Phil Jackson took over as head coach for the Bulls in the 89-90 season. This gave the Bull's an
extra boost and everything was flying. Jordan kept on playing his game and set a personal best when
scoring 69 points in a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
First flying design
Once again Hatfield came up with a revolutionary design for the new shoe. A few elements were picked up from its
predecessor but it featured a great silver/reflex tounge and a clear/see-through rubber sole
which gave it a totally unique look. Also there were lacelocks which made it easy to strap them on.
The design is rumoured to be inspired by the WW2 Mustang fighter plane and the most obvious
elements that shows this are the shark teeth shapes on the midsole.
Hatfield has since then found inspiration from other fast means of conveyance, for instance
the Ferrarri 550 M (XIV) and the X-15 (XV).
Yellow soles makes collectors see red
The clear rubber sole would return in later designs such as VI, XI and XVI and has upset several
collectors since it very easily turns yellow. Once it's yellow there is no way to get it back to
its original look. Seems the only way to save them is to store the shoes in a cool and dry place and
never take them out of their box.
The shoes were retro'd in late 1999 in white/black-fire red and black/black-met silver and
once again there was a great demand for them.
Retro+ models were also produced. One of them featured Michaels high school colors.
