• January 9, 2008

It may not be the longest-running reign of a sports-performance shoe, but it's certainly been one of the most visible: Michael Jordan and Nike just took the wraps off the Air Jordan XX3.

The latest version is "the first basketball shoe in Nike history to embrace the Nike Considered design ethos, where details in the development and design of the shoe seek to reduce waste and allow for the use of environmentally preferred materials wherever possible," the company says. An exclusive limited release is scheduled to launch on Jan. 25 for $230, with the national launch for the regular shoes, priced at $185, scheduled for Feb. 23.

For the record, Converse added Chuck Taylor's name to its All Star basketball shoes in 1932, and Adidas has been selling Stan Smith tennis shoes since 1971.

--Sarah Mahoney