The Nike Shox R3 shoes including Mens Nike Shox, Womens Nike Shox were the product of a sixteen years of research in the Nike Labs. In the fall of 2000, the Nike Shox system was revealed to the world. Nike unveiled this top secret line of shoes to the world in 3 models, the Nike Shox R3 (running shox), Nike Shox BB4 (basketball shox), and the Nike Shox XTR (cross-training shox).

The Nike Shox R3 running shoe has been the most successful shoe in the Nike Shox lineup. The shoe was available in a variety of colors and was also available on Nike ID. The Nike Shox R3 has been released several times and is the only shoe in the original lineup to have been released several times.