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The Dunk started in 1985 as Peter Moore's college basketball shoe, built around the Be True To Your School color program — and the low-top versions of those same college colorways are still the ones worth buying. What changed is the price of entry. The Dunk Low spent the early 2020s as a resale shoe; in fall 2026 the best-known pair on this list trades under its original retail, and another just came back at Nike under its own old style code. These are the eight we would spend money on today, each matched to a different buyer.
Resale prices move fast and vary sharply by size — check the live listing before paying. Prices shown are U.S. retail at release unless marked as resale or as a later return, before tax, shipping and marketplace fees. Confirm the style code, size and condition on the seller's page. If your budget tops out at three figures, start with our best sneakers under $100 guide; for the wider Nike picture, see our best Nike Air Max guide.
How we chose: what makes a Dunk Low worth buying now
We ranked primarily on colorway and wearability. Where we have a dated current check — the Panda resale pull and the University Blue retail return documented below — we used it; we do not have current price or availability checks for the other six picks, and their displayed prices are historical retail references, not current buying quotes. That is why this list is heavy on the two-tone college colorways. They are the Dunks with a forty-year track record of going with everything, and several of them are easy to find again after years of sellouts.
Two buying notes before the list. First, the Dunk Low has been re-released under the same style codes at higher prices — the University Blue first sold at $100 in 2021 and returned in October 2026 at $120 — so a style code confirms the colorway, not the year or the price a seller paid. Second, seven of these eight picks are standard leather retros; the Anthracite at the end of the list is the deliberate exception, and it is there for buyers who already own the classic version.
We tracked the wider shift behind prices like these in our story on Nike and Jordan sales and the price problem. The Panda's fall from a resale staple to a $52 size 11 is that story in one shoe.
The 8 best Nike Dunk Lows to buy in fall 2026
PICK 01 / BEST OVERALL
Nike Dunk Low ‘Panda’ (2021)
$100 · U.S. retail at release · style DD1391-100 · released March 10, 2021
Start here, because the market finally agrees with the price tag. The black-and-white Panda — white leather base, black overlays, black Swoosh — first released on March 10, 2021 at $100 and for years traded above it. On the latest check that no longer holds in the core sizes: an October 21, 2026 check found the cheapest new pair in a size 11 at $52, with every size from 8 to 12 under the $100 retail, running from $52 up to $83. Buy this if you want the defining black-and-white Dunk at roughly half its original sticker in the bigger sizes. Check your exact size — the cheapest sizes are the bigger ones.
Find buying links on our picks pagePICK 02 / BEST FRESH RESTOCK
Nike Dunk Low ‘University Blue’ / ‘UNC’ (2021)
$100 · U.S. retail at release · style DD1391-102 · released June 24, 2021
The powder-blue one, and the most current buy on this list. The University Blue released June 24, 2021 at $100 — white leather with University Blue overlays, laces and outsole — and on October 15, 2026 the same style code quietly returned at Nike.com in adult sizes, this time listed at $120. Buy this if you want a clean college colorway at retail, with no resale markup and no authenticity gamble. The one caution from that return: the SKU matches the 2021 shoe, so on resale listings, confirm you are pricing the pair you think you are.
Find buying links on our picks pagePICK 03 / BEST NEUTRAL PAIR
Nike Dunk Low ‘Grey Fog’ (2021)
$100 · U.S. retail at release · style DD1391-103 · released 2021
The quiet alternative to the Panda. Grey Fog keeps the same two-tone formula — white leather base, light grey overlays and Swoosh, grey outsole — in a palette that reads softer than black and white. It released in 2021 at $100. Buy this if you want one Dunk that works with black, navy, white and earth tones without thinking about it. Skip it only if you want your one pair to make more noise.
Find buying links on our picks pagePICK 04 / BEST DARK PAIR
Nike Dunk Low ‘Georgetown’ (2021)
$100 · U.S. retail at release · style DD1391-003 · released November 5, 2021
The darkest of the college colorways here: a grey leather base with deep navy overlays, a white midsole and a navy outsole, in the Hoyas colors from the original Be True To Your School era. It arrived on U.S. SNKRS on November 5, 2021 at $100. Buy this if the Panda and Grey Fog both read too light for your rotation — Georgetown does the same everyday job in a moodier register, and it is the easiest pair on this list to wear through fall and winter.
