the most well-known examples. The series was born in 2008 and builds its identity around the New England lobster, reinterpreted through different materials, packaging, and colorways. The story of the collaboration is explored in the Magazine guide dedicated to the Nike SB Dunk Lobster: history and all colorways.
Alongside the Lobster, releases like Supreme, Staple Pigeon, Paris, Freddy Krueger, Stüssy Cherry, Heineken, and What The Dunk represent some of the most famous chapters in the Nike SB archive.
Some of the hardest-to-find SB Dunks can also appear in the Sneakers Grail selection, dedicated to the rarest sneakers in the ResellZone catalog.
Nike SB Dunk for men and women
Nike SB Dunks are made in numerous size ranges and many releases can be worn interchangeably by men and women depending on size availability.
The choice can start from the Low or High profile, but also from the type of release. Alongside the simpler colorways, there are collaborations characterized by special materials, graphics, hidden details, and references to the world of skate, music, art, or pop culture.
Availability can change significantly from one model to another, especially in the case of older collaborations and sneakers produced in limited quantities.
Original, new, and pre-owned Nike SB Dunks
The popularity of the Nike SB Dunk and the value reached by some releases make authenticity particularly important, especially in the case of collaborations or models from past seasons.
Products sold by ResellZone as original undergo the checks provided by the verification process, which is detailed on the page dedicated to product authenticity.
The Pre-owned Nike SB Dunks collection, meanwhile, gathers pre-owned models, with photographs, conditions, and information referring to each individual pair.