He nimbly moves towards his goal with a furious look in his eyes, unwavered by emotions. His enemy, knowing he has nowhere to hide, accepts defeat as the only possible outcome. We’re not talking about a conflict between a bull and a desperate toreador. This is how the NBA ‘89/90 season looked like, when opposing teams had no choice but to bear witness as Michael Jordan unleashed an endless barrage of dunks and three-pointers upon them. In response to this almost superhuman form of history’s best basketball player, the Air Jordan V were released in 1990.
Let’s leave the bullring for now and move to the basketball courts of Illinois, where the world’s most popular athlete donned a Chicago Bulls dress. During the ‘89/90 season, Jordan scored an incredible 92 three-pointers, and even though it was the last season where he didn’t breathe the air of the finals, he was unstoppable. Jordan’s incredible fusion of ferocity and mental composure inspired Tinker Hatfield to design the fifth Air Jordan sneakers.
The legendary designer saw great determination and an even greater potential for artistic immortality in Jordan’s moves. But how do you transfer his predator instincts and intelligence into a pair of sneakers? Slowly, it all started to make sense. The biggest inspiration of another immortal silhouette was the U.S. Air Force during the Second World War. Respectively, its warpaint, a furious shark. Ready, aim, fire. Target destroyed. Which is exactly how Michael Jordan operated on the courts during the 80’s and 90’s, when, in a way, he was one of America’s most iconic aviators.
A FURIOUS COLORWAY
The Air Jordan V Toro Bravo silhouette was first released in 2009, as part of the Toro Bravo Pack. This new iteration remains true to its predecessor. The aforementioned predator’s teeth are symbolised by the sharp points on the side of the midsole. Other crucial elements are the number 23 in the ankle area, black and transparent details and a reflective 3M tongue. All this is packaged in the brightest shade of red, titled University Red. In Spanish, Toro Bravo means raging bull, which is exactly how the Chicago Bulls team operated back then. Just a year later, the ensemble centered around Michael Jordan achieved their first out of six titles, and the release of the AJ V’s kickstarted one of the most impressive strings of victories in the history of basketball and sports in general.
The Air Jordan V Toro Bravo are a symbol of fearlessness, ferocity, hope and creativity while navigating through life’s snares. These and other values will be the message sent by means of a video about the Toro Bravo sneakers, which will be released next week. So stay tuned, follow us on social media and, naturally, don’t forget to join the raffle for this legendary pair of sneakers.
Did you miss the release of this pair? Don’t despair, you can find countless other Jordans on our website.
Other Jordans were also part of our selection of last week’s best releases, which you can find all in one place, along with on feet pics in this article.
- Summer must burn - 10. 5. 2023
- On Feet: The best sneakers of the week are dominated by New Balance - 4. 5. 2023
- 4 colours of 2023 that define a separate trend category - 5. 4. 2023
