#KicksStalker: Westbrook is owning the chaos with ‘Why Not Zero.2’
MANILA, Philippines—Russell Westbrook’s creative fashion-forward mind reached its way to his newest athletic sneaker and the 2017 NBA MVP is using the silhouette as an ode to the most important people in his life.
The Jordan Why Not Zer0.2 features an ecstatic upper and a similarly blended color scheme for the Future History colorway that features a myriad of hues with each representing a jersey he wore in the past.
“Every colorway has a meaning behind it and that’s special to me,” said Westbrook of the Future History colorway that will hit Philippine shelves on Jan. 10. “With the Why Not Zer0.2, I wanted to take that storytelling to the next level with an exposed tag that helps illustrate the meaning behind the colors used.”
Sneakers usually have the tag stitched inside the tongue or in the inner lateral part of the shoe but the Why Not Zer0.2 has its tag on the heel part of the outsole.
Taking the space of the inner tongue is Westbrook’s family crest that also honors his late best friend Khelcey Barrs III.
“It’s become a tradition for me to honor Khelcey by writing ‘KBIII’ on my game shoes,” said Westbrook. “Each colorway of the Why Not Zer0.2 will have a designated area for me to write that on. I want people who wear my shoe to understand that playing with a purpose bigger than yourself is important.”
Although Westbrook is one of the most fashionable players in the NBA, he wanted his second athletic shoe to be of the utmost best when it comes to performance.
Westbrook is a devilish whirlwind on the NBA floor with this unrelenting energy making him the only player in league history to average a triple-double for two straight seasons, and he wanted a shoe to contain that much kinetic power.
The forefoot bears a full Zoom unit while the heel part features a full TPU wrapping to protect the wearer’s ankle.
“From the first design meeting we had, my number one priority was making the best performance basketball shoe possible,” said Westbrook whose shoe will run for $130 or around P6,800 as of writing time. “I knew that if it was authentic to me then it would come out great.”
“That’s what the Why Not? Mentality is all about: Doing you regardless of what people think and being confident in who you are.”
Westbrook is also a family man and has three children, Noah, Skye, and Jordyn, with wife Nina and this familial roots is what inspired the Oklahoma City point guard to have his shoe go for a full-size run.
The Thunder superstar also wanted a sneaker that is accessible to children so his $130 price point perfectly summed up his desire,
“Being a father, it was important to have my signature shoe available in full family sizing,” said Westbrook. “You don’t see that often with performance shoes but for me it’s all about inspiring the next generation. That also means making the shoe affordable and accessible to people all around the world.”
