If you’re staring at a pair of sneakers with crumbling midsoles and yellowed plastic tabs, you’re likely looking at a gold mine. Or a tragedy. Depends on who you ask. The og air jordan 4 is the peak of Tinker Hatfield’s late-eighties run, and honestly, nothing since has quite captured that same mix of "I can play 48 minutes in these" and "I can wear these to a movie premiere."
Released in 1989, these weren't just shoes. They were a shift. After the flashy, luxury-leaning Jordan 3, the 4 felt technical. Gritty. It had over-molded mesh that looked like a screen door and "wings" that let you lace them in about 18 different ways. Michael Jordan was coming off an MVP season, and everyone wanted to fly like him. But thirty-some years later, the obsession with the original four colorways—Black/Red, White/Cement, Military Blue, and Fire Red—has turned into a weird, expensive subculture of "sole swapping" and archival hunting.
People pay thousands for shoes they literally cannot wear. It’s a bit insane.
The Four Pillars of 1989
Most people think there are dozens of og air jordan 4 versions. There aren't. There are four. That’s it. If it’s not one of these, it’s a "retro" or a "lifestyle" colorway from the 2000s.
First, you had the Black/Red (Bred). This is the shoe from "The Shot." You know the one—MJ over Craig Ehlo in the 1989 playoffs. The nubuck felt premium back then, though by today's standards, it’s basically just synthetic Durabuck. Then came the White/Cement. It’s arguably the most iconic because of Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing. Remember the scene where Buggin' Out gets his shoes scuffed by a Celtics fan? That’s the 4. It put sneaker culture on the big screen before "sneakerhead" was even a word in the dictionary.
The Military Blue was the outlier. No red. No Bulls colors. Just a sharp, off-white leather with blue accents. It was the "lifestyle" shoe before Nike knew what lifestyle was. Finally, the Fire Red brought that aggressive Chicago energy back.
What’s wild is how much the shape has changed. If you put a pair of 1989 originals next to a 2012 retro, the 2012 pair looks like a literal brick. The toe box is chunky. The tongue is short. Purists—the guys who spend way too much time on NikeTalk or Discord—call it the "banana shape." The original 1989 pairs had a sleek, downward slope at the toe. It looked fast even when sitting in a box. Nike finally fixed this "remastered" shape around 2019, but for a solid decade, we were all wearing slightly ugly versions of our favorite shoes.
Tinker Hatfield’s "Visible" Engineering
Tinker Hatfield is a genius, but he was also kinda trolling the traditionalists. Leather was the standard. So what did he do? He added plastic mesh. He added a big plastic "Nike Air" logo on the heel. He added urethane-coated foam.
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The mesh was a functional choice. It made the shoe lighter and more breathable than the Jordan 3. But it also yellowed like a pack of old cigarettes over time. If you find an og air jordan 4 today with clear mesh, it’s probably a fake or it’s been stored in a vacuum-sealed nitrogen chamber. Real 1989 pairs are dark amber by now.
And the "wings." Those triangular plastic straps on the side weren't just for show. They were meant to provide lateral support so MJ didn't roll his ankle while doing things human beings aren't supposed to do. You could also loop your laces through them to tighten the fit.
The "Nike Air" Obsession
Why do people care so much about a piece of plastic on the heel?
Between 1999 and 2016, Jordan Brand replaced the "Nike Air" logo on the back of the 4 with the Jumpman logo. For a lot of collectors, this was a betrayal. It felt like a "budget" version of the real thing. The Jumpman belongs on the tongue. The heel? That’s reserved for the mothership.
When the og air jordan 4 White/Cement returned with "Nike Air" in 2016, the internet basically broke. It’s about nostalgia. It’s about seeing the shoe exactly how it looked in 1989. It’s also about the "bloody" cement print—the original 1989 pairs had a very specific splatter pattern on the midsole and wings. Subsequent retros usually got the paint speckles wrong—either too few or too many. It’s a sickness, honestly, caring about paint dots this much.
The Polyurethane Problem
Here is the heartbreaking truth about owning an original pair from 1989: you can't wear them.
