The Air Jordan XX3 picture has been leaked. This is the first few samples of what the shoes should look like. Tinker Hatfield returns as the designer and this shoe is intended to be the celebration of 23 years of Air Jordans. For those few lucky ones that had a chance to wear and ball in these shoes, early results look promising - someone even claimed it to be the best balling shoes of all time. It maybe be too early to tell how the public will react to this shoe but let us know what you think of the XX3.

No other basketball shoe has changed the face of business, athletics and marketing as the Air Jordan has. This month, Nike releases the 23rd edition, and it is expected to be just as venerated as its predecessors.

The sleek design and link to Michael Jordan's jersey number make it a touchstone in the line. It's also Nike's first basketball shoe designed under its "Considered" ethos, which aims to reduce waste and use environmentally friendly materials wherever possible.

The Air Jordan XX3 will be released in three hyped-up rounds from January to February, starting with a limited edition that will be sent to only 23 retailers and will be sold for $230 and concluding with the national launch at the price of $185.

There had been talk at Nike about retiring the shoe at No. 23 because of Jordan's iconic jersey number. But company executives and Jordan declined to say whether this would be the last of the line.

"You'll just have to wait and see," Jordan said in an e-mail.

Unlike most basketball shoes to date, which were often white and utilitarian, the Air Jordan was a shock of black and red. It was initially banned by the NBA for not conforming with other players' shoes.

Jordan continued to wear them and was fined $5,000 a game, which Nike paid.