Like Mike, Russell Westbrook debuts his Why Not Zer0.1 line

A few hours after Jordan Brand debuted Russell Westbrook’s Why Not Zero.1 shoe line in Los Angeles, the triple-double king was beginning to drop what would become 46 points on the poor Wizards. In Oklahoma City, Westbrook’s second home, the Thunder would get the win for their sixth straight. Back in his hometown of LA, Westbrook’s flare and innovation were also on display; only in a different way — in the form of the Why Not Zero.1 shoes he intently helped create.

On Nike’s website, it refers to the line as “perhaps the truest physical representation of the intersection between style and sport.” Fittingly, Jordan Brand’s Future of Flight event Thursday came weeks before the 30th anniversary of the iconic first commercial featuring Michael Jordan and Spike Lee together, “the ultimate connection of sport and culture at that point,” according to Jordan Brand president Larry Miller.

According to Lee, who, Thursday, spoke on a panel moderated by Kenny “The Jet” Smith, MJ was a true visionary. “If you don’t see it, you can’t do it,” Lee continued. “And Michael’s vision combined with the vision of Phil Knight, that was the dynamic duo, and it’s just amazing being around people who could visualize something and then it becomes real.” The legendary filmmaker likened Jordan to Ted Turner, who created a 24-hour cable news network, CNN, when “experts” said he was crazy and that it would never work.

Shea Serrano, New York Times bestselling author of “Basketball (And Other Things),” invoked Westbrook’s name as part of the same panel, comparing him to Jordan, primarily in terms of his rebellious spirit, both on and off the court: “Probably the one defining quality [of an NBA rebel] is you need a guy who’s a little bit mean and angry…You need a guy that when you play, he’s gonna dunk on you and then he’s gonna pose for everybody, and then after the game he’s gonna put a thing on Instagram that also kind of makes fun of you. The only player in the NBA who will do that today is Russell Westbrook.”

Smith responded by suggesting that Draymond Green appears to fit the bill, and this writer believes Joel Embiid does as well, but to Serrano, Westbrook is the ultimate rebel. He refuses to color inside the lines whether it’s playing a more reckless brand of basketball than anyone else currently in the game, innovating in the fashion world or unapologetically speaking his mind to the media. Westbrook has been a rebel for some time, and he doesn’t appear anywhere near done.

To Don Crawley, a prominent sportswear designer who’s commonly known as Don C., Jordan displayed many of the same traits and, even more impressive, was a pioneer on and off the court, paving the way for creative talents like Westbrook to come after him. Also part of the opening panel, the Chicago-bred designer spoke glowingly of the one-of-a-kind Jordan whom he grew up idolizing. He painted a picture of a young Jordan, exuding a brash style (coolly pulling up in his flashy Ferrari Testarossa or rocking gold chains in multiple dunk contests, to use a few examples from Don C.) all while backing it up with his stellar performances again and again. “When he showed up in the freshest outfit or the baggy shorts,” Don C. said, “he not only was swagged out; he was [also] performing at the highest level.” For what it’s worth, Jordan won the 1987 slam dunk competition in gold chains but opted to go chainless in the 1988 contest which he also won.

This refreshingly new style and overall approach ultimately catapulted Jordan’s impact to a global scale, putting him “right below God” as Don C. joked. Of course, Jordan, a mere mortal, had to overcome daunting obstacle after obstacle along the journey as he went from small-town basketball-playing kid to global superstar boasting a billion-dollar company.

“It’s easy to follow but hard to trailblaze,” Kenny Smith emphasized. No one had ever done what Jordan has accomplished. In fact, Smith was a junior on the University of North Carolina basketball when His Airness was a freshman. Even a few years later in the early days of the Air Jordan line, Smith could never have guessed what Jordan Brand would ultimately become and what it would come to represent.

Smith told this instructive story from that time: “We’re in the locker room, about to go play pick-up ball, and all of these boxes of things came into the locker room, all of his [Jordan’s] sneakers, and he’s pulling it out and he’s putting it on. Guys are like, ‘Oh, let me get a pair.’ So he’s like, ‘Kenny, do you want anything?’ I’m like, ‘I’m not gonna wear your name on my butt.’” Sure enough, 15-20 years later, Jordan spots Smith walking by in a pair of Jordans and reminds his friend of his incorrect prediction years earlier.

Those familiar with Shea Serrano’s writing know he would use the word “petty” to describe Jordan (he also endearingly calls Westbrook “petty”) remembering to needle his friend about a brief moment that happened 15-20 years earlier. Smith called it “competitive spirit.” Either way, as one of Jordan’s college basketball peers, Smith still feels “it’s kind of weird to see this happening” for Jordan, but he first felt Jordan’s considerable impact on culture and fashion when he attended a black-tie event and saw three or four people wearing patent leather Jordan shoes. “They were like, ‘OK, well, I’d rather wear these than tuxedo shoes,’” said Smith, “and no one skipped a beat. And that’s when I knew it was different.”

