Patrick Johnson 
Russell Westbrook might not be the unanimous MVP like Steph Curry was last year (only because we’re betting on a few Houston and San Antonio media people giving James Harden and Kawhi Leonard their share of first place votes) but there’s no denying that what Russ did this year was otherworldly if not comparable to Steph’s 400 3-point season in 2015. Jordan Brand is celebrating with what very well could be the best Russell Westbrook sneaker release ever, but we say that by default because what else is the head-turning Elephant Print-clad Air Jordan 31 Why Not competing against?
Jordan Brand definitely gets added bonus points for releasing the Jordan 31 Why Not in the Jordan 30.5 tooling Russ has been championing all year with the Jordan 30 outsole unit. It’s the first retail release to do so and mirrors what Westbrook has actually been sporting on-court for the better half of his MVP campaign. The brand even added that galactic hologram on the midsole for a nice nod to former All-Star Game PEs. That being said, it shouldn’t take a season for the ages to get just one Westbrook-themed Jumpman release that you can actually wear on-court.
In the past, there was the Air Jordan 28 “Why Not” and an Air Jordan 1 High PE, but hopefully the viability of Russell Westbrook as not just a number 1 option on his own playoff bound team but a bonafide MVP will set things in motion for Jordan Brand to roll out more Russell Westbrook-themed releases in the future. We’re talking about a retail release of the Air Jordan 3 “Russell Westbrook” of course, followed by the two Jordan 10 “Christmas Day” PEs. We understand that The Brodie is trying to be a fashion icon and the creation of the Jordan Westbrook 0 made enough sense.
But to not utilize your biggest star with OKC-inspired retro colorways, and instead relying on him to push the latest Jordan signature model – one with an overreliance on nostalgia straight from 1985 that doesn’t have any context to the biggest star currently championing the Jumpman logo – isn’t playing to Russell’s strengths. So here’s to hoping that we see more of releases like this Jordan 31 Why Not because Westbrook doesn’t just deserve the MVP, he deserves more strong releases that are as loud and as flashy as his game.
The Air Jordan 31 “Why Not” Russell Westbrook PE will release at select retailers on April 29th, 2017 for $200 USD.
Photos by Kenlu
Air Jordan 31 “Why Not”
Release Date: April 29th, 2017
$200
Style Code: AA9794-003