Find buying links on our picks pagePICK 05 / BEST GREEN PAIR
Nike Dunk Low ‘Michigan State’ / ‘Spartan Green’ (2021)
$115 · U.S. retail at its 2024 return · style DD1391-101 · first released June 3, 2021
White leather with Team Green overlays — the Michigan State colors, and the strongest single-color accent on this list that still counts as easy to wear. It first released June 3, 2021 and returned on May 10, 2024 at a $115 retail, so pairs from that return are the ones to hunt. Buy this if your rotation is all neutrals and needs exactly one color. The deep green works with denim and grey better than any brighter colorway would.
Find buying links on our picks pagePICK 06 / BEST BOLD PAIR
Nike Dunk Low ‘Championship Red’ (2021)
$100 · U.S. retail at release · style DD1391-600 · released September 16, 2021
The inverted St. John's look: where the classic University Red Dunk puts red overlays on a white base, the Championship Red flips it — a red base caged in white overlays, with a white Swoosh. It released September 16, 2021 at $100. Buy this if you want the boldest pair on this list. And shop by the style code: DD1391-600 is this shoe; the white-based University Red is a different pair with a different code.
Find buying links on our picks pagePICK 07 / BEST ALL-WHITE PAIR
Nike Dunk Low ‘Triple White’ (2021, women's)
$100 · U.S. retail at release · style DD1503-109 · released August 2021 · women's sizing
All white, everywhere — leather upper, Swoosh, midsole and outsole, with black branding only on the tongue tag and insole. It released in August 2021 at $100 in women's sizing. Buy this if you want the cleanest possible Dunk and you accept the upkeep an all-white leather shoe asks for. Because it is a women's release, convert your size carefully and confirm the converted size on the listing before paying.
Find buying links on our picks pagePICK 08 / BEST DIFFERENT PAIR
Nike Dunk Low ‘Anthracite’ (2023)
$125 · U.S. retail at release · style FV0384-001 · released November 14, 2023
The list's mixed-material alternative. The Anthracite builds its charcoal upper from grey ripstop with matte leather overlays, breaks it up with a reflective Swoosh, and finishes on an icy blue outsole. It released November 14, 2023 at $125 — the highest retail on this list, and the only one buying you different materials instead of a different color. Buy this if you already own a classic Dunk and want the second pair to feel like a different shoe, not a recolor.
Find buying links on our picks pageWhat to know before buying a Dunk Low
Sizing is straightforward. Dunk Lows generally fit true to size in both men's and women's versions. The one conversion on this list is the Triple White, a women's release — convert carefully, and double-check the converted size on the listing.
The style code is the identity. Similar names hide different shoes: the Championship Red (DD1391-600) inverts the white-based University Red, and the Panda's DD1391-100 has been restocked for years at changing prices. On any listing, match the full code — letters, digits and the suffix after the dash — before you compare prices.
Buy the size, not the headline price. The Panda's $52 check was one size — a size 11 — in an October 21, 2026 pull, with sizes 8 and 8.5 at $83 in the same check. Almost every Dunk deal is size-specific, so check at least two marketplaces, factor in fees and shipping, and compare the total against retail before deciding a pair is cheap. Our picks page is where we keep current buying links.
THE QUICK ANSWERS
Nike Dunk Low buying FAQ
What is the best Nike Dunk Low to buy in 2026?
The Panda (style DD1391-100). It first released March 10, 2021 at $100, and an October 21, 2026 check found the cheapest new pair in a size 11 at $52, with every size from 8 to 12 under retail.
Are any Dunk Lows back at retail?
Yes — the University Blue (DD1391-102) returned at Nike.com on October 15, 2026 in adult sizes, listed at $120: up from its $100 retail at its June 24, 2021 release, but a retail buy with no resale markup as of that return. Check Nike for today's stock before planning around it.
What is the difference between the Championship Red and University Red Dunk Lows?
The blocking is flipped. The Championship Red (DD1391-600, $100 at its September 16, 2021 release) puts a red base under white overlays; the classic University Red design puts red overlays on a white base. Confirm the style code on the listing before buying either.
Do Nike Dunk Lows fit true to size?
Generally yes, in both men's and women's versions. The Triple White on this list released in women's sizing, so convert your size carefully on that pair.
Why are Dunk Low prices lower than a few years ago?
The visible pattern is restocks. Nike has re-released the core colorways repeatedly under the same style codes, and the two current data points in this guide — the Panda's October 2026 below-retail checks and the University Blue's October 2026 retail return — are what that added supply looks like from the buyer's side. We are describing the pattern, not proving a single cause.
YOUR TURN