Shoes??

[Oz Referee]

When are shoes no longer just shoes, but a mechanical aid? The reason I ask is that Nike have recently released their new shoes in Australia (I think they are called "Shox"). The theory is that they can assist your vertical jump. If this is true I would think they would be illegal for all competivie basketball, but I have never seen a specific rule outlawing any type of shoe.

Is there any rule covering this in NF/NCAA/NBA, to the best of my knowledge this is definitely something that FIBA does not cover.

Also, is it up to the referees or the event/competition organisers to enforce. In other words is it a technical infraction of the rules, or is it a more serious matter (similar to say, steroid use)?

I look forward to everyone's comments.