The Top 10 Best Air Jordan 10 Colorways

Air Jordans 1 through 14 are all recognized for their importance, but there are a handful that people look at with a different light. The Air Jordan 10 is one of these. Tinker Hatfield, the legendary Nike designer who worked on a ton of Michael Jordan’s signature sneakers, designed the model for MJ in 1994 while he was still doing his minor league baseball side quest. However, he eventually wore the Jordan 10 when he returned to the NBA in March 1995. That leaves it in an odd spot, as MJ didn’t necessarily have any significant moments in the sneaker aside from unretiring for the first time.

Without Jordan being so hands-on as he was with previous Air Jordan models, Tinker Hatfield was left at the helm to make decisions on the sneaker. He took it upon himself to honor Michael’s illustrious 10-year NBA career through the stripes on the outsole, listing off different milestones like his Rookie of the Year award, multiple MVP honors, his (at the time) three NBA Finals victories, and his Dunk contest win in 1988. However, the most infamous design detail added by Tinker was the toecap. The Air Jordan 10 initially had a leather toecap overlay, which Nike removed at the request of MJ himself.

While there were eight original Air Jordan 10 colorways, we’ve decided to look at the entirety of the AJ 10’s lineage and rank our top 10 Air Jordan 10s. Check below and see if you agree with where we placed (in our opinion) the best Air Jordan 10s of all time.

10. Air Jordan 10 Cool Grey

Release Date: 2014

Jordan Brand’s love for Cool Grey color palettes began in 2001 with the release of the Air Jordan 11 Cool Grey. It would take over a decade before the Air Jordan 10 would get this treatment. However, unlike the traditional Cool Grey formula, the AJ 10 Cool Grey featured a multi-color outsole, adding a collage of colors to the bands listing off Michael’s career achievements.

9. Air Jordan 10 Retro SoleFly 10th Anniversary

Release Date: 2020

Being the brother-in-law of MJ definitely has its perks. Not only do you have direct access to one of the greatest basketball players ever to live, but if you own a store, you’ll be first in line for collabs. Well, Carlos Prieto of SoleFly in Miami fits the bill here, and his shop has been part of plenty of iconic collabs. One of the best SoleFly Jordans and Jordan 10s is inspired by the Miami Freedom Tower.

8. Air Jordan 10 Double Nickel

Release Date: 2015

The thought of owning a sneaker that Michael Jordan himself wore on the court will get collectors foaming at the mouth. And that’s exactly how people felt about the Double Nickel Jordan 10. The pair was originally a player-exclusive colorway worn by MJ in a game where he dropped 55 points, hence the double nickel nickname. Instead of his number 23, Jordan took the court in number 45, with this pair placing the number along the collar.

7. OVO x Air Jordan 10

Release Date: 2015 (White), 2016 (Black)

Drake may have his own sub-label with Nike, but in the past, he was Jordan Brand through and through. The Canadian rap megastar launched two pairs of Air Jordan 10s in 2015 and 2016, one in black and another in white. His October’s Very Own branding is found alongside Jordan branding details. Aubrey also elevated the model with faux stingray leather on the overlays.

6. Air Jordan 10 Charlotte

Release Date: 2016

While Charlotte, North Carolina, may have been inadvertently honored on another pair we’ll discuss in the list, Jordan Brand eventually did add the city to the famed “City Pack” (which honors Sacramento, Orlando, New York, Chicago, and Seattle) in 2016. The Charlotte colorway we’re referring to features the Hornets’ purple and blue color palette alongside “CHA” stamped on the lateral collar.

5. Air Jordan 10 Retro Powder

Release Date: 1994 (OG), 2014 (Retro)

Some OGs may refer to the Air Jordan 10 Retro Powder as the Charlotte Hornets, but it technically was not part of the City Pack. The Powder Blue hue used on accenting details did line up with the Hornets’ team colors, which led many to make the connection to the North Carolina city.

4. Air Jordan 10 Sacramento

Release Date: 1995

We tried our hardest not to make this list full of City Pack colorways, especially considering there were five, but a handful did sneak in. One of which is the Sacramento pair, though not the Mitch Richmond PE. He played for the Kings and was given a white-based version of this pair, but the public had a shot at owning one of the only black-based Air Jordan 10s (at the time).

3. Air Jordan 10 Seattle

Release Date: 1995 (OG), 2019 (Retro)

Like other teams that reside in the cities of the City Pack, the Seattle SuperSonics (RIP) were honored on the Air Jordan 10. Kendall Gill of the Sonics sported this sneaker during the time when MJ was still swinging for the fences. However, just like the Sacramento colorway for Mitch Richmond, Gill also received a player-exclusive version that was different from the retail version.

2. Air Jordan 10 Shadow

Release Date: 1994 (OG), 2008 (CDP), 2018 (Retro), 2025 (Retro)

Expected to return later in 2025, the Air Jordan 10 Shadow is one of the original eight colorways of the silhouette. It was also one of only two black-based versions of the Jordan 10, with this pair opting for an all-over black appearance only broken up by grey checkerboard patterns on the sockliner.

1. Air Jordan 10 Steel

Release Date: 1994 (OG), 2005 (Retro), 2013 (Retro), 2025 (Retro)

What we and many others consider the greatest Air Jordan 10, the Steel 10s kicked off the Jordan 10 lineage when it first released in 1994. As mentioned at the top of this article, the Air Jordan 10 Steel was the only colorway released that featured the infamous toecap that MJ requested be removed from future releases of the 10. The pair was already in production before Michael made this change, so the original Steel 10s came with this additional overlay. Luckily, the 2025 retro (as part of Jordan Brand’s expansive 40th anniversary celebrations) featured this detail, even to the dismay of Michael.

Nicholas Vlahos

Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. When not writing for Sole Retriever, I enjoy attending concerts and catching the latest movies. Email: nick@soleretriever.com