NBA Street Homecourt: Gotta be the Shoes

There can be no other explanation.

My created player, Milla, a guard that plays big with maxed-out boards/blocks attributes and a shooter's touch, rolls off the back of Lebron James who is kneeling at the top of the key. Lebron rockets Milla into the air, who twists twice, throws down a jam, pulls the ball from the net in one motion, swings on the rim for another dunk, then catches the ball again and swings once more over the bucket for an impossible third throw-down. Triple dunk.

Gotta be the shoes -- the Air Jordan I retros, to be exact.

And if you're not down with the Air Jordan I retros, EA and Nike have teamed together in NBA Street: Homecourt to include every single pair of Air Jordans ever created, from the Air Jordan I (banned by the NBA for its bright colors) to the Air Jordan XXII, the upcoming $175 pair set to hit the streets on February 17.

Along with the 34 pairs of shoes -- some models feature up to four different color sets -- you can also unlock a number of different Brand Jordan outfits to, um, outfit your created player in. These outfits range from normal Brand Jordan uniforms to gaudy green and yellow jerseys sponsored by Sprite (Obey your thirst!). Hey, at least the Burger King mascot isn't an end-boss in the Homecourt Challenge.

Other than pure aesthetics, the unlockable gear also gives you an experience-point bonus when worn. The more XP, the quicker you level up, the quicker you max-out your character, the quicker you dominate the streets. Also, it's pretty cool to wear the same pair of Jordans for which you dropped $150 back in the day. And for shoe aficionados, these are the shoes that redefined the shoe business and put Nike on the map. You have the Air Jordan III that featured the first Jumpman logo; the VIIs that MJ wore as part of the Dream Team in '92; the IX that Jordan only wore as a baseball cleat as a Baron of Birmingham; and the XI, a shoe so nice that kids started sporting them to prom.

In NBA Street, you'll also unlock a number of real-life courts that NBA stars like Rip Hamilton and Carmelo Anthony grew up playing on. But it wouldn't be a street basketball game without the granddaddy of them all: Rucker Park. EA has confirmed that the legendary Harlem court will be available to download for free soon after NBA Street: Homecourt hits the streets. Also look for more courts and more gear with future downloads. Here's the rest of what NBA Street Homecourt will offer:

Unlockable Courts