What's the Difference Between the Air Jordan 1 and the Nike Dunk?

As more and more people get into the sneaker game, one question that we always get asked is, "Are Dunks and Jordans 1s the same?" While this may be obvious to sneakerheads, when you really think about it, there are loads of reasons why the untrained eye might think this way. Instead of just answering "No" and brushing them off, we're going to be taking an in-depth look into both silhouettes, the main differences between Dunks vs Jordan 1s, and a little bit of history behind the models too.

The Air Jordan 1 and Dunk are two of the most popular sneakers in history. If you ask any sneakerhead to name the most iconic models ever made, we can guarantee that almost everyone will have these Nike silhouettes in mind. Since The Sole Supplier began, we've always been here to educate everyone about everything sneaker-related, so if you want to find out more about these trainers then make sure you read on!

Unbeknownst to many, the Jordan 1 was actually introduced in 1984 but was made exclusively for Michael Jordan for a few months. After being tried and tested by his Airness himself, it was eventually released to the public in April 1985. If you're new to trainers you'd probably assume that the Dunk is a pretty new shoe since it's so hyped at the moment, but the Dunk actually launched just four months after the AJ1 in August 1985.

You might be wondering to yourself, "Why would Nike introduce the Dunk just moments after the Jordan?" While we may never know the exact reasoning behind this, it became clear early on that the Beaverton brand knew exactly what they were doing, as both lines became extremely popular in their own right. While MJ was showing off his new signature shoe in every colourway under the sun as long as it was black, red, and white, the legendary "Be True To Your School" Dunk collection was also announced.

This was an absolutely genius marketing strategy from the Swoosh. They offered Division I college basketball teams and their fans to get a shoe that was painted in their team's colours. Striking deals with the University of Iowa, University of Kentucky, University of Michigan, Georgetown, St. John’s, UNLV and Syracuse, the Dunk High became the official shoe of these teams. Doing this meant that Nike didn't have to spend too much money in advertising their new silhouette as news of the collection spread around organically. Soon after, fans were rocking their teams' pair, and those who didn't even like basketball had a bunch of cool colourways to purchase.

For b-ballers who wanted something a little more versatile, the Air Jordan 1 Low and Dunk Low were introduced. Rather than just cut the ankle off and call it a day, both silhouettes were fully redesigned from the ground up. This is also a huge reason why so many people ask are Nike Dunks Jordans. An easy way that you can easily tell the difference between the Dunk High vs Jordan 1 is there's a winged basketball logo stamped onto the lateral ankle of the latter. As for Dunk Low vs Jordan 1 Low, that same insignia is finely stitched around the heel. If you can't find this then chances are you're looking at a Dunk.

We already touched on this a little in the last section, but a question that we get asked a lot is "Are Dunks part of Jordan Brand?" The short answer is no, but we'll dive deep into this very soon. Just like the Air Force 1, Air Max 90, Blazer and so on and so on, the Dunk falls in Nike's core line of products. It doesn't belong to any sub-category, unless we're talking about the SB Dunk, of course.

In 2002, the Oregon footwear company's skateboarding division made history with the Nike SB Dunk. After a period of trailing and testing, Nike SB General Manager Sandy Bodecker gave the basketball shoe a half-pip ready makeover. There wasn't any need for him to create a brand new silhouette from the ground up, since the community were already in love with the classic Dunk: "skaters wanted it so it would have been very difficult for Nike Skateboarding to launch with a different shoe in 2002."

Unlike conventional Dunks, SB pairs featured ultra comfortable fat tongues, elastics straps, a new sockliner, a Poron foam bed, and a Zoom Air Unit in the heel. The result was a sneaker that you could skate all day, everyday.

While Air Jordan 1s are part of Nike's ever-growing product portfolio, they're actually listed as a Jordan Brand sneaker. Designed for Nike by Peter Moore, Tinker Hatfield, and Bruce Kilgore. the AJ1 would be followed by the Air Jordan 2 the following year, and then the Air Jordan 3 two years later. Even today, Air Jordan are still launching brand new models on a pretty much annual basis, with the Air Jordan 36 making its grand debut in 2021.

So let's get down to it. What are the key differences between the Jordan 1 and Dunk? One of the first things you need to keep an eye on are the eyelets. While both silhouettes have a total of nine, the latter's ninth eyelets is placed above the ankle strap, while the former has the eighth and ninth eyelet both on the strap.

Speaking of which, the winged basketball brand is a massive give away here. As we mentioned before, whether it's the Jordan 1 High, Mid, or Low, they all have this insignia somewhere around the collar and heel. If you've just bought a pair and they don't have this, congratulations, you've just secured your first Dunk.

Generally speaking, Dunks and Jordans are both made predominantly from leather, but there are some very subtle differences with the panel design. First of all, the Dunk has a roomier toebox, while the J1 boasts a more taped one. Around the back, both Swooshes meet around the back, but the Dunk High features its world-famous heel tab that measures about 1cm by 2cm. This is absent on the Js.

Flipping the shoes around, the Dunk actually takes its outsole tread pattern from the Air Jordan 1, but it's been tweaked ever so slightly to be a little narrower. It's also worth noting that unlike the Jordan, the Dunk doesn't feature Air technology underfoot, that's why they aren't called the Air Dunk. With that said, they're still crazy comfortable for all-day wear and you won't hear any complaints from us.

So are Dunks and Jordan 1s the same? Absolutely not, but they certainly are pretty similar. While they are both high-top basketball shoes, there are some subtle differences between both models, including the slightly reworked panel situation and the lack of Air technology in Dunks. The differences can be particularly hard to spot when it comes to the Low variant as you can't see the whole shoe, but Mid Dunks are the only one to feature a midfoot strap around the ankle.

With all that said, both Air Jordan 1s and Dunks have crossed paths many times in the past. Colourways like the Nike SB x Air Jordan 1 Low "Midnight Navy" and the Nike SB x Air Jordan 1 High Defiant "NYC To Paris" from 2019 both takes inspiration from the SB Dunk, while Virgil Abloh's Off-White x Nike Air Rubber Dunk collection from 2020 is equipped with Air tech, even though it's not part of the SB or Air Jordan line.

So whether you're searching for your first Nike Air Jordan 1 or you're planning to add another Nike Dunk to your collection, make sure you check out these telltale signs so you know exactly what you're copping! For more articles relating to these two silhouettes, check them out below: