He's Gotta Have It

The Fire Red Air Jordan IV has been the Holy Grail of many collectors over the years. The fortunate few who had a pair were envied by the thousands of Jordan heads who were still searching. Released in 1989, finding a pair in deadstock or decent condition was hard enough. Many collectors were happy to score a pair that needed a reconstructive restoration job. Upon completion, the pair of Jordan IV Fire Reds would usually be for display only never to see the basketball court or be on someone’s foot ever again.

In 2006, the Jordan Fire Red IVs were re-released to resemble the original (OG) Jordan Fire Red IVs. Something different about the Jordan Fire Red IV retros as opposed to the OGs is that on the back there is a Jumpman instead of the famous “Nike Air” symbol. In addition to this, Jordan Brand placed a Mars Blackmon image on the back portion of the shoe to honor Spike Lee and his character in the film She's Gotta Have It". This August the Fire Red IVs will release again but will not feature the Mars Blackmon image on the heel. -NiceKicks

These are the most recent shoes I've bought that were not a 2012 release. I always loved 4s so when I saw that the Fire Reds were coming out in August I figured I'd save myself some money for the Gold Medal Pack and go ahead and cop these now instead. I'm a big fan of Spike Lee and I love the way that the Mars Blackmon addition sets these kicks apart from the rest. Like most of my exclusive shoes, I won these on eBay for a steal and RarefiedGoods shipped them almost immediately. As soon as I opened the box I remembered why I love 4s so much.

Current Value: $525

My Favorite Shoe

The Air Jordan 11 (XI) DMP was released on January 28, 2006, as part of the Defining Moments Package, which also came with a pair of Jordan 6 (VI). The shoe is very similar to the Air Jordan 11 (XI) Concords but feature a few alterations, including gold accents on the Jumpman logo and carbon fiber “23″. Also the translucent outsole has a light blue tint to it, but not enough to be classified as “icy”. The right shoe also comes with a gold plated dog tag which features details of the shoe. These are beautiful shoes, and many sneakerheads went crazy upon their release. Other specs. include a carbon fiber spring plate, ballistic nylon uppers, a rubber outsole with herringbone traction pattern, quick lace system, carbon fiber sheath and air sole. -KicksOnFire.com

Had to start with my personal favorite shoe. I scooped these up in September 2011 from KickkSpott in Georgetown, DC. At the time it was the most I had paid for a shoe but when they originally came out in 2006 I slept on them and regretted it immediately. The 6s that come in the pack are dope too but there is nothing better than the patent leather with gold trim. Game changing shoe and I'm proud to have a deadstock pair in my collection. 


Current Value: $850 (DMP Pack $1400)