A New Era of Jordan Brand Has Dawned With the Heir Series

When new CEO Elliott Hill spoke of Nike’s future recently, one of the key points he reiterated was their renewed focus on the athlete and sport. The Swoosh are now putting their money where their mouth is with the Heir Series – a whole new basketball line-up that was designed using feedback from Jordan Brand’s signature female athletes. Hailed as the new era in Jordan Brand’s legacy, the Heir Series brings a whole new dimension of performance to women’s basketball sneakers while also creating a product for anyone to play in.

The performance design of the Heir Series takes inspiration from the explosive play of athletes like Kiki Rice and Kiyomi McMiller and focuses on the importance running and cutting has in women’s basketball. To allow for this style of play, the sneaker features an exterior layer of foam that covers a drop-in Cushlon 3.0 midsole and a rubber herringbone traction pattern on the outsole. The former inclusion supports running and cutting by allowing the foot to be as low to the ground as possible, and the latter enhances that court feel while also enabling quickness and control. Additionally, the most common injury for women hoopers is ankle rolling, so an adaptive and flexible cage has been added to the outside of the upper for additional support and comfort.

The design ethos of the Heir Series is reminiscent of Tinker Hatfield’s desire to solve problems for people with his creations, and it also taps into his storytelling flair since there is a lot more to the design than just functionality: ‘At the heart of the Heir Series is Jordan Brand’s belief that all athletes can benefit from women’s insights … this philosophy manifests in the Heir Series’ emphasis on running and cutting, which are historically the most critical aspects of the women’s game and now rank as the top priority for a growing number of all hoopers, nodding to the influence female athletes have on the evolution of the sport.’

Jordan Brand aren’t releasing the series quietly either, coming through with a slew of bold colourways including the ‘Main Character’ iteration that is designed to reflect the confident mindset of female basketball fans and Jordan Brand athletes through bright colours and abstract animal print. Two Jordan Heir Series colourways are available right now online and in store, with the rest expected to follow. It also comes at quite an affordable price point at $110.