Celebrate the Release of the Lost Deftones Album with a Look Back at the Band’s Nike Dunk High

The ethics of listening to a leaked album are complicated. Depending on why the music was shelved, it may feel like you’re betraying the band's wishes or stealing from them, but on the other hand, some records are shelved due to label politics, and a leak is the only way the sound will find freedom. Whatever your stance, the leak of the Deftones’ 2008 album Eros has put the Sacramento band back in the headlines.

Chasing the White Pony

Whether you decide to listen to the leaked album is your choice, but when we hear the Deftones, we think right back to the band’s iconic 2003 Nike Dunk High collab. The green and black colorway was made in only 43 pairs for friends and family of the band to celebrate their self-titled album. Keeping things simple, the colorway features black leather on the toe, lace, and heel panels, and green leather on the toebox, side panels, and tongue.

A Deftones logo arches over the lateral heel, and a white midsole interrupts the two-tone before returning to more green on the outsole. One of the earliest band collabs on a Dunk, the pair led the way for the Dinosaur Jr., MF Doom, and De La Soul Nike SB Dunks. An instant grail, the pair still sells on the secondary market for prices in the five figures, from $10,000 to $30,000.

A Dunk You Can’t Cop

You can’t cop a pair of Deftones Dunks at the moment - literally, we cannot find a single pair for sale right now - but just like the band’s album for 2008, they might pop up for resale at a moment's notice. To keep up with all the latest sneaker news and blasts from the past, download the Sole Retriever App.

Zach Harris

Zach Harris is a writer based in Philadelphia. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Vice, Complex, High Times, and more. He is obsessed with skateboarding and bowling. He is still looking for his first 300. For tips, reviews, and anything in size 10.5 - zach.h@soleretriever.com