Behind the Design of the Women’s Basketball Shoe

Jordan Brand‘s first basketball sneaker designed specifically for women didn’t come two years ago with the launch of the Heir, but rather way back in 1998 with the Air Jordan OG. Sixteen years separated those two sneakers, but the wait for the third is significantly shorter.

The Jordan Heir Series 2 will hit stores in February with a further emphasis on the running and cutting that helps define the women’s game. A new Zoom Air unit at the forefoot serves as the biggest addition, while a reduction could be considered the second, as the TPU cage has been dialed down in the name of weight direction and higher flexibility.

“The Heir Series 1 really put a stake in the sand for us in terms of getting into a women-led model for us,” Leo Chang, senior creative director for Jordan basketball and sport, told Footwear News. “So we’re really excited to come back and continue to improve the performance of it and what we do for women.”

Players indicated to Jordan that they wanted more cushioning without sacrificing court-feel, and the sweet spot was found by adding the forefoot Air Zoom unit within the same Cushlon 3.0 drop-in carrier, as well as another 5mm layer of Cushlon 3.0 foam.

Another request can be filed under aesthetics, as players wanted the shoe to be less chunky in their sightline from above. Tapering does the trick as the midfoot nears the toe, and it’s this area where the TPU cage has been pared down as well.

“With my footwork being an important part of my game, the Heir Series 2 is a performance shoe that provides the flexibility and stability for me to be a force on both ends of the floor,” five-time WNBA All-Star Napheesa Collier said in a release. “Everyone who follows my game knows I was a fan of the Heir Series, but the innovation in the Heir Series 2 has exceeded my expectations.”

The Heir Series 1’s cage extended all the way up the shoe to serve as eyestays, but the new one stops well short just above the midsole. Wavy synthetic strips are fused onto the mesh in its stead to not give up on lockdown entirely but still allowing greater flexibility and better encouraging transitions.

On the Heir Series 2’s launch colorway, these fused elements appear in black to match the tongue, liner and laces. A nuetral theme continues with white used for the TPU cage, vamp, eyestay and collar — which allows some of the favorite colors of players polled to standout in the remaining area: highlighter pink, green and yellow.

A functional Easter egg can be found at the heel, as an additional loop below the heel pull has been designed to hold spare hair ties.

“It’s a nice little touch, and you’ll see other things as we tell other stories going into fall that will have other accessories,” Chang said of the feature.

Although it hasn’t been adopted as widely as Sabrina Ionescu’s unisex Nike Sabrina series, the Heir Series 1 has been worn by NBA players including Tim Hardaway Jr. Chang expects that to continue with Series 2 and says many of the same principles carry over even if the shoe was expressly designed for women.

The Jordan Heir Series 2 will release Feb. 20 through Jordan’s website and select third-party retailers. Pricing is set at $130.