The former National Basketball Association MVP will now have chance to display ecology-friendly shoes when he runs up and down the court, with a new product from Nike: the 'Trash Talk' shoe.

The new offering from the shoe maker will be unveiled tonight when Nash leads his Phoenix Suns against the Dallas Mavericks at US Airways Center. From the Nike press release:

The Nike Trash Talk is modeled after Nash's current shoe, the Nike Zoom BB II Low, and meets Nike's Considered design standards (www.nikeresponsiblity.com) for taking a sustainable approach to performance footwear innovation.

"Any opportunity to promote the environment and preserve our planet is a step in the right direction," Nash said. "I'm very excited to be one of the first athletes to wear the Nike Trash Talk. I think people will love the shoe, and hopefully by wearing it I can inspire others to try it out as well."

Nike footwear designer, Kasey Jarvis said: "I was really looking for a 'here and now' solution to footwear waste, and creating a performance product using waste materials felt like a very innovative solution. Using Nike's Considered design ethos I was able to create a shoe that stands up to the stringent on-court performance requirements but is also more environmentally friendly."

The Nike Trash Talk meets Nike's Considered design standards because…

* The upper is pieced together from leather and synthetic leather waste from the factory floor using zig-zag stitching.
* The mid-sole uses scrap-ground foam from factory production
* The outsole uses environmentally-preferred rubber that reduces toxics and incorporates Nike Grind* material from footwear outsole manufacturing waste.
* The Phoenix Suns' colorways will have shoe laces and sockliners which use environmentally-preferred materials and will be packaged in a fully recycled cardboard shoe box.

Even though the shoes are made of scraps, they are expected to cost $100.

Dave Rouleau is a staff writer for the Business of Sports Network, where he covers baseball and hockey on The Biz of Baseball and The Biz of Hockey. He also can be found on Baseball Digest Daily, Inside the Dome (Scout.com), and Seamheads.com. His contact info can be found on the Authors Profiles.