The midsoles are made of polyurethane. It’s a material that, over time, absorbs moisture from the air. This process is called hydrolysis. Eventually, the foam loses its structural integrity and turns into literal dust. You could be walking down the street in a "deadstock" (unworn) pair and suddenly find yourself walking on your socks because the sole just disintegrated.
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This has created a massive secondary industry of "Sole Swapping."
Experts like Mender Kendall or Retroshop Paris take the crumbling soles off a 1989 pair and glue on a fresh sole from a 2020 or 2024 retro. It’s sneaker surgery. It’s the only way to keep an og air jordan 4 on the pavement. But even then, the upper leather might crack. The plastic wings might snap like a dry cracker. These shoes were designed to last five years, not forty.
Cultural Weight and the Spike Lee Effect
You cannot talk about this shoe without talking about Spike Lee. He didn't just direct the commercials; he defined the "Mars Blackmon" persona that made Jordan a god.
"It's gotta be the shoes!"
That catchphrase didn't come from a corporate boardroom. It came from a place of genuine urban culture. The Jordan 4 was the first Jordan released globally. It was the first one that felt like it belonged to the world, not just the NBA. When Buggin' Out gets his White/Cement 4s scuffed in Do The Right Thing, he uses a toothbrush to clean them. Every kid in Brooklyn did the same. That scene did more for sneaker marketing than a million-dollar Super Bowl ad ever could.
What Most People Get Wrong
A common misconception is that the 1989 pairs were "better quality."
Actually, they were pretty stiff. Modern retros are much more comfortable. The original leather was thick and required a long break-in period. Also, the 1989 "Bred" didn't use real suede. It used Durabuck, which is a synthetic material Nike developed because it was more durable for basketball. People today pay $500 for a pair and complain if it isn't "buttery leather," but the originals were essentially plastic-coated performance gear.
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Another weird fact? The "Military Blue" colorway actually sat on shelves in some cities. It wasn't an instant sell-out everywhere. People weren't used to non-Bulls colors on a Jordan. Now, it's a "holy grail" for collectors.
How to Handle a 1989 Pair Today
If you happen to find an og air jordan 4 at a garage sale or in your uncle's attic, don't just put them on. You'll destroy them.
- Check the "Squish." Gently press the midsole with your thumb. If it feels like a soft sponge or if it cracks, the shoe is dead.
- Examine the Wings. The plastic on 1989 pairs becomes incredibly brittle. If you try to lace them, the wings will likely snap off in your hand.
- Don't Clean with Water. If the sole is already hydrolyzing, water will just accelerate the crumbling process. Use a dry soft-bristle brush.
- Value is in the "Uppers." Even if the sole is dust, the leather/nubuck upper part of the shoe is valuable to restorers. Don't throw them away.
The market for these is volatile. A 1989 White/Cement in "wearable" condition (meaning it's been sole-swapped) can easily clear $2,000. An original, untouched, crumbling pair in the box might still fetch $1,000 just for the display value.
Practical Next Steps for Collectors
If you want the OG look without the OG headache, look for the 2024 Military Blue or the 2019 Bred 4. These are the "Remastered" versions where Nike finally went back to the original 1989 blueprints. They have the right height, the right "Nike Air" branding, and the correct toe shape.
Stop buying the 2006 or 2012 retros. They're built like tanks and look nothing like the original silhouette. If you're going to spend the money, buy the versions that actually respect Tinker's original lines.
Keep your 4s in a cool, dry place. Avoid those plastic "drop front" boxes if they don't have ventilation—stale air is the enemy of polyurethane. If you really want to keep them alive, wear them once every few months. The pressure of your body weight actually squeezes moisture out of the foam and keeps the bubbles from collapsing. It sounds counterintuitive, but "deadstock" shoes die faster than shoes that are worn.
The og air jordan 4 is a piece of industrial design history. It’s a movie prop. It’s a championship trophy. Just don't expect to play a game of pickup in a pair from '89 unless you want to end up with a pile of dust on the court.