Westbrook debuts his signature shoe
LOS ANGELES — This is where Russell Westbrook grew up, where he used to stand in line to buy basketball players’ signature shoes.
It’s the city where the Thunder point guard learned the game and developed a flair for fashion, and that made Wednesday’s nationally televised game against the Lakers a logical spot to debut his own shoe.
Westbrook took the court at the Staples Center wearing the new Jordan Why Not Zer0.1.
It’s Westbrook’s first “performance” shoe, built for wearing on the court. His previous Jordan Brand shoes were lifestyle, offcourt shoes.
On Wednesday, Westbrook wore the “Mirror Image” colorway and made a strong debut in them, scoring 14 points and dishing out eight assists in the first half against the Lakers.
The shoe was plastered with imagery on a smooth front, meant to evoke a room covered in posters. It features a jagged black heel.
There also will be a
“2-Way” colorway in white with a black heel.
“This shoe is futuristic and something that people will take a double look at,” Westbrook said in a release.
According to a release, Westbrook played a significant part in the shoe’s development, helping guide the design and the performance. He put the shoe through a series of tests and provided feedback afterward to Jordan designers and Wilson Taylor, the Thunder’s equipment manager.
“The biggest part is the amount of comfort and security the shoe provides,” Westbrook said in a release. “It allows me to move and jump at a fast pace, something that I think is very, very important.”
The Mirror Image — a limited-edition shoe — will be on sale beginning on Jan. 15. The 2-Way version releases on Feb. 15 with a retail price of $125.
Ferguson gets first start
First at shootaround and then in pregame, Thunder coach Billy
Donovan declined to name who he’d start in place of injured guard Andre Roberson.
When the news game out, it was a stunner. Rookie Terrance Ferguson, who entered the night averaging 7 minutes per game, got the start, the first of his NBA career in the Thunder’s 133-96 win. Ferguson hadn’t played in five of the Thunder’s previous eight games and had played double-digit minutes twice in the previous 11.
Ferguson played 14 first-half minutes and didn’t score, missing his only shot, a first-quarter 3-pointer from the corner. But he came on in the second half, scoring 24 points and making six three-pointers which tied a Thunder rookie record. He also set a Thunder rookie record for points in a half.
In Sunday’s loss to Dallas, Ferguson played 14 minutes and scored two points.