The Air Jordan 4 ‘Military Blue’ Returns True to Form
The launch colorway resurfaces with original details for the first time since 1989.
Michael Jordan entered the NBA in 1984. By 1988, he had cemented his status as a once-in-a-generation talent, earning Defensive Player of the Year and MVP accolades. At the same time, his creative counterpart at Nike, Tinker Hatfield, began engineering Jordan’s legacy off the court, building on the meteoric success of his inaugural Jordan sneaker design, the groundbreaking Air Jordan 3. Going into 1989, the duo were ready to close out the decade with another pair of dominant performances. Enter the Air Jordan 4.
Design Meets Technology Meets Performance
Expanding upon earlier models in the Jordan series, Hatfield incorporated innovations like urethane-coated mesh quarter panels and synthetic durabuck overlays on the forefoot to make his new concept more breathable and durable than its predecessor. A visible Air unit housed in the heel showcased the Swoosh’s cutting-edge cushioning, while the model’s molded eyelets and “wings” lacing system ensured a lightweight, lockdown fit—a perfect complement to Michael Jordan’s high-flying on-court acrobatics. From a creative standpoint, the sneaker proved to be revolutionary and by the time MJ sunk “The Shot” over the Cleveland Cavaliers’ forward Craig Ehlo in the 1989 NBA Eastern Conference playoffs, the Air Jordan 4 was on its way to becoming an icon.
Originally released in four colorways, the AJ4, like other Jordan models before it, debuted with options that paired perfectly with the hues of the Chicago Bulls. Those included the ‘Fire Red,’ ‘White Cement’ and ‘Black Cement’ (more commonly known in the present as ‘Bred’). Of those first four, only one eschewed a black and red palette entirely: ‘Military Blue.’ While Jordan wore every other launch colorway on the court at one point or another, the bold blue makeup clashed with the league’s uniform regulations, remaining the odd one out with respect to Jordan’s playing career. Nonetheless, the silhouette soon took flight and became a recurring motif far beyond the four lines of the basketball court.
Soaring Through Cinema and Music
In front of the camera, the Air Jordan 4 stepped into the spotlight through the artistic vision of Spike Lee. Already creating the narrative around Jordan’s sneakers in TV commercials under the guise of his sneaker-obsessed Mars Blackmon character, Lee incorporated the AJ4 into his 1989 film Do the Right Thing. Immortalized on the feet of Giancarlo Esposito’s character Buggin' Out, the silhouette served as a metaphor for the rising tension in Brooklyn, simultaneously mirroring the real-life proliferation of Jordans on city sidewalks.
Since its iconic closeup in Lee’s cinematic classic, the Air Jordan 4’s cultural power has only accelerated. With countless colorways, collaborations and reinterpretations released over the last 35 years, the Hatfield-designed silhouette is practically a wardrobe essential regardless of where someone falls on the style spectrum or even what year it is. Take, for example, Jay-Z, who wore a pair of ‘Breds’ while sitting courtside at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in 2012 or Billie Eilish, who took the stage at this year’s Coachella in ‘Fire Reds.’ And now due for a dominant 2024? ‘Military Blue.’
‘Military Blue’ Trades Court Heritage for Culture
Despite often being overshadowed by its fellow launch options, the clean, unconventional iteration has gone on to earn a cult following by carving out its own lane since premiering nearly four decades ago. “‘Military Blue’ always represented this very nostalgic and OG era of Michael Jordan colorways,” explains former pro skateboarder Jimmy Gorecki. “I actually grabbed three or four pairs around the time of that first retro and one by one put them all to use.” Despite being signed to Pharrell’s Ice Cream skate team at the time, Gorecki couldn’t help but wear a pair while putting together skate footage in the Italian Market district of his native Philadelphia.
The colorway even made it as far as Hollywood. Case in point: While working on his explosive 1991 film Backdraft, director Ron Howard wore a pair on set in a now-legendary press shot. “Ron Howard is one of those low-key celebrity sneakerheads, I've seen pictures of him wearing great shoes throughout his whole career,” says sneaker curator Trainer Spotting. In a photo for Newsweek to promote the film, the director sat in front of a backdrop of raging flames, ‘Military Blue’ resting comfortably on foot amidst the visual chaos. “His Jordans look a bit beat up, apparently he wore them while working on set. It's a practical thing, and it makes the whole picture even greater.”
The only thing different on both Jimmy and Ron’s pairs from the 1989 version was the Jumpman logo in place of the Nike Air branding on the heel tab. When the colorway came back around for its second retro in 2012, not only did it maintain Jumpman branding on the back tab, it hit shelves the same weekend as the Air Yeezy 2, flying under the radar as the sneaker community clamored for Kanye West’s era-defining silhouette. But now, 35 years since the colorway’s debut, ‘Military Blue’ returns true to form for the first time ever.
Original Details for a New Generation
The Air Jordan 4 Retro ‘Military Blue’ 2024 reprises the original’s detailing, swapping the Jumpman logo of the previous two re-releases for the original Nike Air branding that graced the shoe’s rear in 1989. Its subtle two-tone upper, featuring smooth white leather and grey nubuck overlays, is punctuated by hits of industrial blue on the molded eyelets, mesh panel underlays and back tab. Faithful to the original concept, the only Jumpman logo adorns the tongue patch. The silhouette’s signature exposed Air unit is visible in the heel, supported by encapsulated Air in the forefoot. A herringbone-traction pattern on the outsole anchors the design.
Releasing May 5, 2024, the AJ4 Retro ‘Military Blue’ honors over three decades of the silhouette’s influence on and off the court. The result is an audacious iteration that pays homage to Hatfield’s original design, the Air technology that helped MJ set records and the culture that continues to champion greatness.
The Air Jordan 4 Retro 'Military Blue’ 2024 is available on the app and GOAT.com