By: Verge Cayabyab, Sports Specialist
The third installment of the Russell Westbrook’s signature sneaker line with Jordan Brand is here and it’s still as unique as Russell himself coming with a variety of loud colorways to boot. Now, being eye-catching on the court is great and all, but what’s important is seeing how well it performs as a basketball shoe. It’s time to see whether the Zero.3s perform as well as its predecessor.
Traction
The Why Not Zero.3 features a modified herringbone traction pattern that performed really well. They gripped the court hard and I just felt stuck to the floor most of the time. Dust was never really a huge problem and only minimal wiping is required (unless you’re playing in an extremely dusty court).
The traction also performs well outdoors. I have been using it outdoors for XXX time and it hasn’t shown any signs of wear and tear so far and that’s a good thing. However, the rubber does feel quite soft despite being made of XDR, so if you plan to play in these exclusively for outdoor courts, you can expect it to burn through the rubber twice as fast.
Cushion
The cushion for the Why Not Zero.3 features articulated Zoom Air, the same setup used in the Kyrie 6. The only difference is that the cushion also features horizontal flex grooves that aims to enable linear speed.
There’s no cushioning on the heel but the shoe does use Injected Phylon for the midsole. Despite the minimal cushioning set up in the heel, the shoe feels very comfortable and will help with minor impact.
If you’ve played in the Kyrie 6, you’ll definitely like the way the Why Not Zero.3’s cushioning set-up feels on feet.
Materials
The materials used in the Why Not Zero.3 are a blend of textile material and skins with stitching to provide reinforcement as well as adding design cues. There’s also a sleek double padded collar for in foot comfort.
Fit & Lockdown
The Why Not Zero.3 fits true to size lengthwise, but they do feel a bit wide in the forefoot area when you first put them on. I usually prefer shoes with a snugger fit than what the shoe provided but the shoe fit me well enough that it didn’t bother me much when I started playing. If you have wide feet, you might like the way these fit.
In terms of lockdown, I would say it’s good enough. As I’ve alluded to in the section above, I usually play in more constricting (in a good way) shoes and these aren’t as snug as, say, the Kyrie 6, but they get the job done. The clear TPU midfoot strap also helps in keeping my foot down on the footbed and it really helped improve the fit in my experience.
Overall, the Jordan Why Not Zero.3 is a solid basketball shoe. They’ve got great traction, comfortable cushioning, and it provides support where and when you need it. Sure, the shoe is not exactly MY cup of tea but it’s got enough going for it that would definitely appeal to a wide variety of players out there.
At a price point of P 6,745, the shoe lands at really good spot. You get a signature shoe with amazing tech specs at a relatively affordable price compared to the bigger names in the game (LeBrons and Kobes) so they definitely won’t break the bank.
As always, if you’re interested, make sure you check out your nearest Toby’s Sports store or visit Tobys.com. And don’t forget to follow us on all Facebook and Instagram pages to stay up-to-date with all the latest on anything and everything Toby’s.
