FirstCuts: Jordan pulls the curtain on the XX3

By Chris Littmann
Sports don’t start and end with a referee’s whistle. FirstCuts, a blog dedicated to sports culture, will cover everything outside the lines, from the games to the gear.
The pictures -- both fake and legit -- have been floating around for a couple of weeks, but the man himself made it official today. The Jordan XX3 is a go.
[img=http://i.tsn.com/i/photos/20080108/85562.jpg]
The pair above is slated to drop on Feb. 23, but there are other colorways headed your way. Having spoken to more than a few reps at stores who have held samples in person, the word is that the quality is off the charts. Design-wise, these don’t touch some of my favorite Jordans of all-time.
The most interesting news today came from Jordan himself about the potential future of the line.
[quote="Associated Press"]There had been talk at Nike about retiring the shoe at No. 23, because of his iconic jersey number. But company officials won’t say whether this will be the last of the line. Neither will Jordan.
“You’ll just have to wait and see,” Jordan said in an e-mail to The Associated Press, responding to questions about the upcoming release.[/quote]
Either way, after ‘08, you should expect a change in the Jordan line. Enjoy the releases while you can, assuming you can afford to shell out the bucks.
Upcoming release dates:
Jan. 25 -- White/Titanium-University Blue, $230 (Limited to top 23 Jordan retailers)
Feb. 16 -- White/Black-Varsity Red, $185
Feb. 23 -- Black/Varsity Red-Stealth, $185
April 5 -- White/Stealth/Black, $185
UPDATE: Didn’t post this other image before, but after further review I figured I should. Along with the story and picture above, AP moved pictures of a few other Jordans -- I, III and XI (pictured left-to-right in this image). Now, by all accounts these don’t seem to be the shoes that will release in the Countdown Packs, but when it comes to a few of my favorites like these, I’m all for wild, unbridled speculation. C’mon, M.J. Unfortunately, I fear they’re just file images that Nike gave to the Associated Press to talk about some of the more memorable editions in the shoe’s history.
[img=http://i.tsn.com/i/photos/20080108/85564.jpg]
UPDATE, PART TWO: Rich “MaZe” Lopez from KixAndTheCity.com informs me shoe design guru Tinker Hatfield gave a chronological history of the Air Jordan. Many of these shoes were part of that history. Sounds like my hopes have been crushed. Thanks, Rich!
> Jordan unveils 23rd edition of shoe | SportingNews.com↵