The Nike Air Foamposite Pro is an anomaly amongst sneakerheads.
Released on the heels of Penny Hardaway’s fabled Nike Air Foamposite One in 1997, the $170 Pro was a status symbol and glorified takedown all at once. Touted by Tim Duncan in All-Star Game action and christened on the silver screen by Jesus Shuttlesworth, the Swoosh-scored Foamposite lived in the halo of Anfernee’s aforementioned signature shoe, thanks to the fact that the original Foamposite One molds were destroyed—or rather altered because of its Pro peer.
When the brass at Nike decided to debut the Pro in ‘97, they chipped away at the original Foamposite One mold to make space for a Swoosh. Thus, Pros were produced for years while only OG “Dark Neon Royal” Ones existed.
That all changed in the late aughts when a DMV-based rapper named Wale took Foamposite from forgotten favorite to badge of honor. For the front half of the ‘10s, Nike Sportswear went Foamposite crazy, introducing graphic uppers, tonal takes, and high fashion homages across the Pro.
Between “Marble” makeups and “Mocha” samples, the Foamposite Pro has plenty of unreleased heaters and would-be classics. As ‘heads await the re-release of the prized “Pine Green” Foamposite Pro from 2011, Complex counts down the ten best takes on the avant garde basketball shoe that’s turned heads for 28 years. Here are the 10 best Nike Air Foamposite Pros of all time, ranked.
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10.Nike Air Foamposite Pro ‘Yeezy’
Year: 2014
Cross-pollentating hype and heritage was a winning formula for Nike Sportswear in the 2010s. The common quotient in it hitting its heights and boiling over was riffing off the Nike Air Yeezy 2 in all its hard-to-get glory.
“Blink” Roshe Runs and “Red October”-adjacent Air Max 90s all sampled or stole sauce from the coveted Kanye creations, feeding fans who wanted West’s limited launches yet couldn’t cop. The apex of all the borrowing topped out with 2014’s “Yeezy” Foamposite Pro: a glow-in-the-dark, on-the-nose homage to the “Solar Red” Air Yeezy 2s.
“Pure Platinum” and “Red October” offerings followed up in 2015 and 2016—all devoid of trademark nicknaming of course—catering to hypebeasts still stuck in 2012. All judgment or in-house swagger jacking aside, the fact that Nike dropped Air Yeezy-inspired Foamposite Pros is a testament to the power of sneaker culture in the era of Web 2.0.
9.Nike Air Foamposite Pro ‘Purple Camo’
Year: 2019
By 2019, Bape was widely distributed and Lil Wayne had finished his fifth Carter album. Gone were the glory days of full-zip hoodies on 106 & Park and in were the days mall kiosk resale shops and fit-checks on TikTok. Bridging the generational gap was the "Purple Camo" Foamposite Pro: a shoe that would've crushed in 2004, flipped for $400 in 2012, but still managed to matter in 2019.
Taking a page from Nigo's book before Nigo was officially on the books, the Bape-referencing Foamposite was a house of mirrors swipe at nostalgia, dually showing love to the graphic Foam craze from only years prior.
8.Nike Air Foamposite Pro ‘Gym Green’
Year: 2012
Foamposites were moving so fast in the early ‘10s that they literally started to look sweaty. A shiny sheen on Ones and Pros alike was amplified across deep fried filters, and took the Eric Avar oddity to a space of toyish swag.
2012’s “Gym Green” Foamposite Pro colorway cut through like a breath of fresh air, making its iridescent, color shifting upper appear as a statement of subtly. An amber aesthetic, translucent sole, and blunt contrast restored the feeling for some and aged better than all, making it one of the 10 best Nike Air Foamposite Pros.
7.Nike Air Foamposite Pro ‘University Blue’
Year: 2003
Across eras, the Foamposite Pro has found its footing by being either gaudy or gritty. 2003’s “University Blue” Nike Air Foamposite Pro was an outlier in each arena, taking the spaceship of a sneaker and dipping it in the team hue that at one point owned the lifestyle space.
Harder to get than Air Jordan and Air Force forays in the same palette, this random Footaction release of the Foamposite Pro played with the idea of oddness and status intercepting pop culture trends. A rumored return in 2026 is said to take place at NBA All-Star Weekend.
