Air Jordan has created some of the most iconic sneakers; the brand has had decades to prove it. With a new sneaker range almost every year and a pivotal moment in basketball history to go with it, thanks to Michael Jordan wearing the sneakers on the court, each pair of Air Jordans has a great history behind it and its design. The Air Jordan 4 sneakers have been a cult classic since they first emerged, and here are the best of them.
The Complete Air Jordan 4 History: From 1989 to Icon Status
The Air Jordan 4 first appeared on the court in 1989 and was worn during a pivotal moment in Michael Jordan’s career that solidified his place in history as one of the best basketball players ever and catapulted these sneakers into popularity.
Let’s travel a little in time and put ourselves in Michael Jordan’s shoes for a second (forgive the pun, but I had to). There are three seconds left on the clock in game five of the first round of the NBA playoffs between the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
MJ has been sweating it out on the court, but the Cavaliers are in the lead 100 to 99, and the Bulls need a miracle to win with the time they have left. All eyes are on MJ. With expert precision, he dances around the Cavaliers and jumps, almost seeming to hover in the air for a second. Then, as the buzzer goes, the ball sails through the air and lands in the net.
In what has since been known as “The Shot”, Michael Jordan won the game, pulling off one of the greatest plays in basketball history, all while wearing a fresh pair of Nike Air Jordan 4s. That’s one hell of a history, huh?
Air Jordan 4 Design Breakdown: Features, Tech & Evolution
After years of trying to market the Air Jordan brand as luxury basketball sneakers, Tinker Hatfield took a slightly different approach with the Air Jordan 4s, keeping the luxurious construction while designing the shoes with functionality in mind.
Considering the AJ3s were the sneakers that changed Michael Jordan’s mind about cancelling his contract with Nike, Hatfield kept a few of the design elements that worked for the predecessor while designing the Air Jordan IVs. The Jumpman logo, found on the tongue of the AJ3s, can be seen on the AJ4s with the addition of the word FLIGHT beneath it, perfectly designed for the moment MJ seemed to defy gravity on the court. The Air Jordan 4 also kept the same air unit in the heel as the AJ3, with a slightly higher visual rise in the outsole at the middle of the sole.
Initially, the Air Jordan 4 also had the same Nike Air logo on the heel of the sneaker as the AJ3. Still, in 1999, Nike decided to swap that out for a simple Jumpman logo instead, saying they wanted the sneakers to represent Michael Jordan and the Jumpman brand more than just Nike. This wasn’t a popular choice, and in 2005, the decision was made to transition back to the original logo with the Nike Retro Remaster initiative.
Some of the newer elements that were added included a new polyurethane over-moulded mesh technology that was incorporated on the tongue and panels of the upper to increase the breathability of the sneakers.
KAWS x Air Jordan 4 Retro: Premium Suede Meets Street Art
These iconic grey sneakers were a collaboration effort between the Jordan Brand and Brian Donnelly, aka KAWS, a Brooklyn-based street artist at the time.
The silhouette made a risky move, replacing the plastic support wings with durable, premium grey suede. However, the risk paid off for a sophisticated and streamlined pair of sneakers. The Durabuck of the sneaker’s upper and the midsole have also been replaced with premium grey suede to keep the luxury motif going.
The heel tab was also altered to represent KAWS’ “XX” logo. At the same time, the outsole and the air unit remained the same, but in a combination of excellent grey rubber finished with a translucent outsole.
Air Jordan 4 “Fear”: A Dark Classic from the Fear Pack
Released in August 2013, these sneakers have an array of shades of black and white making up their colourway, including black, white, Cool Grey and Pure Platinum.
Black makes up the majority of the Durabuck upper, the tongue, the laces, the polyurethane mesh, the heel tab, and the bottom part of the upper support wings for the laces, while white accents the black on the outsole, mudguard, and the upper part of the support wings.
Cool Grey and Pure Platinum comprise the rest of the upper, while the midsole unit is a speckled black, housing a visible red Nike Air unit. With a classic design and a colourway that was repeated in the Jordan 3 and the Jordan 5, making it part of the “Fear Pack”, these sneakers had to be included on a list of the best Air Jordan IV sneakers of all time.
