This Fresh Prince Air Jordan 5 Fire Red Sample is a Piece of History

Will Smith was too cool for laces. The young rapper, actor, and international superstar was still going by The Fresh Prince when he landed a self-titled TV show, became one of the biggest stars of the 1990s, inspiring kids to take the laces out of their 5s, to the disapproval of moms everywhere.

Recognizing the impact that The Fresh Prince had on sneaker culture and the global love for Air Jordan 5s, the Jumpman took Will’s laceless tendencies and turned them into a purposeful design detail on a run of Air Jordan 5 Fresh Princes in the classic Grape colorway and a friends and family iteration. The same Fresh Prince details popped up on a Black Metallic sample pair a few years ago, and now, we’ve got a fourth pair in yet another unseen colorway.

The Air Jordan 5 Fire Red Fresh Prince Sample follows the same laceless construction as the 2018 Fresh Prince PE pairs in Grape and the Black Metallic from 2023, but this time around, taking on the iconic Air Jordan 5 Fire Red colorway. In addition to the white leather upper, black midsole, reflective tongue, and Fire Red accents, the shoe adds a purple and teal Fresh Prince style Air Jordan logo upside down on the inside of the tongue, and a striped insole inspired by Will’s shirt in the intro theme.

The Air Jordan 5 Fire Red Fresh Prince Sample is nearly a decade old and won’t be released to the public, but if there’s a will there’s a way (no pun intended), and if you’ve got pockets deep enough, we’re sure this pair could be yours if you try hard enough. To keep up with all the latest Air Jordan sample news, download the Sole Retriever App.

Zach Harris

Zach Harris is a writer based in Philadelphia. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Vice, Complex, High Times, and more. He is obsessed with skateboarding and bowling. He is still looking for his first 300. For tips, reviews, and anything in size 10.5 - zach.h@soleretriever.com