-1 Air Jordan XII(12) White/Red

Throughout the making of this list I couldn't stress enough my obsession with the Air Jordan 12. Not only have I been waiting on this shoe for most of the year but I've been waiting on this shoe since 97'. The beautiful part about this is that its not really selling out, which I can only attribute to the amount of hype surrounding the "Space Jams", meaning I can go pick up another pair or two as soon as my tax money comes...LOL

-2 Air Jordan XI(11) "Space jam"

It seememed as if the day would never come considering we've known the "Space Jams" were coming every since the beginning of the year. JB sure let the anticipation build this time with blatent diregard for the bootleggers. Now that the day has come and gone, it was everything I expected plus a few headaches. i was literally a day late and a dollar short but in the end it all worked out for the best. With a much better fit than last year's countdown XI(11) there's sure to be many more happy campers (literally).

-3 Nike Air Max Lebron 7

The Lebron 7 is just what the game's been missing. I truly expect that this shoe will be one that leads the sneaker culture into another golden era, reminiscent of the 90s, where hype didn't influence every purchase and it was about what actually looked good. Jason Petrie, in true Tinker like fashion, has managed you capture the perfect balance of style and function.

-4 Nike Foamposite "Eggplant"

As if a cosign from one of the hottest young up and coming rappers in the game, Wale, wasn't enough to sway you judgement of the Foamposite. Nike gave you even more reason to love the shoe by adding an Eggplant paint job, made famous by the Foamposite's first cousin, the Flightposite. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come and we really are headed back to how it was.

-5 Patta x Nike Air Max 1 Series

The store thats consistantly loyal to the culture celebrated five years in 2009. What better way to celebrate than to put together a beautiful collaboration for the people. What more can I say the colors, the materials, the silhouette everything is on point.

-6 Air Jordan III(3) White/True Blue

For many sneakerheads across the globe the Air Jordan III(30)True Blue would be considered a grail, so its no surprise that the blogosphere went nuts when word dropped that there was possibly a re-release on the horizon. At the end of the day these kicks never made it across the pond. They were an Europe only release, but if you were lucky and your local sneaker shop put in some extra legwork you may have gotten your hands on a pair.

-7 Nike Air Yeezy

It would be hard to argue that any other single person had more of an impact on culture, whether it be fashion, hip-hop, or pop, over the past 2 years than Kanye West. But in 2009 he made a particular splash in the ever growing sneaker culture. As he performed on each leg of his tour and even at the Grammy's wearing a mysterious shoe that seemed to be glowing the chatter started. The rumors continued to grow until Kanye himself, as only he can, spilled the beans about his secret collaboration with Nike. Shortly thereafter the three styles were released in limited retailers worldwide and marked one of the first time a major athletic company collaborated with a non-athlete on a signature shoe.

-8 Air Jordan XII(12) "Flu Game"

Adding to my obsession with the Jordan 12, in November Jordan Brand released the Jordan 12 "Flu Game" obviously to commemorate MJ's epic Game 5 performance in the 97' NBA Finals where he led his team from behind to defeat the Utah Jazz all while suffering from a stomach virus and wearing these Jordan 12s. Though JB added a nubuck upper which I could do without, I still felt that these should stand alone on the list.

-9 Nike Hypermax "Tennis Ball"

The above photo is the actual first photo that I saw of the Nike Hypermax "Tennis Ball", and i must admit it was an instant infatuation. This picture was originally posted with pictures of the, now infamous, McFly Hypermax. Though the latter never hit retailers stateside sneakerheads were given a treat when the "Tennis Balls" were still released, and the best part is that they were released in a city near just about everyone.

-10 Reebok Pump 20 Collection

Though Reebok may be seen to many as a dead brand, I don't think anyone would rush to discredit the impact their Pump Technology had on the game and as a result, the sneaker culture. If there were one Reebok that created a cult-like following it would have to be the Reebok Pump. So 20 years later Reebok took that very piece of information and decided to go all in. They teamed up with 20 of the most popular and influential sneaker stores in the world and let them create their very own Reebok Pump. Though they released in quantities of only 31 pairs per, many sneakerheads still decided to pull out the camping gear in hopes of becoming one of the lucky few to get their hands on a pair.