Tuesday, February 28, 2012

This Is Something You Can Buy...You Cannot Do This - Jordan IV - White/Black/Cement Grey

In February 1989, the Air Jordan IV dropped and for the first time in the shoe's history, it was met with negative reviews. Many considered the design to be ugly, compared to the previous models. In due time, the shoe won over most fans. Part of that was helped by the popular Nike commercials which featured actor/director Spike Lee as Mars Blackmon. The famous Can/Can't commercial remains my favorite Mars/Mike ad to date. Spike also featured it in his movie Do The Right Thing. There is a famous scene where the character Buggin' Out angrily confronts a cyclist who accidentally bumps him and scuffs his "brand new Air Jordans!!!". To date, this scene embodies the mantra of most sneaker collectors.The shoe features a mostly all white upper with accents of black on the toe-box and lace straps. The mid-sole and heel cup feature cement-grey which has also led to many giving this shoe the nickname, Cookies-N-Cream, due to its resemblance to the popular ice cream flavor. Michael Jordan wore a black pair of this model shoe when he hit The Shot over Craig Ehlo in the 1989 first-round playoffs, to send the Bulls into the next round after a thrilling 5 game series. Let me repeat myself.This is something you can buy...You cannot do this.It is ironic that 23 years later I finally have this shoe. It was this shoe and it's supporting ad campaign that really got me into hoop shoes. My NBA fandom had reached a fever pitch at this point and was the only thing I had on my mind. Once again, with a $110 price tag, there was no way my parents were giving their 13 year old kid a pair of shoes that pricey. But alas, I now have them. There are rumors the black version of this shoe will be released on Black Friday later this year. I await anxiously...