The AJ4 Shot Heard Around the World

The Air Jordan 4 is one of the most sought-after sneakers in the Nike collection. Making its debut in 1989, the AJ4 is the shoe that gave MJ a lift when he made “The Shot.” It was the playoff game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The score: Cleveland 100, Chicago 99. Time remaining: three seconds. The play: Jordan puts up the winning shot just before the buzzer. Game over! Bulls 101, Cavaliers 100. The shoes: Air Jordan 4s.

Not only did Jordan's game-winning shot advance the Bulls to the next game in the series, but it also boosted Michael Jordan's status around the world. Consequently, the Air Jordan 4 became the first globally released basketball sneaker in the Jordan brand lineup.

The Air Jordan 4 Design

The Air Jordan 4 is the second sneaker Tinker Hatfield designed for the brand. His first was the AJ3. Taking cues from its predecessor, the AJ4 featured a mid-cut design with a visible Nike Air unit in the heel. Hatfield wanted to keep the luxury feel of the AJ3 but wanted to focus on the sneaker's functionality.

For the Air Jordan 4, Hatfield added a wing lace structure with 18 lacing possibilities, an extended heel tab, and a herringbone outsole. Other elements included Durabuck (synthetic leather) and polyurethane netting over a mesh tongue and side panels. To complete the design, Hatfield put the Nike logo on the heel and added the word Flight beneath the Jumpman logo on the tongue.

Air Jordan 4 Colorways

Nike dropped four colorways in 1989: Military Blue, Fire Red, Black Cement, and White Cement. For the shoes' 10th anniversary, the brand retroed the sneaker in its original colorways. Nike also introduced new color schemes, such as Columbia (Legend Blue and Midnight Navy) and Oreo (Black and Tool Grey). For this iteration, the Jumpman replaced the Nike logo on the heel.

Pop Culture Status

Spike Lee also helped boost the sneaker's status. Lee, who was featured in AJ3 marketing campaigns as Mars Blackmon, also appeared in commercials for the AJ4.

Shimmer: An Exclusive Air Jordan 4 Drop for Women

In 2006, Nike dropped an exclusive Air Jordan 4 Retro for women. In addition to its leather upper, it featured a soft sand palette with Jumpman logos. Since then, the brand has released several AJ4 women's exclusive colorways.

Following the successful launch of Virgil Abloh's reimagined Air Jordan 4s, Nike promised another tonal exclusive for women. After months of anticipation, the brand finally dropped the Air Jordan 4 Retro Shimmer colorway in September 2021. Available on eBay, it preserves the same iconic silhouette as the men's sneaker while including the soft tonal palette similar to Abloh's reimagined version.

Dressed in a synthetic leather upper, the Jordan Retro 4 Shimmer comprises a Bronze Eclipse and Orange Quartz palette. A Metallic Silver Jumpman takes its place on the tongue, and a tonal Jumpman sits on the heel. Touches of white on the midsole and collar help break up the neutral color scheme.