The year was 2007. Sneaker culture wasn't the mainstream, billion-dollar behemoth it is today. Back then, it was a subculture of message boards, camp-outs, and a very specific type of obsession. Then Nike SB dropped a bomb. They called it the Nike What The Dunk. It looked like a fever dream. Honestly, it looked like a child had glued thirty different shoes together in the dark. It was loud, ugly to some, and absolutely brilliant to others. It changed everything.
If you weren't there, it’s hard to describe the sheer confusion this shoe caused. Most people hated it at first. "Too much," they said. But that was the point. James Arizumi, the designer behind this chaos, wanted to celebrate the five-year anniversary of Nike SB by mashing up the most iconic designs into a single pair of sneakers. It wasn’t just a shoe; it was a history lesson you wore on your feet.
The Beautiful Mess: Breaking Down the Components
So, what actually went into the Nike What The Dunk? It’s basically a greatest hits album. You have pieces of the Pigeon, the Tiffany, the Supreme Highs, and the Jedi. There are bits of the Heineken, the Medicom, and the Cali. It’s a total of 31 different elements. If you look at the left shoe, it’s completely different from the right. That was unheard of in 2007.
The "Pigeon" embroidery on the heel is probably the most famous part. Jeff Staple's 2005 release literally caused riots in New York City, and seeing that tiny bird on the What The Dunk was like a nod to the hardcore collectors who survived that day. Then you have the safari print from the "De La Soul" Highs and the neon green laces that scream "Jedi." It’s a sensory overload.
Some people think it’s just a random collage. It’s not. Every single panel was chosen because it represented a pivotal moment in the first five years of the SB Dunk line. It’s a physical archive.
Why It Was a Marketing Gamble
Nike took a massive risk here. Before this, sneakers were supposed to be symmetrical. They were supposed to match your outfit. The Nike What The Dunk defied every rule of traditional fashion. If you wore these, you weren't trying to look "clean." You were trying to start a conversation. Or a fight.
The production numbers were incredibly low. Estimates suggest only a few hundred pairs were ever made, though Nike never officially confirmed the exact count. This scarcity, combined with the "What The" concept, birthed a new trend. Now, we see "What The" versions of LeBrons, Kobes, and Jordans. But none of them hit quite like the original SB Dunk. It was the first. It was the blueprint for the mismatched trend that still dominates the secondary market today.
The Resale Reality and the 2026 Market
Let's talk money. Because you can't talk about this shoe without talking about the price tag. Back in '07, retail was roughly $120. Good luck finding that now. Today, if you want a deadstock pair of the Nike What The Dunk, you're looking at five figures. We're talking $15,000 to $25,000 depending on the size and the condition of the box.
Why is it so expensive? Scarcity is one thing, but it’s the historical weight. It’s the "Grail" for many collectors who grew up in the pink box or black box era of SB. It represents a time when Nike SB was weird and experimental. It wasn't about "athleisure." It was about skating and street culture.
- Condition matters more than anything. Because of the materials used—suede, leather, canvas, and metallic finishes—these shoes age differently.
- The "What The" tax. Collectors will pay a premium just because this shoe exists as a trophy.
- Fakes are everywhere. Seriously. Because the design is so complex, early fakers struggled, but modern "reps" are terrifyingly accurate. Always use a professional authentication service like eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee or CheckCheck.
Common Misconceptions About the Design
People often get the "What The" origins wrong. They think it was a collab with a specific artist. It wasn't. It was an internal Nike SB project led by Arizumi. Another common myth is that every single SB Dunk released up to that point is on the shoe. Not true. There were hundreds of SBs by 2007. Arizumi picked the 31 most "impactful" ones.
There's also the "Nothing But the Truth" connection. The Nike What The Dunk was actually released in conjunction with Nike SB's first feature-length skate film, Nothing But the Truth. The shoes even made a cameo. They were part of a larger push to cement SB as a cultural powerhouse, not just a skate brand.
Honestly, the shoe is a bit of a nightmare to style. You see people wearing them with plain black hoodies and baggy jeans, which is probably the only way to pull it off. You let the shoes do the screaming. If you try to match the colors in the shoe with the rest of your fit, you'll end up looking like a backup dancer for a 90s cereal commercial. Keep it simple.
The Legacy of the Mismatched Sneaker
Without this shoe, we don't get the "Top 3" Jordan 1s. We don't get the "What The" Doernbechers. We don't get the current "mismatched" trend where people intentionally wear two different colors of the same shoe. Nike SB broke the symmetry barrier.
It’s also interesting to note how it influenced the "Scrap" series of Dunks we've seen recently. Nike is still mining the DNA of the What The Dunk nearly twenty years later. They know that "chaos" sells. But there's a certain soul in the 2007 pair that feels missing in the newer, more manufactured "chaotic" releases. The 2007 version felt like a genuine tribute. Modern versions often feel like a marketing gimmick.
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How to Handle an Investment of This Size
If you are actually looking to buy a pair of Nike What The Dunk sneakers in 2026, you need to be careful. This isn't just a sneaker purchase; it's an alternative asset.
- Check the "Fat Tongue." The stuffing in the tongue of 2000s-era SBs is very specific. Fakes often have tongues that are too thin or too stiff.
- Verify the heel embroidery. The "Pigeon" and other logos should be crisp. On many fakes, the bird looks more like a blob.
- The "Pink Box" Era quality. The leather quality on 2007 SBs was significantly higher than what you see on standard Dunks today. It should feel premium, even if it's 19 years old.
- Smell test. Old Nikes have a specific scent—a mix of aging glue and leather. If a "2007" shoe smells like fresh chemicals, run.
What's Next for the "What The" Line?
Rumors constantly swirl about a "What The Dunk 2.0." While Nike has done "What The Paul" (Paul Rodriguez) and other variations, they haven't done a direct sequel to the 2007 masterpiece. And they probably shouldn't. Some things are better left as a lightning-in-a-bottle moment.
The Nike What The Dunk stands as a monument to a specific era of sneaker collecting. It was a time when the community was smaller, the designs were riskier, and the stories behind the shoes actually mattered. Whether you think they are beautiful or a total eyesore, you have to respect the impact. They forced us to look at sneakers differently. They turned footwear into a canvas for storytelling.
If you're looking to start your own collection or just want to appreciate the history, start by researching the 31 shoes that make up the What The Dunk. Each one has its own story, from the "Supreme" stars to the "Huf" tie-dye. Understanding those individual stories is the only way to truly understand why this "messy" shoe is a masterpiece.
Go look at the "Paris" Dunk or the "London" Dunk. Look at the "Tokyo" and "New York" City Series. Once you see the history, the What The Dunk stops looking like a mistake and starts looking like a map of the most important era in sneaker history. Keep hunting, keep verifying, and never buy from an unverified seller on a "too good to be true" deal. In this game, if it seems too good to be true, it’s a fake. Period.