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The Air Jordan 5 is a popular model in the Jordan line with many well known colorways. It is iconic for many different reasons as far as signature basketball shoes go. Learn more below about the OG colorways of the Air Jordan 5.
What The OG Colorways Of Jordan 5 Are
The OG colorways of the Air Jordan 5 include Fire Red (Black Tongue), Fire Red (Reflective Tongue), Metallic and Grape.
First Releases of the Air Jordan 5
The Air Jordan 5 first released in 1990.
The original retail price of the Jordan 5 was $125. The model was once again designed by Tinker Hatfield, who already had both the 3 and the 4 under his belt.
Hatfield took inspiration from World War II era fighter planes – specifically, the ones painted to look like a shark. Hence the “shark tooth” design of the 5 above the midsole.
The AJ5 is also the first signature basketball sneaker to come equipped with a lace lock and the first to feature a clear rubber outsole. This “icy sole” shows the Jumpman logo through the bottom of the sneaker. We all know how common the clear sole on sneakers is now, which shows just how innovative the 5 was!
As far as achievements, MJ scored 69 points in a game while wearing the V, a career high! He also got his 4th NBA scoring title wearing the model. He primarily wore both of the Fire Red colorways during season games.
Read on about the different OG Colorways below:
Air Jordan 5 Fire Red (Black Tongue)
Fire Red was proving to be a popular colorway in the Air Jordan line. The 3 and 4 both have Fire Red OG colorways, and the 5 is no different!
MJ wore the Fire Red 5 during
regular season games.
The black tongue FR5 seems to have not been retroed quite as often as the reflective tongue version. Both colorways served as “home” and “away” alternates during the regular season.
One thing to note about the Fire Red OG releases is that only the Fire Reds initially released with 23 stitched on the heel. Eventually retros and lifestyle colorways would more consistently add the 23, but it is not a guarantee that a pair of 5s will have a 23 on them.
Air Jordan 5 Metallic
This is probably my favorite OG colorway of the Air Jordan 5, for nostalgic reasons. Before I ever started collecting sneakers, I had a friend who always had the latest Jordans. The memory of him rocking Metallic 5s (and Playoff 8s) has stuck with me to this day.
Michael Jordan wore this colorway
during the playoffs and All Star Game
Michael Jordan made this colorway famous during the All Star Game and playoffs. He primarily rocked the Metallic V for these events.
Similar to the Fire Reds, several retros of this colorway have dropped over the years. Some feature a Jumpman on the back while other versions feature OG Nike Air branding.
Other differences in retros boil down to materials. The OG, as well as certain retros, utilize a nubuck upper. However, some releases go with a softer suede upper, depending on year of release. This is something to be aware of when choosing which retro to buy.
Are All Jordan 5 tongues reflective?
Of the OG (Original) colorways of the Air Jordan 5, only the Fire Red (silver tongue) and Metallic have a reflective tongue. Since then, many (but not all) Jordan 5 releases would adapt the feature.
In fact, the Air Jordan 5 is the first signature basketball sig shoe with 3M. The idea behind this design was to bring attention to the shoe as camera flashes went off during a game
Air Jordan 5 Grape
For our “quirky” non-Bulls OG colorway we get the Grape V, which some might argue is the best colorway. There’s always one OG release that looks way different than the others. The Jordan 3 True Blue and the Jordan 4 Military releases also stood out for this reason.
We knew there had to be at
least one “weird” OG colorway
This sneaker is inspired by the Charlotte Hornets from MJ’s home state of North Carolina. Ironically, Michael Jordan never wore these in a game.
Thus, my thoughts here are that this colorway is basically a lifestyle release. When they released, Michael Jordan was one of the most well known star athletes in the world. Of course, everyone wanted his sneakers. Thus, it made sense to crank out additional colorways even if MJ would never get a chance to wear them while playing.
On a side note, Will Smith famously rocked these on his show “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”. In the show, he wore them without laces. This look would be adapted onto one of the retros of the model, where there are no eyelets on the shoe! Luckily for those of us that want an experience closer to the OG, other retros exist with normal eyelet placement.
Air Jordan 5 Fire Red (3M Tongue)
I’ve never actually owned this colorway, so I don’t have an on foot photo of them here. Essentially, these look very similar to the black tongue version, only with more black around the midsole and a silver reflective tongue.
This sneaker was often worn during the regular season games by Michael Jordan when the model first came out, and has been retroed numerous times.
My Thoughts on the Jordan 5
The design of the AJ5 is a bit out there and the sneaker is a tad too over-the-top for me to wear these days. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that while I once had many pairs of Air Jordans, these days I stick primarily to the 1 and 3.
For a while though, I had multiple pairs of 5s and had managed to collect 3 out of the original 4 colorways. While the style of the model doesn’t necessarily fit with my current overall look, that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the shoe and everything it brought to the sneaker game. Lacelocks, icey outsoles and asymmetrical ankle collars are all innovations born on the AJ5. The effect of the shoe is still felt to this day, and retros of the V still sell out all the time.
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