Latest Jordan shoe not a first-glance winner

• Air Jordan XX8 will sell for $250 and be on sale nationally in February
• Nike touts it as a military boot designed for basketball
• Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook will be wearing the shoe tonight

The reaction was instant -- and harsh.

Nike, through its boutique Jordan Brand, revealed the Air Jordan XX8 on Monday in New York. As soon as images of the unique shoe began to circulate, it was clear it's not like anything on the market.

And that's precisely the point, according to designer Tinker Hatfield.

"It's meant to look like a military boot designed for basketball," he said.

From a technical standpoint, the XX8 is the lightest Air Jordan yet. It uses internal straps from the midsole and what's hailed as an industry first -- a moderator plate to maximize the responsiveness between the heel and the ball of the foot.

All of which should help with performance. But it's the appearance, specifically the zippered outer sheath composed of a Swiss mesh used in high-end motorcycle jackets, that might give many consumers pause.

"It's all about stealth, changing your identity," Hatfield said. "A lot of military boots are eight inches. It's cut off at the top, kind of a gnarly, brutal way to cut off the shoe. It's intimidating, too, when you see someone wearing these shoes. You're not sure whether they're shoes with black socks, or these tall shoes with no socks.

"Either way, they're in your face."

Hatfield said the Air Jordan XX8 is an undeniable nod to the future. Jordan Brand has been derided for being too focused on its lucrative retro business, so in that sense, this is an intentional departure.

"We're happy with the retro, but it's not a good blueprint for the long-term future," said Hatfield, who designed Air Jordan III through XV, XX and XXIII. "We're getting back around to how we started -- performance first, but along the way, don't be afraid to be do something no one else is doing."

Tonight, Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook, the newest member of the Jordan Brand family, will wear the XX8 when the defending Western Conference champs tangle with the Nets at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.

The shoe, which will sell for $250, will be available in Houston on Feb. 15, the date of the NBA All-Star Game, with national distribution the next day.

Hatfield describes the shoe as an obligation to an industry in need of a boost, likening the XX8 to "a concept car looking to create conversation."

"You can do this once you've decided you don't have to sell a couple hundred thousand pairs of shoes," he said. "(Nike founder) Phil Knight says this sometimes: It's like the election -- all you need is 51%. Here we are, pushing the envelope of sneaker design. We don't need more than 51% (to buy it). We'd like to have more people like it than not. But if you're looking for 80%, you're going to have to compromise somewhere. ...

"If someone wants to buy more normal shoes or retros? Cool. But we know we have to be pushing it forward."