6.Nike Air Foamposite Pro ‘All Black’
Year: 2004
At its purest, the Foamposite Pro is one thing: tough. The blue-sky basketball project has outlived outlandish acolytes like the Air Revolution, Air Pressure, or Adapt BB by being able to withstand the East Coast’s harshest winters and cruelest corners.
The original Black/Gum launch in 1997 and “All Black” rendition in 2004 take the Foamposite Pro’s off-court adaptation to heart, doubling as a court-ready retro and Goadome-dupe all at once. Ben Gordon got these off at UCONN, a mere five hours north of Baltimore by way of the I-95.
5.Nike Air Foamposite Pro ‘Pine Green’
Year: 2011
One could argue that “Electric Green” or “Island Green” Foamposite Pros could easily take this slot on our ranking of the best Nike Air Foamposite Pros of all time. Many could also reason that if they were in fact better than the “Pine Green” pair from 2011, then they’d be the Pro pairs coming back in 2025.
A tipping point of just how far the Foamposite Pro could take it in the 2010s, the “Pine Green” Pros cemented the silo as not just a status symbol but a staple. Released at a time when ‘90s nostalgia and ‘00s streetwear were giving way to street goth garb and luxury fashion, the “Pine Green” Pro cut through despite few sneakerheads having much if any forest hues in their closet. These proved that Foamposites were not sensitive to market trends but rather a market trend themselves.
4.Nike Air Foamposite Pro ‘Varsity Red’
Year: 2002
Solid soles and team bank colorways are typically the type of descriptors that add to ‘takedown’ allegations. That’s all fair and true now, but in 2002 the “Varsity Red” Nike Air Foamposite Pro possessed all the above while still being all that.
Released at a time when retro was becoming mainstream, yet Foamposites still appeared futuristic, the bold red rendition on the Penny peer was a head-turner. You had to be either very outside in key markets to cop a pair or very online on NikeTalk to know these existed. “Varsity Royal” and “Metallic Silver” makeups get an honorable mention here, but seeing a red Foamposite in ‘02 predated what Nike Sportswear would look like a decade later.
3.Nike Air Foamposite Pro ‘Dr. Doom’
Year: 2006
Underloved re-releases have sullied the story of truly iconic shoes like the “Linen” Air Force 1s, “Galaxy” Foamposite Ones, and countless co.jp Dunks. Swimming in the same waters is the “Dr. Doom” Nike Air Foamposite Pro: a shoe that meant everything upon arrival and nearly nothing when it came back.
Dropping in 2006 as part of the Fantastic Four Pack, the Marvel makeup was as close to a collab as Foamposite had ever seen at that time. The extremely basic color palette was overshadowed amongst the masses by the “Invisible Woman” Air Force 1 but mattered merely by Foamposite fans feeling seen. While these don’t hold the weight of other retro releases, they play an extreme role in the arc of the model, and hold up as one of the best Nike Air Foamposite Pros of all time.
2.Nike Air Foamposite Pro ‘Voltage’
Year: 1999
Does the OG Foamposite One hit the same if the lone launch color isn’t “Dark Neon Royal” and tied to Penny? Probably not. The signature star push and bold blue singularity play a large part in the lore of the One and its historic favor over its Pro peer.
The “Voltage” Foamposite Pro is the answer to Anfernee’s offering in mystique, debuting during the shoe’s original run in a very nostalgic "Nike color combo" yet never receiving the retro treatment. In 2026 that’s said to change, bringing a beloved B-side back to the masses for the first time ever.
1.Nike Air Foamposite Pro ‘Pearl’
Year: 1997
The Nike Air Foamposite Pro “Pearl” is pretty much perfect, landing it on the top of our best Nike Air Foamposite Pros of all time list. Over the course of its 28 year existence, a handful of retros haven’t rinsed it. Just the same, discrepancy regarding its tint has only added to the allure.
Made memorable by Ray Allen in He Got Game, the shoe has shifted from ivory white to toasted marshmallow to chilled champagne, depending on the release. The 2025 is unmistakably icy, appearing pristine and on point just like the OG itself.
While the Foamposite Pro’s retro legacy is more one of streetwear reinvention and swag era stunting, the simplicity of the launch colorway is a testament to a time when Nike knew just how to push the envelope—a time when East Coast kids had a louder seat at the table than corporate shareholders or online comment sections.