The Air Jordan 4 “Military Blue” is confirmed to release globally on May 4th, 2024. Full family sizes (Adult, Grade School, Little Kids, Toddler, Crib) are expected to be available on SNKRS, Foot Locker, Finish Line, Dick’s, other nationwide retailers, and specialty sneaker boutiques. It is reported that Jordan Brand produced several hundred thousand pairs in order to satisfy the demand; however, considering how coveted the shoes are, they may not be that easy to purchase. See below for a full rundown of everything you need to know about the Air Jordan 4 “Military Blue”; access our Jordan Release Dates 2024 page for the latest.
The Air Jordan 4 is fourth model in the historic Air Jordan footwear legacy of Michael Jordan. Designed by Tinker Hatfield, the Air Jordan 4 is most recognized for a number of striking details including the netting on the upper, the lace eyelet “wings”, the visible Air cushioning at the heel, and the tall tongue with the Jumpman Flight logo. Currently, the Air Jordan 4 is considered to be among the most popular Air Jordan Retro models on the market.
The Air Jordan IV released in 1989 and was produced in four colorways throughout the year. Following a similar assortment of color schemes as the Air Jordan 3, the Air Jordan 4 released in two white-based Bulls colorways (Jordan 4 “White Cement” and Jordan 4 “Fire Red”), one black-based colorway (Jordan 4 “Bred”), and a white and blue accented version (Military Blue). It retailed for $100, making it one of the most expensive basketball shoes on the market at the time.
The Air Jordan 4 “Military Blue” has been re-released as a Retro on two different occasions thus far. The upcoming May release will mark the third overall Retro drop, and the fourth overall release including the ’89 original.
As mentioned earlier, the Air Jordan 4 “Military Blue” originally released in 1989. The first-ever Retro release arrived on September 9th, 2006 with an MSRP of $115. It featured a Jumpman logo at the heel, replacing the original Nike Air at the heel. This was largely due to Jordan Brand looking to further distance itself from Nike and establish itself as a completely separate brand. Pictured below is the 2006 Retro release.
The next re-issue arrived six years later, dropping again on June 9th, 2012 with an MSRP of $160. Like the 2006 release, the 2012 version utilized the Jumpman logo at the heel.
Back in April 2023, rumors of the Air Jordan 4 “Military Blue” release first surfaced. It would mark the first time the original Nike Air on the heel would return since 1989 (see below). Below is a set of images of the 2024 Military Blue Jordan 4s.
The sneaker community (and even Jordan Brand) had been calling this release the “Military Blue” for decades. However, upon the shoe being officially previewed on SNKRS Live in March 2024, the shoe was referred to as “Industrial Blue” and no mention of the well-known moniker was made. Additionally, the shoes are currently labeled as “Industrial Blue” on SNKRS.
However, the box label on the shoes clearly reads “Military Blue”. Our theory on this name change is that Jordan Brand does not want to be associated with the term “military” and do not want to make light of the current world events.
Understandable move, but again, the box clearly states Military Blue as pictured above.
On April 22nd, 2024, SNKRS announced an early Exclusive Access release for the Air Jordan 4 “Military Blue”; these invites to purchase were sent out on April 25th. In order to qualify for Exclusive Access, SNKRS members must have met specific criteria; members must have had “Taken at least 2 Ls on AJ4s from January 1, 2023 to March 1, 2024 will be eligible for selection.”
Those who receive Exclusive Access are not guaranteed pairs as they are still a first-come-first-served release among those who received the invite. Below is a screenshot that shows the Exclusive Access release.
The Air Jordan 4 “Military Blue” is still scheduled for a release on May 4th, 2024. This means that if you did not receive Exclusive Access on April 25th, you can still purchase the shoes via Draw on May 4th.
Below are official images of the Air Jordan 4 “Military Blue” aka “Industrial Blue” as well as an official store list.
On April 10th, 2024, the SNKRS App went live with a user poll, asking the simple question “Who’s in the mood for a Shock Drop?” with all answers marked as “Me”; this all but confirmed that a surprise release was happening soon. However, Sneaker News had the early jump on the information, establishing the release for April 11th at 12pm ET.
As reported, SNKRS released the Air Jordan 4 “Military Blue” via a SHOCK DROP on April 11th, 2024. This marked the first official release of the highly-anticipated Air Jordan 4 “Military Blue”.
In 2024, the Air Jordan 4 has risen to become the most popular model produced by Jordan Brand, surpassing the demand of the Air Jordan 1. Given the sheer number of pairs produced, the initial resell value of the Military Blue 4s should not exceed the MSRP by much, but the in long run, all original colorways of Air Jordans tend to appreciate in value. For example, the Air Jordan 4 “Fire Red” from 2020 even sat on shelves at the initial release, but later peaked at around $400 in the grey market. Even with the resell market deflating a bit, pairs are still around $350. If you view the shoes purely as an investment, these are a clear long-term hold.
