(Washington), two finals (Rotterdam and Monte Carlo ATP 1000), $2,823,418 in prize money.What a season for the 30-year-old Le Monf. He won the biggest title of his career, the ATP 500 in Washington and snare

One year into her tenure working inside Nikes Innovation Kitchen, where the companys designers dream up the future, Tiffany Beers was given an assignment: Figure out how to make a real, working prototype of the shoe the company created for Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future Part II.The project at the time seemed a little off the beaten path.Nikes lead designer, Tinker Hatfield, had come up with the shoe, which featured a self-lacing system and lights, for the 1988 movie and had even filed for a design patent that covered the structure. But why spend time actually producing the futuristic shoe that might have no practical applications to Nikes future business?It was a lot like the movie prop process itself, Hatfield recalled. We could have done a lot less with it, but we dreamed as big as we could. In this case, I knew we wanted to work on it a bit and that we wouldnt be able to run it up the flagpole unless we had a working prototype.On Thursday, roughly 11 years after Beers was initially given the assignment, the first self-lacing shoes will reach the mass marketplace. The HyperAdapt 1.0 will be awarded via a random lottery, with winners selected from a list of those who signed up through Nikes app. Quantities are not being disclosed, but the company isnt expected to have any issue completely liquidating supply at a cost of $720 a pair. It is being called the most ambitious project in shoe-making history, and given what it took to get here, there are few who contest that claim.This is the story of that journey.Paging Marty McFlyHatfield is Nikes legendary designer. Sneakerheads know him as the guy who took over the Jordan franchise in the third year and gets much of the credit -- outside of Michael Jordan himself -- for turning the brand into a $3 billion empire.When Hatfield designed the futuristic shoe for Back to the Future Part II, the working model wasnt really working. In order to light the footwear, Michael J. Fox was wearing a huge battery pack. Those cool self-lacing shoes? Holes were made in the stage floor and people pulled the laces on cue.As time went on, Hatfield, in public appearances, was always asked about one of two things: Michael Jordan, or those shoes Marty McFly wore. As the Internet proliferated, the noise got louder. Fans of the movie and the shoes started adding their names to petitions.When I saw 30,000 names on those petitions, I just knew we had to figure some way to actually make this shoe one day, Hatfield said.So he gave the assignment to a young up-and-comer, the 25-year-old Beers, a plastics engineer who had recently come over from Rubbermaid, where she was tasked with taking things typically made out of metal and building them with plastic.For three years, Beers spent half her time building the actual shoe dubbed the Nike MAG. By 2007, she had a working prototype with lights, but it had to be constantly plugged into the wall to work.And then technology stalled, Beers said. We had to wait if we wanted to make a shoe like this truly functional.A couple years later, Beers picked up the project again to deliver what the masses wanted: A Back to the Future shoe they could touch and wear.In 2011, the Nike MAG -- with lights but not automatic lacing -- was unveiled. Nike auctioned off 1,500 pairs at an average price of $3,797 a pair, with all the proceeds going to the Michael J. Fox Foundation to raise money for Parkinsons disease research.It could have all ended there. But it didnt.The shoes take shape -- literallyWe were leaving the launch event in a car and [Nike CEO] Mark [Parker] says to me, That was great. How long is it going to take to make them with auto-laces? Beers recalled.At this point, Parker wasnt just talking about the MAG, he was talking about building a real auto-lacing shoe that could be worn every day -- just like all the companys other shoes.In Year 7 of Beers assignment, the practical nature of the project started to take shape. She understood she was now being asked to put auto-laces in something beyond a movie prop.Weve been looking at the feet of an athlete for a long time, Hatfield said. There are so many whose feet just look like misshaped blobs that barely work anymore. Some of that has to do with the foot being tight in a dark place. We thought, What happens if as were building this auto-lacing movie shoe we also build a parallel shoe in order to advance Nike performance innovation?Lacing systems hadnt really evolved much over the past couple centuries. Puma is credited with being the first company to put Velcro on shoes in 1968. Puma again innovated in 1991, when it took away the laces in place of a disc that would allow a consumer to close a shoe. Reebok, of course, had the Reebok Pump, which debuted in 1989, but the filling of the air bladders around the foot didnt substitute for lacing.Beers took inventory of what she needed to break new ground in the industry with a shoe whose laces you didnt have to tie.There had to be a sensor that recognized when the foot was in the shoe and where the foot was in relation to the laces, so that the fit would be right when the shoe was tied. There also had to be a motor so that the laces would tighten and loosen.There were a lot of