Best Air Jordan 7s of All Time, Ranked

Year: 2022

The Air Jordan 7 has remained largely unchanged from a silhouette point of view from its original release in 1992—there was never even a low-top version available at retail until 2018. So when Bephie’s Beauty Supply totally reworked the AJ7 for its 2022 collaboration, it came as somewhat of a surprise. What was also surprising was how well the makeover worked. It kept the ethos of the original huarache-style bootie but played with the shape, proportion, and material to create an entirely different look. It may not be as wearable or popular as some of the colorways we left off this list, but it deserves its spot as one of the best Air Jordan 7s for being the most unique in the line’s history. —Zac Dubasik

Year: 2006

The “Pacific Blue” Air Jordan 7 comes from an era where Jordan Brand heavily leaned into the “lifestyle” side of colorways. The style had little resemblance to anything related to the Bulls, and had no pretense of storytelling. It was just a unique color that looked cool with its off-white upper and blue and orange detailing. With so many sneakers of that era being retroed in recent years, it’s a bit surprising to see one we’ve ranked as one of the best Air Jordan 7s of all time that still hasn’t been back. —Zac Dubasik

Year: 2002

The “French Blue” colorway is a good-looking shoe, but it’s hard to justify it being better than a majority of the OG and premium styles listed ahead of it. This iteration was released as part of the Jordan 7’s first retro run in 2002. While the pair wasn’t dressed in Bulls colors, it offered a fresh take on a classic silhouette. Michael Jordan also wore them during his final NBA season, so that’s a plus. —Victor Deng

Year: 2010

Before the revitalization of the “Bin 23” series this year, Jordan Brand debuted the line in 2010, which included a premium version of the Jordan 7. The sneaker featured West African tribal artwork on the upper’s heel, which was also the inspiration for the sole of the Jordan 7 silhouette. Aside from being one of the best colorways, it was also one of the most limited, with only 2,059 pairs produced. —Victor Deng

Year: 1992

For many basketball fans who paid attention to the Chicago Bulls in the ‘90s, the “Cardinal” Air Jordan 7 is notable for being the colorway Michael Jordan wore for one of his best scoring performances. Specifically, MJ had 64 points against the Shaq-led Magic squad on January 16, 1993. The style itself featured a simple white leather upper paired with “Cardinal Red” and “Chutney” accents throughout. —Victor Deng

Year: 2008

Jordan Brand introduced a new Olympic-themed “Miro” Air Jordan 7 iteration in 2008 with inspiration from artist Joan Miró. The multicolored design on the upper draws from Miro’s Dona i Ocell sculpture in Barcelona, Spain, which was the host city of the 1992 Summer Olympics that featured Michael Jordan’s legendary “Dream Team.” The brand is rereleasing the style this year, giving fans another opportunity to cop one of the best Jordan 7 colorways. —Victor Deng

Year: 1992

Unlike the majority of OG colorways on this list, the allure for the “Hare” Air Jordan 7 mostly comes from off the court since the colorway is tied to the iconic cartoon character Bugs Bunny. Both Michael Jordan and Bugs appeared in numerous commercials and print ads for the sneaker’s “Hare Jordan” campaign in the early ‘90s. The partnership led the way to future Looney Tunes-inspired Jordans, including the “Bugs Bunny” 8s, as well as the “Space Jam” 9 and 11. —Victor Deng

Year: 1992

Here we are, almost 35 years removed from the Dream Team’s legendary run in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, and the sneaker lineup from that squad still hasn’t been beat. And sitting at the very top of that lineup, which includes classics like the Air Force 180 and Air Flight Light, is Michael Jordan’s “Olympic” Air Jordan 7. Unique touches like Jordan’s Olympic number 9 on the heel, replacing the 7’s typical 23, silver overlays, and gold detailing were unique at the time for the line. The sneaker has returned a handful of times over the years, including 2010’s “For the love of the game” edition that featured a heart-shaped basketball on the heel. It was truly immortalized in 2004 though, when Fat Joe licked the sole of his pair on an episode of MTV Cribs. —Zac Dubasik

Year: 1992

The “Bordeaux” Air Jordan 7 began somewhat of a tradition of Michael Jordan wearing non-Bulls colored sneakers in the NBA All Star Game. Prior to lacing up pairs like the “Aqua” Air Jordan 8 and “Columbia” Air Jordan 11, Jordan wore this black and grey AJ7 trimmed in shades of yellow, purple, and blue in 1992. That’s only one of this sneaker’s claims to fame though. Jordan also wore it alongside the other MJ—Michael Jackson—in the Jam music video, furthering its case as one of the best Air Jordan 7s of all time. —Zac Dubasik

Year: 1992

You better not call these the “Raptors” 7s. I’m kidding of course, you can call them whatever you want, but it is important to note that the Raptors weren’t even in the NBA when Michael Jordan first laced up the Air Jordan 7. This pair holds a special place in the ranks of Air Jordan 7s as it's the pair that the GOAT won his second title in. That kind of history, along with styling that was classically Bulls but also had just a little more visual intrigue with its purple and yellow hits, makes it our pick for the best Air Jordan 7 of all time. —Ben Felderstein