Pure Star Quality: Jordan 16 x Russell Westbrook Why Not?
On September 25, 2001, Michael Jordan announced he was stepping down as President of Basketball Operations and relinquishing his stake as a part-owner in the Wizards to lace up his Air Jordans and get back in the game.
The man who retired from basketball twice was back on the court again as a Washington Wizard. Michael Jordan wore the Air Jordan 16 Ginger model during the pre-season before switching to the AJ 17s in 2002, so the AJ 16 got to see some on-court time.
Air Jordan 16 History & Development
Michael Jordan began the new millennium by leaning further into his role as a businessman. With CEO of the Jordan Brand already on his resume, Jordan became part-owner and President of Basketball Operations for the Washington Wizards in January 2000.
With Jordan no longer playing basketball, simply attaching a Jumpman logo to a new design wasn't going to be enough to keep the Air Jordan line on its successful run. It had to continue to be innovative and buzzworthy. And with Tinker Hatfield's announcement that he was taking a break from designing Air Jordans (after over a decade), the Jordan Brand now needed to find a new designer. Wilson Smith III stepped in as lead designer for the Jordan Brand, with big shoes to fill to make the Air Jordan 16 a standout.
Smith's idea was to create a shoe that symbolized Michael Jordan's new life as a businessman on the outside, while still representing the game that made him who he was underneath. The Air Jordan 16 featured a uniquely designed removable shroud, a first for the line. Inspired by a marching band boot, the shroud gave the shoe a clean and streamlined look, fit for the office. However, when the shroud was removed, the result was a classic basketball shoe with plenty of Air Jordan heritage.
In homage to prior Air Jordan models, the design incorporated a patent leather toe box reminiscent of the AJ 11s, translucent outsoles like the AJ 5s, 6s, and 11s and a more traditional Air Jordan shape - something the Air Jordan 15 didn't have.
Nike celebrated Russell Westbrook’s return to Washington by releasing a trainer pair: a black Air Jordan 16 Why Not? sold together with a white Converse Chuck 70. The two trainer styles were released as a package and sold out the same day. The all-black Jordans are a reference to Westbrook’s favourite leather jackets. The uppers are black leather with mesh insets. A silver metal Why not? Logo sits atop the black tongue. The only other relief from black is at the bottom of the Zoom Air sole in translucent white. You can snazz up these Jordan 16s by wearing the embroidered trainer shroud. Made of smooth and textured black leather, they feature embroidered chain links. Magnetic silver snaps keep the shroud closed. The Chuck 70s carry the same embroidery in white, emphasizing the package nature of the sale.