Sneakers You Need To Know: Air Jordan 4
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By Stadium Goods |Sneakers You Need To Know: Air Jordan 4
Everything you need to know about one of the most beloved Air Jordan models ever.
Matt DeSciora
The early years of Nike’s Air Jordan collection were about the brand establishing Michael Jordan’s signature shoes as the coolest and most innovative basketball sneakers in the world. In order to market Jordans as such, Nike needed to get creative with its storytelling and design concepts, and of course, make sure that the shoes could perform well on the court.
Through circumstance, Nike was able to flex its creative muscles right out of the gate with the Air Jordan 1 “Banned” campaign in 1985 centered around the NBA’s disdain for the black and red shoe. A year later, the Air Jordan 2 became the first basketball sneaker to feature luxurious Italian leather on its design. You could argue the Air Jordan 3 was when Nike really started to get the ball rolling, as it was the first of many Jordans designed by legendary Nike footwear designer Tinker Hatfield. The Jordan 3 was worn by Jordan in the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest, which is widely considered the best iteration of the event, and was featured in memorable commercials with Spike Lee.
By the time Nike released the Air Jordan 4 in 1989, the brand had seemingly perfected the formula in how to design and market a basketball sneaker everyone wanted to wear.
The same intriguing storytelling elements that made the first three Air Jordan sneakers so popular also made the Air Jordan 4 the most in-demand shoe on Earth at the time. On the performance end, it was more lightweight than its predecessors thanks to Hatfield’s decision to design the shoe with mesh panels on the tongue and mid-panel, a first for the Air Jordan series. It also featured visible Air technology, a component that had been central to the success of Nike’s burgeoning Air Max collection, which was also created by Hatfield. And like the Jordan 3, the Jordan 4 was again promoted by Lee and Jordan in commercials.
We know how the rest of the 1990s and beyond played out for Nike and specifically, Jordan: a slew of individual accolades capped off with six NBA championships. For Nike, the footwear brand mortgaged its future on Jordan and his Air Jordans and won. Emphatically.
The turning point of Nike and Jordan’s—and even Hatfield’s—successes can be traced back to the Air Jordan 4 and for that, the sneaker is rightfully considered one of the greatest basketball shoes in history.
If you’ve ever wanted to know more about the history of the Air Jordan 4, including its original colorways, best collaborations, and more, you’re at the right place.
This is everything you need to know about the Air Jordan 4.
Air Jordan 4 Colorways
The original Air Jordan 4 was released in four colorways in 1989. They were: the “Bred,” “White Cement,” “Fire Red,” and “Military Blue.” Of the four, Jordan wore three in the NBA, with the “Military Blue” being more of a “lifestyle” colorway meant to be worn off the court as it didn’t feature the familiar red, black, and white team uniform colors of the Bulls.
Years after its original launch, the Jordan 4 was a part of Jordan Brand’s “Retro+” collection that reimagined Jordans in colorways meant to be worn with casual outfits. The “Oreo” and “Columbia” (which has since been repackaged as the “Legend Blue”) were two popular, non-original releases from the early aughts. Other notable non-OG Jordan 4s include 2006’s “Thunder” and “Lightning,” the UNC-inspired “University Blue,” and “Red Thunder.”
Air Jordan 4 Collaborations
The Air Jordan 4 has been included in some of the best sneaker collaborations in history. California based sneaker boutique Undefeated co-created a super rare, military-inspired olive green Jordan 4 colorway in 2005 that was released in limited quantities. Almost two decades later, Undefeated’s Jordan 4 is still highly desirable. As is the case with another extremely rare Air Jordan 4 collaboration from a year earlier: hip-hop star Eminem’s “Encore” colorway. The sneaker, which pays tribute to Eminem’s 2004 studio album of the same name, was limited to just 50 pairs that were given away to a few contest winners and the rapper’s friends and family.
More recently, the likes of KAWS, Union, Off-White, Travis Scott, Olivia Kim, Levi’s, and Drake have all worked with Jordan Brand on putting their respective spins on the Air Jordan 4.
Air Jordan 4 History
The Air Jordan 4 was a part of some of the most memorable moments of Jordan’s career, including when he hit “The Shot” against Craig Ehlo of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of the first round of the 1989 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs. In that game, he wore the “Bred” colorway, the same shoe Jordan debuted at the ‘89 All-Star Game. He wore the Jordan 4 “Fire Red” throughout the second half of the ‘89 NBA regular season, and occasionally the “White/Cement” was in his rotation, too.
Away from the court, the Air Jordan 4 made history when it became the first Jordan shoe to make a cameo appearance on the silver screen when “Buggin’ Out” wore the original “White/Cement” colorway in Lee’s “Do the Right Thing.” Once Buggin’ Out took a toothbrush to his Jordan 4s, the shoe—and previous and future Air Jordans—were established as the most popular sneakers in the world.
Air Jordan 4 Sizing
You probably want to add a pair of Jordan 4s (or three or four?) to your collection by now, right? Great. But before you do, you should probably know how to size the shoe.
The Air Jordan 4 runs true-to-size—or “TTS” in sneaker parlance. If you have a narrow foot, and we mean a very, very narrow foot, you could probably comfortably size down ½ a size from your normal Air Jordan size. Otherwise, we advise you to keep it cool and stick with whatever size you commonly wear in most athletic sneakers.
Top Flight
OK, now you’re good to go with one of the greatest sneakers of all time. The only thing left to do? Pick up your favorite colorways now at Stadium Goods, of course.