Following the resounding success of the AJ3 in the previous year, the Air Jordan 4 made a spectacular debut in February 1989 during the NBA All-Star tournament. Tinker Hatfield’s influence was evident throughout the shoe, which shared many design cues with its predecessor – with some notable adjustments. Here, we’re taking a look at what makes the AJ4 one of the greats.

The shoe is revered for iconic colourways like ‘Bred’, ‘White Cement’ and ‘Black Cement’, with visible Air through the midsole and its mid-rise build holding appeal on and off the courts. Although it continued with the Swoosh-less design first sported by its predecessor, the Air Jordan 4 also differed in many ways. It was the first silhouette to include ‘Flight’ detailing along with moulded netting and plastic wings and was a lighter shoe than the ones previously. This meant even better gameplay, and there is no better evidence of this than when AJ4 graced the courts in May of ‘89.

Michael Jordan can be credited with no end of iconic moments across his illustrious career, and one of the greatest has to be ‘The Shot’. For those who aren’t familiar, this was Jordan’s game-winning shot in the NBA playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers, securing victory for the Chicago Bulls in the final seconds of the game. And what was he wearing on his feet whilst achieving this feat? The Air Jordan 4, of course.

Not only that, the AJ4 also had a role in Spike Lee’s ‘Do The Right Thing’, which only amplified the iconic status of the fourth Jordan silhouette. A fitting model to continue the success of its predecessors, and undoubtedly one of the grails in the lineage; the Air Jordan 4.

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