The Air Jordan 4 released in 1989 as Tinker Hatfield's second Jordan design and the first Jordan made available globally. It's also one of only three Jordans (alongside the AJ1 and AJ11) that unquestionably sit in the top tier of sneaker cultural significance.
Hatfield's design brief for the AJ4 was performance visibility — the AJ4 was the first Jordan to feature visible mesh paneling on the upper, aggressive plastic wing eyelets that would influence decades of basketball footwear, and the visible Air unit from the AJ3 refined into a more aerodynamic shape.
Signature cultural moments:
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Do The Right Thing (1989):
Spike Lee's film features Buggin' Out obsessing over his brand-new White Cement AJ4s — one of the most famous sneaker references in cinema history
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Michael Jordan's 1989 "Shot" over Craig Ehlo:
Jordan hit the series-winning shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers wearing the AJ4 Bred
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Eminem collaboration (2005):
"Encore" colorway is among the most expensive Jordans ever produced, with pairs selling for $30,000+
Signature colorways:
- White Cement — the OG from 1989, foundational colorway
- Bred — black/red, worn during Jordan's iconic "The Shot"
- Fire Red — black upper with red accents
- Military Blue — navy-gray color-blocking
- Cool Grey — 2004 retro that defined mid-2000s Jordan retro culture
- Thunder — yellow/black mamba-inspired
Collaborations:
Travis Scott AJ4 (2018, "Cactus Jack"), Kaws (2017 — $350 retail, $2,000+ resale), Off-White (2020 "Sail" and 2020 "Black"), Eminem "Encore" (2005), Undefeated (2005, $25,000+ pairs).
Retail:
$215 for standard High OG retros.
JustFreshKicks covers every Air Jordan 4 release — OG colorway retros, collaborations, and new releases — with release dates, images, and launch links.