words & images // Nick DePaula

With Jordan Brand currently celebrating the first-ever trip to the NBA Finals for one of their signature athletes, it’s only right that Dwyane Wade is being joined by Mike Bibby. It was Bibby, of course, who was apart of the monumental first class of Jordan Team athletes when he joined the league in 1998.

For the past thirteen seasons, Bibby has been a contributing member on several competing teams that have advanced well into the Playoffs and a notable brand ambassador for Jordan Brand. After playoff runs with the Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks, where he was known for his clutch shooting and steady leadership, he’s now hoping to help the Miami Heat’s quest for a title in a more veteran role.

All during this year’s Playoffs, Jordan Brand has been offering up a few different player exclusives for Mike Bibby to wear during each round of the Heat’s journey. After starting off in PE colorways of the CP3.IV versus Philadelphia and Boston, then switching to the 3 Percent Max during the team’s surprisingly swift send-off of the Chicago Bulls, Bibby debuted the Jordan Q-Flight for the first two games of the NBA Finals.

The Q-Flight, crafted by Jordan Senior Designer Tom Luedecke and adopting the “Quick” cushioning platform from this year’s Air Jordan model, is the first-ever Jordan shoe to feature Hyperfuse technology. With oval open mesh windows on both medial and lateral sides of the shoe, the composite mid panel is complimented by leather through the heel and toe, a first in a long line of Fuse products to hit retail. “We’re not going to do it just like Nike, and here, we’re mixing leather with Fuse,” explains Luedecke. “You might say, ‘Oh, maybe that’s a little old school with the leather pieces on there. Nike uses all Fuse.’ Well, that’s intentional. Their goal is not to have any leather on it, and for us, there’s value and a heritage to leather.”

While the Fuse construction and leather overlays are new to the brand, the Jordan Q-Flight carries over the same exact inner bootie found in the 2011 game shoe and an identical outsole design. Underfoot, there’s a healthy 14 mm heel Zoom Air unit and 8 mm forefoot Zoom Air unit to round out the “Quick” cushioning appoach.

Take a detailed look below at the White/ Varsity Red Jordan Q-Flight, coming to retail in July for $120, and check back soon for an in-depth interview with Jordan Senior Designer Tom Luedecke.