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Last week, Jordan flew Complex along with select other members of the sneaker media mafia out to Los Angeles to introduce us all to Chris Paul's latest signature shoe — the CP3.V. (Well, it wasn't so much as an introduction as a get-properly-acquainted — we first saw the shoe at the Jordan Flight Forum in Portland.) Aside from seeing the shoe in countless colorways and watching Paul's Clippers destroy the hapless Houston Rockets from the comfortable confines of Turtle's sports bar in downtown L.A., we received first-hand knowledge from designer Tom Luedecke and Paul himself on what makes the CP3.V tick (and how it helps CP3 play his game). And, on the official day of the shoe's release, we'd like to pass some of that science on to you.
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1) SO, UM, THAT'S A LOT TO TAKE IN. Sorry about that — had to put multiple sketches on one page. Crazy, right? WHY ARE THERE TOEBONES AND STUFF? CREEPY. Because, dear friend, it all starts from the foot. You figure out how the body wants to move, and build the shoe to support and assist that. And even moreso, not to hinder it. Chris Paul's game is predicated on stopping and cutting, so the question is how to enable him to do those things better.
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2) AH. SIMPLER. Yep. Just a simple template to point out some design details. THEY TOOK THE PULL LOOP AND HEEL LOBE STRAIGHT FROM THE CP3.4? LAZY! Nope, just a matter of sticking with what the athlete likes and finds comfortable. If it ain't broke don't fix it. You know? YES, I KNOW. AND THE TRIANGLE "WINDOWS" REPRESENTING NO. 3. CLEVER. Yes. And there are 61 of them on each shoe, paying tribute to Paul's grandfather, Nathaniel Jones, who was murdered at 61. Never to be forgotten.
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3) NICE RENDERING. Thanks. I WASN'T TALKING TO YOU. Right. Jerk. Anyway, ever closer to the actual shoe. You get a better look at the Flywire setup (these babies are light) and how low to the ground it is. IT IS REALLY LOW. Well, Tom Luedecke was the designer of all the Kobe lows, so he knows low and light. And who better to benefit than Chris Paul?
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4) BACK TO SKETCHES? Just a quick refresher on the previous models. How far they've come and whatnot. Weights, what CP3 liked about each shoe, things like that. Basic homework. It's just a way of seeing how thorough a designer can be. NOTED.
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5) HUH, THAT LOOKS SUPER-REALISTIC. Probably because it's a picture of the actual shoe. OH. OOPS. Yep, one of the first two colorways to drop. Seems like they may have known something, seeing that those are pretty neutral colors. WELL, CP3 WANTED OUT ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. WHAT'S PODULON? That's the cushioning setup Chris has had his whole Jordan career. Basically it's different densities of foam utilized in different areas. NO AIR? Nope. But this is a whole level different than when Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman were putting EVA wedges in Onitsuka Tigers back in the early '70s.
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6) SO THAT'S THE OTHER COLOR. Gee, you catch on quick. MAMA DIDN'T RAISE NO FOOLS. You can see the Flywire super-clear here. It may not look that different from the first application, but Flywire continues to get more and more refined.
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7) SO THAT'S PODULON. The heel, primarily. There's a pillar of cushioning in there. And the different colors on the outsole mark the areas of different density foams as well as different traction patterns. SOUNDS COMPLICATED. Here's something that isn't — see the "9" in that little guitar-pick shaped area? UH-HUH. That's the size. CP3 is an avid bowler, and that little detail is taken from bowling shoes. You know, rather than putting it in huge numerals on the heels. CLEVER. Quite. And subtle. There's also a perforation pattern that looks like bowling pins on the toebox of each, and dots on each heel corresponding to the dates of his marriage and the birth of his son.
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8) SO WHAT ARE ALL THESE? Just a whole mess of different colorways. The shiny red ones are for the All-Star game, the blue and whites are just a Clippers colorway. The white ones you've seen. AND THE OTHERS? Click on through, my friend.
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9) THINK PINK. Yup. Kay Yow pink, for Coaches vs. Cancer and breast cancer awareness. Nike's been paired up with the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund for a long time now, and the CP3.V takes to pink quite well, we think.
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10) WHAT THE HECK ARE THOSE? Those would be the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Chris hasn't had too many shoes aimed at telling things about him, so these are rather special. They use the same color palette — the Hydes have the craziness on the outside, the Jekylls on the inside. Basically saying that he's Jekyll off the court and Hyde on it. AH. VERY CLEVER. Indeed. They'll be out this summer. In the meantime, though, you can find the first in-line colors right here.