Air Jordan 4 “Thunder” (2012): The Bold Black & Yellow Icon
Although we didn’t get a re-release of the whole “Thunder and Lightning” pack of 2006 stardom, we can at least be grateful that we got one half of the duo with the Air Jordan IV Retro “Thunder” in 2012.
Smooth black Durabuc dominates the upper, creating a seamless illusion between the upper and the mudguard and marking the outsole, heel counter, laces, polyurethane mesh, and inner lining.
The accents of the sneaker are a stunning contrasting yellow, making up the sturdy support wings, the midsole housing the Nike Air unit, and the mesh background. Some sneakerheads might not be happy about the Jumpman logo on the heel counter. However, it is a stunning pair of sneakers that still deserves to be on the best Air Jordan IV retro sneakers list.
Air Jordan 4 “Fire Red”: The OG Colourway That Never Dies
The latest version of these sneakers was actually dropped as recently as 2020. The retro sneakers bring back the classic colourway that was part of the quad released in 1989, and is so true to the original that it brought back the iconic NIKE AIR branding on the heel in place of the Jumpman that had controversially replaced it.
The upper part of this pair is stunning, smooth white leather, unlike the Durabuck usually used on AJ4 sneakers, with black and fire red accenting the stark white look.
Black accents the white polyurethane mesh backdrop, as well as the Fire Red branding on the heel counter, while red dominates the rest of the accents of the sneakers, including the sturdy support wings for the laces.
Air Jordan 4 “Cavs”: A Tribute to “The Shot” Rivalry
Celebrating the 23rd anniversary of the epic game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls that facilitated “The Shot”, good sports, Nike, and Jordan brands celebrated the opposing team with these epic sneakers.
Going back to the classic Durabuck upper in jet black, matched on the upper part of the midsole, laces and tongue, the pitch black is complemented by the Game Royal blue on the rest of the upper, including the upper outsole, the inner collar and the background of the heel counter,
The real draw of these sneakers is the Safety Orange accents on the outsole, the support wings and the Jumpman branding of the sneaker, including the Jumpman on the heel counter, which replaced the NIKE AIR branding.
These sneakers were a limited quantity drop in May of 2012, so if you got your hands on them, well done; otherwise, they can sell for as much as $5,000 on resale sites like GOAT.
Air Jordan 4 “Military Blue”: The Clean OG Favourite
Nike loves to bring back their OG colourways for their wearers. But, of course, their wearers love to buy them, so it should be no surprise that many of the retros on this list are actually ones that have been released a few times or are reinterpretations of the original. The Air Jordan 4 Retro “Military Blue” was one such case.
Released in 2012, the sneakers were based on the OG 1989 Off-White/Military Blue colourway. The sneaker swaps out the usual Durabuck upper for smooth white leather on most of the upper, accented by Natural Grey leather on the mudguard.
The Military Blue comes in with the midsole, the Jumpman logo, the support wings, and the heel counter featuring the Jumpman branding instead of the NIKE AIR branding.
Air Jordan 4 “Bred”: The Most Iconic Black & Red Colourway
At this point, if you don’t know that Nike and the Jordan Brand have a pair of sneakers in almost every range with the “Bred” colourway, where have you been?
The “Bred” colourway for Air Jordan was released as part of a Black Friday release in 2012. It was also one of the original colourways that were released in 1989.
The colourway remains true to its roots, with Black, Red (the combination making the name Bred), and Cement Grey, which make up the entire sneaker.
The shoe is blanketed in black Durabuck, only added to by the plastic of the support wing body, the polyurethane mesh, and the rubber-upper midsole.
The main difference from the OG sneakers is that the 2012 model swapped out the traditional NIKE AIR logo on the heel counter for the Jumpman logo, a swap many sneakerheads wanted to be happier about.
Air Jordan 4 “Alternate 89”: A Chicago Bulls-Inspired Classic
These sneakers were designed as part of the “Alternate Collection”, which re-imagined what some of Michael Jordan’s Player Exclusive sneakers would have looked like if they were made on early model Air Jordan sneakers.
