BEHIND THE DESIGN

As the new Air Jordan XXXIII rewrites the story of the greatest basketball shoe on the planet, we sat down with the team who brought the game-changing innovation to life: Ross Klein (Sr. Design Director of Basketball Innovation Footwear), Darron Trobetsky (Sr. Product Line Manager of Basketball and Jordan Footwear), and Tate Kuerbis (Sr. Designer of Jordan Footwear).

In developing a next generation shoe to lift today’s baller to new heights, they looked to some out-of-this world inspiration: space suits. “When you take a space suit and look at the materials, their functionality and purpose, you begin to understand how everything works together—it’s a lot of moving parts to create a system and we took the same attention to detail,” says Tate Kuerbis. You can see how this comes to life right down to the red pull tab on the new FastFit system—a revolutionary entry, tightening, and release system.

FastFit allows the player to have exceptional one-to-one fit, providing a foot-hugging experience. “FastFit is what locks you down,” says Darron Trobetsky. “It holds you down on the footbed, so you feel the plate and Zoom Air bag for a unique one-to-one fit.”
Always focused on innovation, MJ himself pushed to keep the new technology visible. “He didn’t want us to cover the FastFit system. So, one of the big challenges was figuring out a way to expose it,” says Kuerbis. The designers explored over 60 different versions before landing on the final design.

The AJ XXXIII is the first liftoff in the next phase of performance innovation for the brand. “What is an innovation?”asks Ross Klein. “Providing something better that has never been previously available to athletes.” Without giving too much away, Trobetsky continues, “So, how do we continue to do that and make sure the game shoe continues to give you more and more?” For ballers who look for the next big innovation, it’s clear the future is looking up.

Jordan’s latest performance innovation pioneers the future of flight with audacious style. Inspired by flight utility, the AJ XXXIII’s bold form showcases FlightSpeed technology that’s tuned for propulsion and comfort, while the new FastFit system acts as a harness for your foot—all delivered in a lightweight package that provides support without weighing you down. The colorway itself is inspired by the tones of astronaut suits, with hints of red nodding to the brand’s heritage, and a touch of gold to underscore the shoe’s elegance.