Jordan Why Not Zer0.1 REVIEW – Just PHENOMENAL
The triple-double machine. Last year’s MVP. The most savage player on earth – Russell Westbrook just received his very first signature shoe from none other than Jordan brand. Men… It’s about damn time Jordan.
And much like Westbrook’s insanely athletic, inhuman like playing style and his savage personality on & off the court, the Why Not Zer0.1’s just brought us one of the most stupidly crazy silhouettes in the entire history of ball sneakers to highlight & match his beastly identity.
So without any further ado, let’s see if these bad boys are able to deliver some damn mad performance. Welcome to my in-depth Jordan Why Not Zer0.1 REVIEW.
Let’s get it!
MAIN SPECS
WEIGHT: 16.00 oz / 453.5 g
TECH: FULL-LENGTH ZOOM AIR, FLIGHTWEB
TYPE: MID-TOP
COLORWAYS: 1+
FIT: TRUE TO SIZE
RETAIL PRICE: $125
BD RATING: 8.4/10
BEST PLACE TO BUY: FINISH LINE
PERFORMANCE
MATERIALS
Even though on paper this mesh\fuse combo might seem to be cheap or something taken from a Nike’s team model, any doubts disappear when you actually put them on for the first time. This stuff is simple as it gets, yet again, with the right layering & build; this makes it for a whole different experience. You’re receiving that amazing blend between outstanding comfort & unbeatable containment. That being said, it should now make more sense why the Jordan brand decided to take this route, instead of releasing yet another Flyknit upper.
Rock solid lock-down and containment are the key elements to meet the demands of Russell Westbrook aka Mr. Triple Double. He’s the league’s most tremendous athlete who puts the insanely amount of force in his step and to keep his feet upon lateral movements is a big mission to deal with. That’s where the fuse covering comes in doing its dirty work by keeping his feet completely isolated from any kind of unnecessary move or slip, while performing some crazy stuff.
Now how about this insane-looking heel counter? I saved it for SUPPORT section. So keep reading.
CUSHION
The Why Not Zer0.1 (that’s one heel of a name) does feature a new to the game bottom loaded full-length Zoom Air cushion setup within the Phylon carrier. I must say, this was a banger for me. So freaking awesome that I’m even wearing them right now, while writing this performance review. Because WHY NOT?
I thought it would be nice to make a short cushion tooling comparison between the Why Not Zer0.a’s and AJ 32’s as both of these two will probably draw up the biggest part of Jordan’s salary this year (in basketball performance department alone). So let’s take them apart and see what’s inside.
Air Jordan 32
Two SEGMENTED Zoom Air units:
- Forefoot UNLOCKED Zoom Air unit – 11 mm. thick
- Heel BOTTOM LOADED Zoom Air unit – 14 mm. thick
Jordan Why Not Zer0.1
Full-length Zoom Air:
- 8 mm. thick
Although the AJ 32 does have a pretty solid advantage as far as the unit thickness goes, the Zer0.1 didn’t feel like it was lacking in cushion department, if compared only the forefoot. Same awesome responsiveness. Same solid impact protection & bounciness. Everything works a charm. Guards are gonna love this setup.
However, the heel section is where that 6 mm. difference is noticeable. Just don’t get me wrong, it still does a solid job by offering you enough impact protection if you do use your heel more often or you’re a big guy. But I would prefer having the bottom loaded Zoom Air unit instead, mainly because it does feel more active & springy to me, automatically adding more impact protection.
TRACTION
SUPER tight traction pattern. Translucent rubber. It could only mean dust problems for days, right? For any other shoe it might, but for these bad boys – NO.
The Jordan brand continues this successful run of circular multi-directional traction patterns and this particular implementation might be the best one yet. I’m not even exaggerating man. It didn’t matter what kind of conditions I throw at them, there was only one outcome – STRAIGHT UP GLUE. That’s one hell of a beastly traction.
It really sets the bar how traction supposed to be done, covering you’re every single step, every single tinny move and making you concentrate only in your game.
FIT
THE BEST ONE
Again, this isn’t any kind of Flyknit upper or something close to that. But it doesn’t limit from receiving one of the best fit experiences I had for a long period of time. How did they manage to make that happen? I really don’t have a clue. But I know one thing for sure. I’m loving it.
This time around Jordan brand just went HAM making the inner side of the heel so freaking heavily padded that it’s even scary to think how comfy that section was. You slide your foot in, and all of a sudden that perfectly molded heel in tandem with those huge pillows just “swallow” your foot & lock nicely into the foot bed. Sound good, right?
