The Heir Series: Jordan Brand Unveils First Women's Basketball Shoe

College and WNBA stars are helping unveil the Jordan Heir Series.

Jordan Brand’s latest basketball shoe: the Heir Series. / Jordan Brand

Women's basketball is exploding in popularity thanks to an unprecedented level of talent and exciting personalities. Now, Jordan Brand is building on that progress with a new hoop shoe inspired by the women's game.

Jordan Brand is ushering in a new era of basketball performance and style with the introduction of the Jordan Heir Series: a silhouette that brings forward insights from the women's game yet is built for anyone who sets foot on the court.

Taking direction from bold, defiant athletes like Kiki Rice and Kiyomi McMiller, the Heir Series underscores the space women have seized at the forefront of the game's transformation, using their style of play and self-expression to push boundaries and shape the future of basketball culture.

At the heart of the Heir Series is Jordan Brand's belief that all athletes can benefit from women's insights — and that those insights shouldn't set women and their game to the side.

The Heir Series is the lowest shoe in Jordan Brand’s basketball lineup, enabling the kind of running and cutting that’s central to women’s basketball and now ranks as the top priority for a growing number of all hoopers.

The silhouette builds on Jordan Brand’s legacy of innovating with the female basketball player at the forefront, beginning with the 1998 release of the women’s Air Jordan OG — the Brand’s first model created exclusively for women.

The Jordan Heir Series. / Jordan Brand

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.

Put simply, The women's game is compelling young people all over the world to play basketball like she does, and the Heir Series channels that inspiration into a silhouette every athlete can use to level up.

"We're currently witnessing a pivotal and transformative era for sports, especially women's sports," says Rhyne Howard, a Jordan Brand athlete and Atlanta Dream guard. "This shoe allows us to leverage our understanding of how women play to create products that can benefit all athletes and push the entire sport landscape forward."

Based on feedback from many of the 15 women athletes in the Jordan Brand Family, the Heir Series features an exterior layer of foam that protects a drop-in Cushlon 3.0 midsole, allowing the foot to be as low to the ground as possible to drive a flexible court feel for running and cutting.

A rubber herringbone traction pattern adds to that court feel, enabling quickness and control. Meanwhile, an adaptive, flexible cage inspired by the connection and teamwork central to the women's game surrounds the shoe, driving support and comfort while preventing ankle rolling, the most common injury among women hoopers.

The Jordan Heir Series. / Jordan Brand

"I love how light they are, how comfortable they are, and I feel like I have a lot of support when I run and cut out on the court," says Jordin Canada, also a member of the Dream backcourt and Jordan Brand athlete roster. "It's a great shoe, and for it to be a shoe from women, I'm really glad to be a part of this one."

Further seizing the spotlight are a series of bold and energetic colorways that draw focus to the women's game. The Main Character colorway reflects the bold, confident mindset of female basketball fans and Jordan Brand Family athletes with bright, standout markings and an abstract animal print.

The Her Collective look fuses the favorite colors of each female athlete on the Jordan Brand Family roster, and the YSY colorway offers an exclusive take on the new silhouette in Jordan Brand athlete Yang Shuyu's home country of China.

"Understanding that the Heir Series is specifically designed from my insights as well as other women athletes on the roster is really representative of the change that's going on right now in women's basketball," says Kiki Rice, a Jordan Brand athlete and UCLA guard.

"Being able to contribute to the design and feel of this shoe is something I don't take for granted. I love the aesthetic and think the color blocking lends itself to be a great vehicle for storytelling and advancing the women's game and basketball overall."

The Jordan Heir Series. / Jordan Brand

The Heir Series builds on Jordan Brand's legacy of innovating with the women's game at the forefront, marked by the 1998 release of the women's Air Jordan OG, numerous shoes made for Maya Moore, and Air Jordan 37 and 38 retail models tuned to the female athlete.

Most recently, Air Jordan Player Editions for Rice and Kia Nurse have been released at retail, and female Jordan Brand Family athletes have worn on-court Player Edition models of the Air Jordan, Tatum 2, and Luka 3.

Further, all Jordan Brand basketball footwear is available in extended sizing. The Jordan Brand Heir Series silhouette is now available globally at jordan.com and select retail locations. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Kicks On SI for all your footwear news from the WNBA and beyond.

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