Air Jordan 18

Senior Footwear Designer Tate Kuerbis was named as the designer of the Air Jordan XVIII. Most of the inspiration for the XVIII design came from the high-end automobiles: sleek racing lines, F1 race cars and race car driving shoes. Fine Italian dress shoes also inspired the stitching on the Air Jordan XVIII outsole.

The AJ XVIII featured a one-piece leather upper, a carbon fiber comfort control plate incorporated into the insole, a hand-stitched outsole, dual-layer heel and forefoot Zoom Air cushioning. The Air Jordan XVII was released in a pull-out box with a cut-out "18" on the lid. It included a brush for the black suede colorway, a towel for cleaning and the Air Jordan XVIII Driver's Manual booklet. Jordan Brand did a "Love" campaign surrounding the release of the AJ XVIII, celebrating MJ's career and final year in the NBA.

Three colors of the Air Jordan XVIII were released in 2003. The Black/Royal model was made of suede, while the White/Royal and White/Red versions were made of leather. Two low versions were released in Black/Black and White/University blue. Along with the mids and lows, Brand Jordan released the Air Jordan 18.5 the primary difference in design was a perforated Jumpman logo on the side of the upper.

In 2002-2003, Michael Jordan was selected to his 14th and final NBA All-Star Game. During his final season, he wore the Air Jordan XVIII. Other NBA players wearing the shoe included Richard Hamilton, Scottie Pippen, Ray Allen, Mike Bibby, Michael Finley and Carmelo Anthony.

MJ's final NBA game was April 16, 2003, against the Philadelphia 76ers. He wore the White/Royal Air Jordan XVIII.