The History and Legacy of the Air Jordan 4 'Military Blue'

One of the biggest drops from 2024 line-up is finally here: the Air Jordan 4 ‘Military Blue’. As the continues to gain more and more traction – at this point rivalling the popularity of the – it’s only right that the Jumpman bring back an OG colourway in ‘Military Blue’ for the sneaker’s 35th anniversary.

Things have changed a lot in sneakers and sneaker culture since the AJ4 ‘Military Blue’ originally dropped in 1989. As the only colourway of the Air Jordan 4 that didn’t match the red and black of the Chicago Bulls, the ‘Military Blue’ 4s hid in plain sight as the other Chicago-themed colourways got the spotlight. MJ was rocking the other three colourways on court, most famously wearing the ‘Black Cements’ as he glided laterally across the free throw line to hit ‘The Shot’, while the ‘White Cement’ got time on the silver screen in Spike Lee’s ‘Do the Right Thing’.

Retros are dominant in the sneaker market today but using nostalgia to sell sneakers wasn’t a thing until 1994. Nike retroed the , , and for the first time, commemorating MJ’s career as he surprised the sports world and announced his retirement from professional basketball after winning 3 straight NBA championships.

While the price of OG Air Jordan colourways are always significantly higher than retail now, these respective Air Jordans sat on shelves and eventually hit the clearance racks. Nike could have kept the rest of the Air Jordan collection in the vault, but the Jumpman’s second attempt at reintroducing Air Jordans changed the sneaker landscape forever.

Fast forward to 1999: the Jumpman brought back the Air Jordan 4 for the first time, in OG and new colourways. The AJ4 returned in the ‘Black Cement’ and ‘White Cement’ colourways, bringing in new takes on the sneaker with the ‘Oreo’ and ‘Columbia’ colourways respectively. Once again, the Military Blue 4s weren’t shown any love from the Jumpman.

As the World Wide Web allowed sneaker collecting and culture to grow sneaker message boards like Nike Talk and ISS became places where your voice could be heard and where heated sneakers discussions could take place. Nike Talk was known to have petition threads, begging brands to bring certain sneakers and colourways back. Whether it was due to nostalgia or just wanting some dope sneakers, the Military Blue 4s had their own thread that stretched dozens of pages, where fans were seen hoping that Jordan Brand would hear them out.

Finally, in 2006, their prayers were heard. News broke of the Air Jordan 4 ‘Military Blue’ returning for the first time. While the majority of sneakerheads rejoiced, a small vocal minority weren’t too thrilled due to some changes made to the sneaker. The biggest issue was the Jumpman branding on the heel tab, replacing the traditional Nike Air seen on the OG. That didn’t stop the masses though – the sneaker dropped in September 2006, selling out nationwide and becoming a staple for a lot of sneakerheads and their rotations.

The demand for retroes continued to go up, which in turn expedited the timeline of sneakers returning again. In 2012, the Air Jordan 4 ‘Military Blue’ was returning, but this time they fell flat for a variety of reasons.

People once again complained about the lack of Nike Air branding and the shape of the AJ4 looked long and banana-like compared to the original. Piling on, the bright blue accenting on the 2012 version compared to the more muted hue Military Blue was known for made the sneaker look drastically different compared to the original.

With style always changing and evolving, 2012 saw sleeker silhouettes start to pop. Styles like the Nike Roshe and Nike Flyknit Trainer were more en vogue than the clunkier Air Jordan 4 which as a result, fell out of a lot of people’s sneaker rotations.

As the June 9, 2012 release approached, another Chicagoan took the sneaker spotlight as Ye’s Nike Yeezy 2 dropped on the same day. The ‘Platinum’ and ‘Solar Red’ Yeezy 2s took all momentum and shine away from the AJ4 ‘Military Blue’. To make matters worse, Ye followed up and rubbed salt on the wound with his iconic bar on the Pusha T-assisted New God Flow, rapping ‘Hold up I ain’t trying to stunt man, but the Yeezy’s jumped over the Jumpman’.

It’s the perfect time for the Air Jordan 4 ‘Military Blue’ to return, and return to please sneakerheads of all generations, new and old. Jordan Brand have stated they've modified the Air Jordan 4, starting with the Nike SB x AJ4 colab in 2023, and following up with the AJ4 'Bred Reimagined' in February 2024.

Gone is the banana shape and a new last was used to make the AJ4 more in line with the original from 1989, which is used on this year's Military Blues. Finally, the Jumpman has been replaced with that oh-so-important Nike Air logo placed on the heel tab, a first since the OG. Appeasing the most fickle sneakerheads and bringing a new generation on board, Jordan Brand brought the Air Jordan 4 'Military Blue' back at the perfect time.