While there will never be and can never be another Michael Jordan, Westbrook carries forward the torch by continuing to create and innovate. His newly unveiled Why Not Zero.1 shoes highlight a treasure trove of influential and consequential people, places and events in his life.

All of the shoes are “super-personal to him,” according to Jordan Brand Footwear Product Director Darron Trobetsky. Throughout the collaborative process of designing these shoes, “You can get those rich stories of, ‘Hey, what mattered to you? What turned you into the player that you are?’”

The Avant Guard has made a point to infuse these stories into various Why Not Zero.1 designs. Ahead of a Jan. 3 Nike press release on these shoes, Westbrook said, “My favorite part of the design process is storytelling.”

Khelcey Barrs III, Westbrook’s best friend and high school teammate who died during a routine game of pick-up basketball, has found his way into many of these stories. They lived across the street from each other and hung out nearly every day. In honor of Barrs, the Tribute colorway of the Why Not Zero.1 comes in their high school team colors. Westbrook’s and Barrs’ jersey numbers appear on the outsole and “KB3” also shows up on the tongue in Westbrook’s handwriting. Before every game, Westbrook still writes “KB3” on the shoes he plans to wear.

With an Orange Pulse, Hyper Royal and Sail colorway, the Cotton Shot Why Not Zero.1 pays homage to the superstar point guard’s childhood practice sessions with his dad, who would always implore young Russell to strive for “all cotton” on his shots. Now a father himself (his son, Noah, was born May 16, 2017), Westbrook takes special pride in the emerald green colorway devised to signify Nono’s (his nickname for Noah) birthstone.

One would think Westbrook is busy notching triple-doubles and leading the Thunder to another playoff appearance, but he has made himself available at least once a month and even over the phone on certain game days, according to Trobetsky and Jordan Brand executives. The Westbrook intel, Trobetsky said, comes from “spending time together, going, ‘Hey, I know what’s important to you. Let’s make sure the world knows.’ It’s spending time together, and he’s been super-accessible.”

Jordan Brand vice president of design David Creech said he appreciates working with a hands-on athlete like Westbrook: “We obviously work closely with Russ on his apparel collection, so a lot of insights [come] from him…He gets creative from all over the world. We try to take that in and then create a collection for him.”

“We meet with him constantly,” added Trobetsky, “so his insights and everything goes into what we have.” These insights extend beyond the aesthetics to the wearability as well. For example, because of Westbrook’s frenetic style of play, containment and padding are two areas of many in which he’ll routinely provide suggestions.

There’s also the 2018 All-Star Game and City of Flight Why Not Zero.1 shoes, which both represent Westbrook’s homecoming to the city that so profoundly shaped who he is today and who he wants to become. On these shoes’ colorway, there’s an elaborate map of the city with “LA” and “RW” on the left and right side of the tongue, respectively.

According to vice president of global marketing Brian O’ Connor, the uber-serious in-game Westbrook is actually “very personable” away from that environment. “He has that lethal intensity on the court. Off the court, he’s very much open-minded, very much conversational, and he knows he wants to push everything, but he actually relies on that core team to get him there as well.”

Growing up in Chicago, Don C. had a front-row view of Jordan’s impact and how it evolved over time. “Before Mike, basketball shoes were [strictly] used to play basketball in,” he noted. “It transcended. It became basketball being a lifestyle for hip-hop artists. I know that might sound funny, but it’s for real. Basketball is a lifestyle: ‘I walk like a ballplayer, I talk like a ballplayer, I do the things ballplayers do,’ and people know what that means…He made basketball culture be a subculture of civilization, and it’s on a super-global scale. People don’t even speak English, and they follow Mike.”

Next: The Encyclopedia of Modern Moves

With Jordan blazing the trail for pro basketball players like Westbrook, there exists a broad formula to try to take and make one’s own. Westbrook is doing just that. “When you talk to him, you don’t just box him in as a basketball player,” said O’ Connor. “He’s absolutely zeroed in (no pun intended) on design, fashion, culture… He gives you inspiration…He’s so, I always say, ‘this perfect collision between sports and style,’ and he has a point of view of, ‘Hey, here’s how we could build this story together,’ and we love it. We really do. It’s so unique.”

Again, Westbrook won’t ever be Mike, but like Mike, he’s innovating across culture and sport and making a profound impact in the process. Not Mike. Just like Mike.

*For more information on the Why Not Zero.1s, check this out. The line officially launched Jan. 15 with limited quantities of the Mirror Image colorway available. The 2-Way colorway comes out Feb. 15 and is listed at $125.