Michael Jordan is the greatest athlete I've ever seen. Clutch. Cool. Fresh personal style. His nickname was Air Jordan but his greatness started on the ground... with his sneakers.

Of the 20+ iterations of Air Jordans, my favorite pair is the Jordan V. Nike introduced the V in 1990 with a series of humorous TV commercials starring Jordan and Spike Lee. Spike appeared as Mars Blackmon, a character from his first movie, She's Gotta Have It. In the spots, Mars repeatedly barks at Michael, "It's gotta be the shoes!" To which Jordan replies, "No, Mars."

The V is a perfect combination of form and function.The shark teeth, fat tongue and transparent webbing make the kix look dope. They're also lightweight and protect the ankles so they're ideal for front-court and back-court players. I know because I lace mine up every Tuesday night.