“He stepped on my brand-new white Jordans!” Even if you’re not into sneakers, you probably recognize this famous quote from an iconic scene in Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing, when Buggin’ Out, played by Giancarlo Esposito, had his Air Jordan IV “White Cement”s scuffed, which led to him trying to immediately clean his sneakers with a toothbrush.

Aside from being one of the original colorways released in 1989, the “White Cement” model will always carry a certain pop culture cache given its role in one of the 1980s most memorable movies. In 2017, as part of the Do The Right Thing pack, Nike and Jordan Brand released a replica of the original “White Cement” model, pre-distressed to match Buggin’ Out’s infamous scuff with custom green, yellow and red laces just like the character wore in the film. Scuffed or not, this pair of IVs tops the list as one of the cleanest colorway of them all.

For two decades, Jordan Brand’s strength was predominantly its first swath of original silhouettes, which the company began to retro in the late ‘90s following Jordan’s second retirement. With later models failing to meet expectations, retros were seemingly the only path to success. In 2005, though, that all changed when Jordan Brand finally embraced a new avenue: collaborations. The first of which was a joint venture with Los Angeles based sneaker boutique Undefeated, properly dubbed the Air Jordan IV “UNDFTD.”

Considering the sneaker is the first Air Jordan collaboration ever, its inclusion is almost guaranteed, however the sneaker is more than its history. The Air Jordan IV “UNDFTD” also happens to be one of the best looking IVs of all time. Inspired by MA-1 flight jackets, Undefeated wrapped the shoe in an olive oiled suede, added a velcro “Flight” patch on the tongue and topped it off with an Undefeated logo on the inside tag.

Throw in the limited nature—supposedly only 72 pairs were made, released exclusively by raffle—and the result is the perfect combination of history, design and scarcity, one of the most sought after and best looking not just IVs, but Air Jordans ever.

One of the four original 1989 colorways, the “Black Cement” was Jordan’s preferred on-court choice throughout the ‘88-’89 season, including when he hit one of the most iconic shots in NBA playoff history. In Game 5 of the first round of the 1989 playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jordan hit a last-second jumper over Cavs guard Craig Ehlo to send clinch the win. Today, the play—simply referred to as the “The Shot”—is considered one of Jordan’s crowning moments as the greatest of all time.

“The Shot” aside, the Bred (Black/Red) colorway, which itself is synonymous with both the Bulls and Air Jordan, perfectly compliments the IV. The cement print, initially introduced with the Air Jordan III, perfectly compliments the blacks and reds, and the “Black Cement” is by many considered the most aesthetically pleasing colorway of the lot.

History is important, however sometimes a sneaker is great simply because it works, narrative notwithstanding. The Air Jordan IV “Military Blue” is one such instance. Also released in 1989, it was the only one of the four original colorways that didn’t feature the Chicago Bulls predominant colors (red, white, black), and as such made no on-court appearances.

What it lacks in on-court appearances, the shoe makes up for in aesthetic. The off-white and blue combination is perfectly suited for the tech heavy Air Jordan IV. While re-releases have attempted to replicate the original, the ‘89 “Military Blue” stands alone.

Brian Donnelly, better known as KAWS is not new to sneaker designer. The graphic artist’s collaborations with BAPE—in particular the BAPESTA—and Nike were both considered a hot commodity during the height of sneaker tourism in the early ‘00s. Considering his legacy in streetwear, the expectations were high for his first signature Jordan, the Air Jordan IV “KAWS.” Dressed in a premium gray suede upper and featuring custom footbeds, glow in the dark sole and the trademark KAWS “XX” on the back heel tab and hangtag, Donnelly’s take on the IV is not only a beautiful shoe but a perfect embodiment of his art form.

Initially released at the Brooklyn Museum in New York in 2017—where one of Donnelly’s most celebrated sculptures resides—the sneakers never saw on online drop, only available at the event and at select stockists, leading to massive resale prices. The collaboration was so successful that a second black pair dropped later that year, however the gray original is still the one to cop.

