Before the start of the 2018-2019 season, the NBA lifted a long-standing restriction on players’ footwear for the first time in league history. The change gave the players the freedom to wear the shoes of their choice, instead of being restricted to the required white, black, or team-colored sneaks. Naturally, Russell Westbrook and the Jordan Brand have taken full advantage.
Since the restriction was lifted, NBA players have been showing around a ton of absurd shoes. But Russ has taken it to another level. The Why Not Zero.2 is 100% Westbrook, from the wild colors to the eccentric form. Russ poured his over-the-top fashion sense into this shoe which currently dominates the sneaker world—colorful, chunky, and ugly in all the right ways.
This may very well be the best fashion move that Russell Westbrook has made. For years, sneakerheads and basketball enthusiasts buy and collect signature shoes not so much because of how they look, but for the names attached to them. There have been as many flops as hits when it comes to player-named kicks. Who could forget that god-awful Steph Curry 2 pair for titos and dads who crack the not-so-funny jokes? But Curry was then a two-time MVP, so the shoes still sold pretty well. We’re not trying to shame The Chef here, we’re just saying that it was a genius move on Westbrook’s part to bring in something at the perfect time.
We’ve been seeing people wear basketball sneaks with their casual clothes for some time now, but it always felt baduy. But with the Why Not Zero.2, care of the Jordan Brand and Russell Westbrook, you now have sneakers that work on the court and slay on the streets.
The Why Not Zero.2 hit stores yesterday, so you should probably go get a pair and follow the steps of this generation's fashion icon, Russell Westbrook.
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