At the end of his 1989–1990 season, it was clear Jordan was better than ever. Outdoing his own previous best records, he tallied 69 points against Cleveland and hit 92 three-pointers, compared to only 58 in all his prior seasons combined. It appeared he was just getting warmed up. Introduced to the world by Spike Lee's iconic character Mars Blackmon, the AJ5 was released in 1990.

Nike designer Tinker Hatfield took inspiration from Jordan's biting style, and likening it to an American WWll fighter plane, he designed the Air Jordan 5 with shark-tooth shapes on the midsole, paired with a clear outside. The shoe captured a ferocity truly reminiscent of its relentless muse who was fighting his way to the top of his game.