Michael Jordan’s Shattered Backboard Comes to the Air Jordan 5
Introduced on the Air Jordan 1 in 2015, an iconic story comes to MJ’s fifth silhouette for the first time.
Michael Jordan was at the top of his game during the 1989-1990 season. Although his first championship wouldn’t arrive for another year, Jordan set a points-per-game record, draining 69 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers, while hitting more three pointers than he had in all previous seasons combined. Tinker Hatfield, inspired by MJ’s journey so far, designed His Airness’ fifth signature silhouette with all of this in mind.
The Air Jordan 5 pushed the sneaker franchise further than it had ever gone stylistically—such as a shark-tooth motif inspired by the American P-51 Mustang fighter jet used in World War 2—matching Jordan’s ferocious play style. Hatfield didn’t stop there, introducing additional details to the line, including a clear outsole and reflective 3M on the tongue.
By February 1990 the shoe was ready to be released, arriving in three launch colorways: black/metallic, white/black and white/grape. The Air Jordan 5 came back as a retro in 2000 and since then, the silhouette has been dreamed up in every iteration imaginable, from Spizike hybrids to low-top configurations. And now, more than 30 years after the Air Jordan 5’s debut, the silhouette returns in a 'Shattered Backboard' makeup, a color story first told on the Air Jordan 1 in 2015 as a nod to MJ's backboard-shattering dunk during a 1985 Nike exhibition game in Italy.
While the overall design of the shoe remains the same, certain details have been modified. The upper makes use of white leather construction as always but swaps out the leather collar and throat in favor of textile mesh. The quarter panel arrives in textile mesh as well, replacing the plastic netting of the original.
Orange accents—the most dominant hue in the 'Shattered Backboard' color palette—appear on the reflective tongue’s embroidered Jumpman logo. The shade is repeated on the polyurethane midsole, letting the speckled shark-tooth stand out. An Air-sole unit is visible in the heel with a muslin translucent outsole underfoot.
Releasing October 2, 2021, the Jordan 5 Retro 'Shattered Backboard' brings an iconic tale to Mike’s fifth silhouette, reminding the world of the many unforgettable stories written by the GOAT—at both home and abroad.
The Air Jordan 5 Retro 'Shattered Backboard' is available on the app and GOAT.com