Jordan 4 London and Jordan 1 Royal OG These are 2 of my sneakers coming off the bench. By that I mean they would have been in my top 10 if I had chosen 10 for Sneakers Of The Year. Instead I have chosen 5 sneakers for my SOTY list. The homie and co-host of The VilliansLair; @JOKAwuzhere proposed the idea that the other Villains and I reduce our Sneaker Of The Year list to Top 5 instead of 10. He believes that 10 allows some people to be performative and add sneakers to be “agreeable” but also that 5 forces us to better choose what we really like and therefore provide more variety with less overlap. I already knew my personal 10 and it was easy to shrink it to 5 but it does remove some pairs that I really have enjoyed purchasing this year. All the sneakers I’ve chosen from the starting 5, to the bench sneakers, are shoes I own and feel are obtainable. That’s not a requirement but for me, if it’s a SOTY then why wouldn’t I own it if it’s obtainable and I’m actively purchasing and participating in sneakers? I look forward to sharing the final 3 pairs coming off the bench and my starting 5 soon. If you care to share, list your bench below. #SOTY