problems to solve -- one involved where to put the motor.Beers said she was comforted by the development of a plate in the foot built by the designers of the Jordan XX8, which created a perfect pocket between the sole of the foot and the sole of the shoe. In that space, the battery could be put under the foot without hurting the battery or compromising the comfort of the wearer, she said.As time went on, it became apparent that the quest to make the self-lacing shoe wasnt happening in isolation. It wasnt just some crazy side project that would result in sneakerheads and movie lovers getting the shoe they dreamed of, and Nike going on its way having satisfied a niche market.While we were trying to make this futuristic shoe, we started to see practical applications elsewhere, Beers said. We used the foam exterior for a Jordan shoe. Our learning about batteries had allowed us to build snowboard boots that lit up in 2013, and heated boots that we gave to our athletes for the Winter Olympics in 2014 in Vancouver.The conversation that Beers and Parker had in the car in 2011 wasnt public. No one knew Nike was going to go through with actually making a self-lacing sneaker.That all changed in February 2014, when Hatfield disclosed at a Jordan event during the NBAs All-Star Weekend that the self-lacing shoe would hit the market in 2015.Sneakerheads rejoiced.Beers was blindsided. She was never told that 2015 was the timeline, even though it made practical sense. It was the year that Back to the Future Part II flashed forward to -- a year in which, ridiculously, the Cubs would win the World Series.Mark Parker said to me, Oh man, you really stuck your neck out on that one, Hatfield said. And I did. I added more urgency and put pressure on the team. If I dont do that, I dont think a shoe comes out in 2015, and the shoe that is coming out now doesnt come out in 2016.With the secret out, Beers was now free to outsource the work. She hired the best electrical and mechanical engineer she could find. The investigation into specific motors got more serious.Nike found an off-the-shelf small motor it could adapt within the shoe.And then it stalled again.Beers said the company that made the motor, which Nike is not disclosing, was not convinced of how Nike had rigged it. Although it worked, it wasnt being used in a way the company had imagined. While getting the call from Nike was obviously an honor, the undisclosed company needed to protect itself.With some convincing, the blessing was given. On Oct. 21, 2015 -- the future date Marty McFly traveled to in the 1988 sequel -- a working pair of Nike MAGs were given to Michael J. Fox. Fox, in an office with Parker and Beers, shared how the shoes functioned on social media.I never said how many we were going to have, Hatfield said. We made at least one.Sneakerheads had to wait a year later to get their hands on the self-lacing Nike MAGs. Nike held a lottery, backed by $6.75 million in purchased raffle tickets, for fans to win one of 85 pairs of the shoes. Four others would be sold via auction around the world, with the last pair going for $200,000 at the annual Michael J. Fox Foundation event in New York on Nov. 12.Nike wasnt doneThe true prize wasnt the self-lacing MAG shoes, it was a regular, everyday shoe that laced itself.Parker hinted this was coming in October 2015, the same day Foxs video hit social media.We started creating something for fiction and we turned it into a fact, inventing a new technology that will benefit all athletes, Parker said.It was shortly after that car ride that Beers had built a prototype running shoe that would auto-lace and could be manually adjusted by the user pushing a tighten or loosen button.I would make the laces tighter when I was running up hills and loosen them going down hills, and I noticed I was able to provide the changing support I needed while keeping pace, Beers said. It made us realize how this could help athletes -- guys who tie their shoe tight to start a game, but need adjustments as their feet swell as they play.Eventually, Beers reasoned, a shoe would be built that would automatically make these types of adjustments. But with the first shoe, it was important to give the consumer the option of manual adjustment.There was a new focus on practicality. Sure, the Nike MAG had been implemented and was a functioning shoe, but there were only 89 pairs in the marketplace and no one was wearing them every day.With a self-contained auto-lacing shoe that could be worn on an everyday basis, battery life became a greater focus, as did the sound of the motor.?The initial prototype we had with working motors sounded like a cat getting hit with a chainsaw, Beers said. No one wants to hear that every day.Beers said the sense was that the consumer didnt want to have the inconvenience of always charging the battery. So Nike built one that would last for a week if a person wore it every day and constantly adjusted it. With normal use, it can easily last two weeks without going on the magnetic pucks Nike provides that stick to the shoe soles. Outside chargers also work, so a Mophie charge could keep the shoe functioning for months.In March 2016, Nike announced the concept, the HyperAdapt 1.0, with E.A.R.L., which stands for Electro Reactive Adaptive Laces. The abbreviation, which is on the shoes tongue, comes from Hatfields love of robotics -- further evident in his admiration of the 2008 Pixar movie WALL-E.?As