Of course, they had to create a pair of Air Jordan IV retro sneakers as part of the collection, basing the design on the Chicago Bulls’ white and red home uniform.
Featuring White Durabuck on the majority of the upper, the outsole, the laces, the heel tab, and the tongue, the deep red of the Chicago Bulls was kept for the accents of the sneakers, like the midsole that housed the Nike Air unit, the polyurethane mesh, the support wings for the laces, and the inner collar.
These sneakers were released as part of the collection, including an Air Jordan 2 “Alternate 89” and an Air Jordan 5 “Alternate 90.
Air Jordan 4 “Legend Blue”: A Luxury Twist on a Classic
Although you might not know it, the “Legend Blue” colourway isn’t an original, as it is a remaster of the 1999 Air Jordan IV “Columnnia” colourway, the first colourway introduced after the quad of original releases in 1989.
That being said, it is still a magnificent pair of sneakers, with a few features that set it apart from other Air Jordan IV sneakers, including that the Durabuck of the sneakers has been entirely replaced with white tumbled leather.
Not only has leather infiltrated the design, but the standard polyurethane mesh of the AJ4 was replaced with perforated leather quarter panels.
The sneakers get their name from the Legend Blue accents on the inner collar, the tips of the plastic support wings, and the midsole, complemented by more white on the outsole.
These are undoubtedly some of the best Air Jordan IV retro sneakers, if not simply for their different take on the design that makes them stand out from the crowd.
Air Jordan 4 “Doernbecher”: A Sneaker with a Powerful Story
You will usually find a pair of Doernbecher sneakers on a list of the best Air Jordans because the Doernbecher Freestyle programme has been the birthplace of many exciting and unique pairs of shoes in the Jordan Brand range.
Patients at the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital can design shoes as part of the programme. At the same time, the sale proceeds of the sneakers go to fund the children’s hospital. This means we get great sneakers that support an even more fantastic cause.
The Air Jordan IV retro Doernbecher sneakers were designed in 2011 by Isaiah Scott, who was 11 at the time and a Leukaemia survivor. You can see Scott’s logo on the upper, a silhouette of his head.
Scott took inspiration from one of his basketball idols, Nate Robinson and Superman, to design his sneakers. Robinson’s green uniform from his performance in the 2009 Slam Dunk competition and Superman’s colours and logo can be found on the shoes.
Scott saw Superman as his alter-ego that helped him fight the battle against Leukaemia and even included bright green to symbolise green Kryptonite, Superman’s weakness, and Leukaemia, Scott’s own personal Kryptonite.
With such a fantastic story and design, it would be impossible for these not to be one of the best Air Jordan IV retro sneakers ever.
Air Jordan 4 “White Cement”: The Ultimate OG Grail
Famous for being one of the first four colourways for the Air Jordan IV released in 1989, it’s easy to see where the sneakers got their name.
The sneaker features the original White, Fire Red, Black and Tech Grey colourway that can be seen on its predecessor. It is complemented by the speckled Cement Grey of the midsole, the heel unit, and the body of the upper lace support wing.
The OG sneakers were retro-ed in 1999 and 2012 after their 1989 initial release. Still, this 2016 model is well-loved by sneakerheads for featuring the NIKE AIR branding on the heel, as the 19891 OG sneakers did.
Air Jordan 4 “Snakeskin”: The Most Luxurious AJ4 Ever Made
It wouldn’t be in the name if Jordan Brand hadn’t covered the entire upper of this sneaker with white and grey Snakeskin, but there is more to the design of these stunning sneakers. The upper also includes tumbled Light Bone leather for the mudguard and tongue, swapping out the usual Durabuck that can be seen on a pair of AJ4s.
The plastic support wings for the laces have been replaced with copper, mirrored with copper heel studs on the heel tab.
While the white Nike Air unit is still visible through a clear window in the midsole, the sneaker makes no further distinction between the midsole and the outsole, keeping everything a uniform bright white.
These sneakers were released in May 2016 and have long since graced many of the Best Air Jordan IV retro sneakers lists because they are one of the best of all time.
Which is your favourite of the best Air Jordan IV retro sneakers of all time?
