Air Jordan 5 Retro 'Fire Red / Silver Tongue'

A fighter plane on a basketball shoe

Tinker Hatfield designed the Air Jordan 5 for 1990, and it sold that year for $125. He looked at Michael Jordan's aggressive style of play and likened it to a World War II fighter plane, which gave the shoe the shark-tooth shapes on its midsole. Sources differ on the aircraft: one names the P-51 Mustang, while another illustrates the idea with a different shark-mouthed fighter of the era.

The 5 brought new details to the line. Its tongue was covered in reflective 3M material, and mesh netting ran across the tongue and side panels. It was the first Air Jordan with a clear rubber outsole, and it added a lace lock to the laces.

The white-and-red 'Fire Red' was one of the original 1990 colorways, and only two of the four originals had the reflective tongue. The model also became a television fixture on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Sixty-nine in Richfield

The 1989-90 season showed Jordan getting better still. On March 28, 1990, at the Coliseum at Richfield outside Cleveland, he scored 69 points, the highest total of his career, in a 117-113 overtime win over the Cavaliers.

He played 50 minutes, made 23 of 37 shots and 21 of 23 free throws, and added 18 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. He wore the Air Jordan 5 that night, and release coverage of the 2020 retro tied the Fire Red colorway to the game.

Thirty years later, Jordan was back in the news for different reasons. With live sports shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic, ESPN moved the premiere of The Last Dance, the 10-part documentary about the 1997-98 Bulls, from June up to April 19, 2020.

A shock drop and a 30th birthday

Jordan Brand timed the shoe to the documentary. A pair dropped without notice on the SNKRS app ahead of the first episode on April 19, 2020, and the wider release followed on May 2 through the SNKRS app and select retailers, at $200. One preview report gave other dates, April 25 and May 5; most release coverage records May 2.

The Fire Red had been retroed three times before: on January 5, 2000, on December 16, 2006, and on August 31, 2013. Earlier retros had swapped the heel's 'Nike Air' for a Jumpman. The 2020 pair restored 'Nike Air' in fire red on the heel, which is what set it apart.

On October 3, 2026, the lowest listed asking price for a men's pair at a U.S. sneaker retailer was $249.

How to identify the 2020 pair

The upper is white leather with a clear mesh panel at the midfoot. The midsole is black with the shark-tooth graphic, the outsole is icy translucent, and a translucent lace lock sits on the laces.

The tongue is the reflective silver of the original, with a red Jumpman. 'Nike Air' is stitched on the heel in fire red.

Men's pairs carry style code DA1911-102. The family sizes have their own codes: grade school 440888-102, preschool 440889-102 and toddler 440890-102.

The numbers

Release date

May 2, 2020 (SNKRS surprise drop April 19, 2020; one report: April 25 and May 5)

Retail price

$200

Style code

DA1911-102 (grade school 440888-102, preschool 440889-102, toddler 440890-102)

Original 1990 price

$125

Career-high game in the AJ5

March 28, 1990, Coliseum at Richfield; Bulls 117, Cavaliers 113 (OT); attendance 20,273

Jordan box score

50:00 min, 23-37 FG, 2-6 3P, 21-23 FT, 69 PTS, 18 REB, 6 AST, 4 STL, 1 BLK, 2 TOV

Production

No production figures have been published

Timeline

1. 1990

   The Air Jordan 5 is released at $125, including the white-and-red 'Fire Red.'

2. Mar 28, 1990

   Jordan scores a career-high 69 points in the Air Jordan 5 in an overtime win at Cleveland.

3. Jan 5, 2000

   The Fire Red 5 is reissued for the first time.

4. Dec 16, 2006

   The Fire Red 5 is retroed again.

5. Aug 31, 2013

   The Fire Red 5 returns for a third retro.

6. Apr 19, 2020

   The Last Dance premieres; a pair of the new Fire Red 5 drops by surprise on SNKRS.

7. May 2, 2020

   Wider release at $200 with 'Nike Air' on the heel.

8. May 17, 2020

   The Last Dance finale airs.

9. Oct 3, 2026

   Lowest listed asking price at a U.S. sneaker retailer: $249.

The world in 2020

• Jan 26, 2020

  Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others die in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.

• Feb 2, 2020

  The Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 in Super Bowl LIV.

• Mar 11, 2020

  The NBA suspends its season after Rudy Gobert tests positive for COVID-19.

• Mar 13, 2020

  President Trump declares a national emergency over the pandemic.

• Apr 19, 2020

  The Last Dance premieres on ESPN, moved up from June.

Price record

This is an asking price, not a sale. It is what a seller wanted on the date shown. Asking prices often sit above what buyers pay, but an ask is not a ceiling: a sale can land on either side of it. It is not a value.

By reference price, Air Jordan 5 Retro 'Fire Red / Silver Tongue' is number 86 of 100 in the sneakers entries of the FLOAT 100. 22 of those 100 rest on a realized sale; the rest carry an asking price or a guide value, and each page says which. Rank within the FLOAT 100 itself (83 here) is editorial: how much an object defines its field, not price alone.

Did you know

• The Air Jordan 5's tongue was covered in reflective 3M material.
• The Air Jordan 5 was the first Air Jordan with a clear outsole.
• Jordan's 69-point game, the most of his career, came in the Air Jordan 5.
• A pair of this retro dropped without warning on the night The Last Dance premiered.
• Earlier retros swapped the heel's 'Nike Air' for a Jumpman; the 2020 pair put it back.
• Only two of the four original 1990 colorways had the reflective tongue.