Nike announced the innovation near New York Citys Madison Square Garden that day, no shoes had been made for the market. It meant that the first offering was going to be limited, but it was also going to be special. Whatever happened, it had to go right.Preparing for the futureSoon after the announcement, a team went to Nikes Development Center in Taiwan to figure out how to build the shoes step-by-step. Once determined, the process was moved to Vietnam, where the actual production began. The weight of a size-9 shoe was trimmed to 14 ounces, which is lighter than a typical basketball shoe but a couple of ounces heavier than is typical of running shoes. The battery weighs an ounce.Nike does not openly talk about its pricing and margins, but ultimately the $720 price point was agreed upon -- an outrageous sum, but nothing out of the ordinary to sneakerhead collectors who frequently spend that amount on a pair of shoes on the resale market.Knowing it is changing convention, Nike wants to make sure everything goes right. That means for the first time in the companys history, Nike is creating a special hotline for registered owners of the HyperAdapt 1.0 to call in with questions at any time. Beers said its set up so that she eventually gets all the feedback in written form.On the bottom of the shoe, where the charger indicator goes (it changes from green to yellow to red), is printed MT2, which stands for Mark (Parker), Tinker and Tiffany. Its a nice tribute to those who have worked for so long on this project.?For Hatfield, the bigger tribute might be a longer lasting legacy.Im closer to the end of my career than the beginning, and I want to go out with a bang, said Hatfield, who started at Nike in 1981 and started designing shoes in 1985. I think this is going to become a big deal. I think in the future, shoes are going to do the work for you. Theyre going to adapt to your feet, theyre going to adjust, theyre going to have smart technology -- just like cars and vacuum cleaners.I think in 10 years, 50 percent of all Nike shoes will be power laces.Sounds crazy. But thats not the first time Hatfield has been called crazy. One of the reasons the shoe is coming out Thursday is because Hatfield -- and Nike -- didnt listen to those people.Air Jordan China . Arsenal failed to take full advantage of its main rivals stumbles on Saturday as substitute Gerard Deulofeu levelled with a hard shot from a tight angle in the 84th minute to give Everton a deserved point. Ahead of a crucial fortnight that will see them play against Napoli in the Champions League, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal leads by five points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea. Air Jordan Outlet . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. https://www.jordanchina.us/ . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. Air Jordan Discount . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Jordan China . Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long.Theyve been talking about a transition at the top of mens tennis -- call it a market correction, if you will -- for a few years now.When the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals unfolds beginning Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN3 in London, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Tomas Berdych and David Ferrer likely will watching from their European homes. Those terrific 30-something players combined for 37 year-end appearances; Berdych and Ferrer, in fact, qualified each of the past six years.Even with the first-time presence of 30-year-old Gael Monfils, this years field is exactly two years younger on average than last years, at 27.6. Dominic Thiem, the ascendant 23-year-old Austrian, is the youngest participant.Maybe we didnt see it coming, but the tectonic tennis plates have shifted this year, said Mary Carillo, the respected broadcaster for Tennis Channel and NBC. This year was the transition year. Right now; this is it.There is some great potential for drama here. For the first time since 2001, the No. 1 ranking could switch hands at the year-end event (Lleyton Hewitt overtook Gustavo Kuerten). It also happened the year before when Kuerten beat Andre Agassi in the final to take the top ranking, which had belonged to Marat Safin.Just last week, Andy Murray unseated Novak Djokovic as the No. 1 player, but the Serb could get his revenge in London.The eight players are divided into two groups and play three-round robin matches, with the best two advancing to the semifinals. Heres how it breaks down:John McEnroe GroupNo. 1 Andy Murray2016 highlights: 73-9, eight titles, including Wimbledon and Rio de Janeiro Olympics, three ATP Masters 1000s (Rome, Shanghai, Paris), $10,958,701 in prize money.This is a case of momentum versus history for the 29-year-old Scot. Hes qualified nine times for the year-end tournament, which is now played on his home field, but hes a middling 11-11. And hes drawn a brutal trio of group mates. Murray is 27-12 lifetime combined against Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic. Not long ago, Murray lost to Nishikori in the US Open quarterfinals and Cilic in the Cincinnati final. Murray beat Wawrinka in the French Open semifinals, ending a 3-0 run for the Swiss. Murray comes in smoking hot, with a 19-match winning streak and his first-ever No. 1 ranking.Murrays been the best player last three, four months, said former Hewitt and Agassi coach, and ESPN analyst Darren Cahill. It will be a different feeling for him to go from the hunter to the hunted with No. 1 ranking. He will have to mentally reset to face that challenge.Murray is 11-1 playing indoors in 2016. He needs to match Djokovics advancement here (and beat him in a potential final) to retain the No. 1 rankingNo. 