It’s impossible to discuss Nike co-founders Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman without mentioning their alma mater, the University of Oregon. In fact, the two began Blue Ribbon Sports—the predecessor to Nike—in 1964 while Knight was running track & field under then Coach Bowerman. Together, the two revolutionized the athletic sneaker industry. Steve Prefontaine, a distance runner at the University of Oregon, was the first major track athlete ever to wear a pair of Nike shoes, and in the decades since the company has maintained a close relationship with the school, producing apparel for all of its athletic teams.

Given that the two entities are so intertwined, Oregon athletes often receive player exclusives and personal editions that never receive any sort of release, including the Air Jordan IV “Oregon.” Paying home to an integral part of Nike’s history—and by extension, Jordan Brand—the Oregon Ducks colorway (White/Green/Yellow) is not only a great looking shoe, but an incredibly rare and difficult one to obtain. Boasting the Oregon logo on the back heel tab, the Air Jordan IV “Oregon” is true grail.

Right on the heels of the celebrated Undefeated collab, Jordan Brand dropped the Air Jordan IV “Eminem” as a friends and family exclusive coinciding with the release of the Detroit rapper’s fourth studio album Encore. While today Marshall Mathers may seem an odd choice, during the height of his popularity Mathers was the most successful artist in the music industry, boasting more platinum records than anyone else during the entire decade. With his fourth studio album dropping, Mathers had truly claimed his throne, and considering both his fame and penchant for Jordan Brand apparel he was a natural choice for Jordan Brand.

Featuring nubuck wings and a colorway referencing the Detroit Pistons, the all blue sneaker was quintessentially Detroit. While the exact number is disputed, supposedly only 52 pairs were ever produced, making the Air Jordan IV “Eminem” one of the rarest—and most expensive—Jordans of all time.

Travis Scott was clearly inspired by the legendary “Eminem” IVs when he debuted his own spin on the sneaker last year, the Air Jordan IV “Cactus Jack.” While similar, Scott opted for a lighter shade of blue suede on the upper, black leather accents, a red liner, paint splatter detail and “Cactus Jack” branding on the back heel tab—a reference to his love of professional wrestling.

While the sneakers were hyped when they released in June of 2018, the real fiends are still after the purple and olive colorway, so far a friends and family exclusive however rumored to possibly see a wider release. Given fans obsession with Scott, the first in his series of Jordan IVs will no doubt mark an important point in his developing relationship with parent company Nike moving forward.

On paper, a denim-covered Air Jordan IV doesn’t sound appealing, but the execution of the Air Jordan IV “Levi’s” was perfect. While the first pair—in blue denim, naturally—didn’t quite catch, the white and black pair were more successful. The collaboration really took off, however, when a series of DIY customs went viral, with fans tie-dying, bleaching and distressing their shoes to create 1-of-1 denim kicks.

Customs aside, the details on the Levi’s IVs were no joke from the gum outsole and gold stitching to the classic Levi’s Red Tab and collaborative Levi’s “Two Horse” patch x Jumpman logo on the tongue. Even if you don’t customize the kicks, considering the shoes naturally fade—it is denim—each eventually develops a pattern of its own, unique to the wearer and all the more precious.

In 2004, Michael Jordan teamed up with experienced racing team manager Pete Mauhar to form the ill-fated “Michael Jordan Motorsports.” Building on Jordans long-standing love of motorcycles, Jordan formed a team of Superbike riders and eventually began to tackle the international circuit. Although the venture eventually failed, while it was up-and-running the designers at Jordan Brand were tasked with produced race-ready kits alongside matching sneakers for team members, all extremely limited in nature. Originally released in 2006, the team exclusive never made saw a wide release.

In 2017, however, Jordan Brand finally released the Air Jordan IV “Motorsports.” A rework of the original 1989 “Military Blue” colorway, the “Motorsports” feature a number of subtle differences, including black plastic panels (instead of blue) and a blue midsole. Although not as celebrated as other IVs, the shoe references a lesser known, yet still fascinating portion of Jordan’s legacy, his doomed career as a motorsports team owner.