The Air Jordan IV shoe was first released in 1989, designed once again by Tinker Hatfield. It wasn’t as revolutionary as the first three Air Jordans, but it still became the first released Jordan Shoe on the world market, with some exceptions. Its fantastic cushioning sole and astonishing design made it to an international bestseller. Original Jordan IV (1989) Original Jordan IV (1989)

Spike Lee, the director/actor who helped in the ad campaign for the Air Jordan III, created the famous Can/Can’t TV commerical. He also gave them promotion in his movie Do The Right Thing. A classic scene in the movie for Jordan fans has a person who has his brand-new AJ IV’s scuffed by a bicycle ryder and goes crazy about it. He places his Shoe on a fire hydrant and cleans it with a toothbrush.

The shoe was retroed in 1994 in a white/black colorway and a black/cement colorway. Stores were sold out of IV’s within hours of release. However, when Nike (or Jordan Brand) released the first Retro+ model of the IVs, many claimed that they “destroyed a classic” by removing the nets on the shoe, among some other subtle changes.

An interesting tidbit contributed Nov. 1, 2005: Because of many complaints of its disturbing anatomic design in the area of the heel, an Achilles tendon irritation was discussed leading to a change of design. Basketball players around the world complained about Achilles tendon or related tissue pain. In some cases partial or even total ruptures of the Achilles tendon after frequent wearing was reported. Nike was sued for this; long lasting trials for compensation of destroyed sport carreers at international courts have started already. Because of this, the 2004 retro model was changed: the Achilles tendon disturbing easy slip-in device was changed from hard plastic to soft and smooth leather.

Original (1989)
White/Black
Black/Cement Grey
Off White-Military Blue
White/Red-Black

Retro (1999-Present)
Black/Cement Grey
White/Black

Retro +
White/Columbia Blue-Midnight Navy
Black/Black-Cool Grey
White/White-Chrome

Re-Retro +
White/Chrome-Classic Green
Cool Grey/Chrome-Dark Charcoal-Varsity Maize
Olive-Oiled Suede-Flight Satin (UNDFTD)

Re-Retro Laser
White/Varsity Red-Black Laser
Black/Varsity Red-Medium Grey Laser