3 Stan Wawrinka2016 highlights: 45-16, four titles (US Open, Chennai, Dubai and Geneva), $5,748,954 in prize money.Wawrinka, 31, is the oldest player in the field but has a little momentum himself, having won the seasons last Grand Slam. This is his fourth consecutive Barclays, where hes 6-6 overall. The good news? Four of those losses came to Federer and Nadal, while the other two belong to Djokovic. Wawrinkas indoor record in 2016 (6-4) isnt much better than his worst surface, grass (1-2). No matter what happens, Wawrinka will finish as the No. 1-ranked Swiss player for the first time in his career, after Federer held that position from 2001-15. If Wawrinka manages to reach the final, watch out: He has won 11 of 12 finals over the past three years.No. 5 Kei Nishikori2016 highlights: 57-18, 1 title (Memphis), four finals, including two ATP 1000s (Miami and Toronto), $3,968,748 in prize money.The 26-year-old from Japan set a personal best for match wins but was not a dominant factor at the Slams, reaching the semifinals at the US Open and the quarters in Melbourne. He did manage to reach the Olympic semifinals in Rio, losing to Murray before beating Nadal in the bronze-medal match. This is Nishikoris third consecutive appearance in London, where hes 3-4 overall.dddddddddddd In his 2014 debut, he beat Murray in straight sets. Nishikori is 4-10 versus top-10 players this year.No. 7 Marin Cilic2016 highlights: two titles (Cincinnati ATP 1000, Basel) and two finals (Marseille and Geneva), $2,729,205 in prize money.The 2014 US Open champion finished the year well, winning Cincinnati (beating Murray in the final) and dispatching a listless Djokovic a week ago in the Paris quarterfinals. Cilic is a sparkling 14-3 in his past four events, including the win in Basel and a semifinals effort in Tokyo. Cilic -- who comes in with a career-high No. 7 ranking -- has a 6-3 record against top-10 players this year. He stopped a 0-11 run earlier this season at Indian Wells with a win against Richard Gasquet. The 28-year-old from Croatia makes his second appearance in three years and looks to win his first-ever year-end match.Ivan Lendl GroupNo. 2 Novak Djokovic2016 highlights: 61-8, seven titles, including Australian Open, French Open and Masters 1000s at Indian Wells, Miami and Madrid, $11,377,824 in prize money.This is an interesting spot for the man who dominated tennis the first half of the season. By his standards, Djokovics performance has fallen off since he won the French Open, but he still has won more money than any player and has notched the fewest losses. The 29-year-old has always played well here, winning the past four titles -- something no one else has ever done. Hes taken 18 of his past 19 matches in London. Djokovic is 23-0 against the rest of the group in his career, and if he were to play Murray in the final, Djokovic can take solace in knowing hes won five of their past six times and 13 of the previous 15. A sixth title would vault him past Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras and tie him with Federer for most all time.No. 4 Milos Raonic2016 highlights: 50-15, one title (Brisbane), three finals (Wimbledon, Indian Wells ATP 1000, Queens Club), $4,121,492 in prize money.The 25-year-old Canadian is the second-youngest player in the field and reached his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon, where he fell to Murray. Raonic is hoping achieve his first year-end win; last year, he lost to Federer and Murray in round-robin play before withdrawing from the third match with a thigh injury. After going 8-27 against top-10 players over the three previous years, Raonic was 6-7 in 2016. Hes ranked among the top four in five of six ATP serving categories.No. 6 Gael Monfils2016 highlights: 44-15, one title (Washington), two finals (Rotterdam and Monte Carlo ATP 1000), $2,823,418 in prize money.What a season for the 30-year-old Le Monf. He won the biggest title of his career, the ATP 500 in Washington and snared a career-high 44 match wins. Monfils will finish in the top 10 for the first time. Here he is in his inaugural year-end tournament. The Frenchman is still unpredictable, however, as a variety of issues (leg, groin, virus, rib, back) caused him to pull out of tournaments or matches. Hes 2-5 versus top-10 opponents.No. 9 Dominic Thiem2016 highlights: 57-22, four titles (Buenos Aires, Acapulco, Nice, Stuttgart), $2,522,363 in prize money.The 23-year-old is the other first-timer in London after a breakthrough season that featured four titles, a semifinal at Roland Garros and two Masters 1000 quarters. The last Austrian to qualify for the year-end event was Thomas Muster (1997). Thiems early-season success led to a stretch run that saw him get run down physically. His 79 matches played are second only to Murrays 82. Grit, though, is his calling card. Thiem led the ATP with a 21-2 record in decisive matches and came back to win an amazing 16 times after dropping the first set. This is his 27th tournament of the season and is the youngest player among the top 10. ' ' '