Nike’s Most Reliable Sneaker of the 21st Century Only Gets Better with Age

The heritage-heavy Killshot 2 dresses up in brown leather.

Published February 3, 2025

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If Nike never touched the Killshot 2 again, it’d still go down as one of the brand’s best designs of the 21st century. Fortunately, the Swoosh has no intention of turning its back on perhaps its most reliable everyday sneaker since the Dunk Low, Air Max 90 and Cortez.

The Killshot 2, usually seen with a white upper, just surfaced in a creamy brown colorway that underscores the shoe’s timeless aesthetic.

Dark-brown leather makes up the bulk of the new upper, although tonal details — including suede overlays and a mocha-colored Swoosh logo — give it a uniform look unseen on the shoe’s more traditional colorways.

The shoe’s classic gum sole, typical of most Killshot 2 variants, including the original, only furthers its monochromatic makeup.

Modern menswear pedigree

While the Killshot 2 has become a perennial favorite in Nike’s lifestyle lineup — not to mention the recipient of routine updates like this recent brown makeover — there was a time when the shoe was exclusive to menswear’s elite class.

The design was the result of a 2009 collaboration between Nike and J.Crew, who together revived the original Killshot from the 1970s, albeit with a leather upper in lieu of mesh (hence the “2” in its name).

Nike Killshot 2 sneakers — The Killshot 2 was initially released in 2009 as part of a collaboration between Nike and J.Crew.

Exclusive to the preppy American retailer, the first Killshot 2 release sold out in seconds. So did several subsequent drops. And before Nike knew it, it had a bona fide classic on its hands — one that has only become more relevant since the brand brought it in-house in 2019.

Just last year, for example, the Killshot 2 made a couple notable on-screen cameos: Josh O’Connor wore a pair the film Challengers, starring Zendaya, as did Adam Brody in the Netflix series Nobody Wants This.

Pricing and availability

Unlike those early J.Crew exclusives, the Killshot 2 “Baroque Brown” is readily available online. What’s more, it retains the original design’s sub-$100 price tag, retailing for just $90.