In addition, they did fit me pretty tight laterally at the point where it feels like the shoe becomes your foot’s extension, giving you that awesome contained one-to-one fit and not feeling like your foot is suffocating. My advice for narrow/regular footers would be going true to size. As wide foot owners should be happy going up 1/2 size.
Talking about suffocation, due to the fuse layer the shoe gets SUPER hot after a few games. It’s like a desert in your shoe. Personally, this isn’t a huge deal breaker for me, but for someone else it could be. So I’m just pointing that out for you.
Oh, and one more important thing. Even though they do look pretty damn bulky & heavy in-hand, this doesn’t transfer to their actual performance on the hardwood which is awesome.
SUPPORT
Not only this heel counter takes home the biggest heel counter in the business award, but it actually delivers some beastly lockdown as well. No heel slippage. No unwanted lateral movement. NOTHING. Just pure lockdown.
Now, the other crazy part about the shoe’s support would be the midsole itself. As it might sound crazy, these things do not feature a torsional shank or actual outriggers, leaving only Phylon & full-length Zoom Air unit to deal with Westbrook’s force. Yeah. It’s pretty wild.
Of course, Jordan brand knew what they’re doing while constructing this beastly ass midsole, which is completely capable of keeping your ass from lateral movements and making the ride really damn stable, without having any additional backup. Sorry Curry 4… The Why Not Zer0.1 takes the cake with this one.
Much like the same stuff on the ANTA KT3, the ankle strap on the Zer0.1’s is just there for the looks, not making any impact upon containment whatsoever. Even so, it does look fresh with that embossed logo though.
But I’m not done yet. Although the lacing system is hiding under the fuse covering, you still need to tie your laces in order to create a proper fit, leaving me with a question – why the heel you would ever need a toggle? I’ve never used it. It’s basically useless. Oh, sorry… It’s not useless. It’s for the looks. And I’m kind of diggin’ it.
OVERALL
Signature sneaker. Jumpman logo. All-around KILLER performance. Outstanding looks. For $125? What’s up with that price cheese Jordan brand? That’s one hell of a steal, man.
The AJ 32’s for $185? Hell no! I’m taking these bad boys instead on any day of the week. Keeping those $ 60 in my pocket or spending on a nice lifestyle pair, like the New Balance 247.
Hands down, the Jordan Why Not Zer0.1 is the best value for the money Jordan basketball sneaker in the market right now. And if you’re looking for a new pair of ball shoes, these are the only ones I would take. No hesitation whatsoever.
GRAB THEM NOW ON FINISH LINE
Hope you enjoyed my Performance Review on the JORDAN WHY NOT ZER0.1. Will you be picking them up on February 15th? Let me know!
If you have any questions don’t hesitate to comment down below!
Nice rivew!
I am thinking about getting these but kind of concerned about rubber durability. I want them to last more than a year but is the rubber durable enough? I play about 5 hours every week only in indoor courts.
Thank you!
Thanks man!
Durability shouldn’t be an issue playing in indoor courts. ADVICE – I would skip the colorways with translucent rubber outsoles and go with solid ones instead. In most cases, they do feature firmer rubber and better bite.
hey man,
im a shoe collector like you. i have 12 pairs of kds, 7 pairs of kyries, 9 pairs of kobes, 4 pairs of currys, 13 pairs of lebrons, 6 pairs of air jordans 30-32, 11 pairs of pg1s, 3 pairs of hyperdunks, 4pairs of hardensand 3 pairs of russell westbrooks. aestheitcally which is ur favorite looking shoe? my top 3 is the kd 10, kobe ad low, and the kyrie 3. also which one is ur favorite performance wise? mine is the kd 10 or harden ls
thanks for the website! its awesome
Damn bro! Pretty impressive collection you have. I’m digging it. So you all out on hoop sneakers or you also collect lifestyle sneakers too?
Aesthetically, it must be the AJ 32’s. Now talking about the overall performance, the LeBron 15 is in #1 spot of my rotation right now.
Thanks for the support!
I’m a 5’3 guard (103 pounds in weight) but I basically have to play every position on the court sometimes and I do have to jump a lot and I’m very explosive I do have some knee problems and I just wanna know if I should choose these or the KDXs because I want good cushion aswell as traction which the KDs traction is mediocre.
You should be all covered by picking up the Why Not Zero.1. Yeah, traction is definitely on a weaker side, yet support is just another area where KD’s aren’t shinning at all. Especially the 11’s – those are simply atrocious in that department.
How do you change the sneaker laces when the start looking bad?
That’s a good freaking question… Unfortunately, there’s probably only one way to do it and it’s by removing that shroud on top. Yep, it sucks…