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Jordan Brand released a black, orange, and sail version of the Air Jordan 1 in 2015 known as the “Shattered Backboard” colorway that harkened back to one of the more legendary non-NBA basketball moments in Michael Jordan’s career. On August 25, 1985, Michael Jordan played in a Nike exhibition game for Stefanel Trieste against Juve Caserta in Italy. While Jordan dropped 30 points in the game, the highlight came on a powerful one-handed dunk, where Jordan shattered the arena’s backboard.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the legendary dunk, the Jumpman dropped the “Shattered Backboard” Air Jordan 1 to honor the moment. Even the insoles of the sneaker featured shattered backboard screen printing on them, a departure from the customary AJ1 insole. It is easily one of the most revered non-original AJ1 colorways for the combination of its impeccable inspiration and its top-notch quality.
Now, ten years later, the “Shattered Backboard” Air Jordan 1 (Style Code: DZ5485-008) is returning on August 23 for $180. When using the original 2015 pair as inspiration, attention to detail is paramount. So how did Jordan do with this retro? Check out our thoughts below.
The difference here is fairly subtle. The heel on the 2025 pair is quite a bit straighter than the 2015 version. The leather starts to bend inwards towards the collar on the OG while the retro sits more upright. While the new retro isn’t built the same as the new ‘85 remastered version of the 1, it sits somewhere between that shape and the shape of the 2015 pair.
The odds of the 2025 pair matching the 2015 in this category were never very good. Many people (myself included), will tell you that the OG has the best leather (save for a few high-priced luxury collabs) of any Air Jordan 1 in history. Any time a Jordan 1 was said to “have high quality leather,” it was immediately compared to the “Shattered Backboard” 1s. “Sure the leather is nice, but is it as good as the Shattereds?” A question we’ve all asked. While it might be slightly disappointing that the leather doesn’t hold up, the leather quality is solid, and definitely a significant step above other AJ1s, like the “Banned’ pair from earlier this year for example.
The mudguard on the 2015 pair creeps up slightly onto the toebox while it sits more to the front of the 2025 version. This leads to a difference in millimeters in the size of the toebox itself and a slightly larger mudguard. But we’re really in the weeds on this one, and it’s nothing you’d notice unless you were looking for it.
The Swoosh on the 2025 pair is three centimeters larger from the tip to the belly than on the 2015 pair. This means that while there is roughly an inch of space between the belly of the Swoosh and the midsole on the OG, the retro only has about .75 inches. For the Wings logo, the two are essentially the same size (only 2 centimeters difference), the 2025 Wings logo is more perforated, on a flatter angle, and noticeably further away from the eyelets.
There’s really not too much of a difference here other than the color we’ve mentioned a couple of times. It’s a much creamier Sail hue on the 2015 pair versus a starker white on the retro.
The color of the outsole on the 2015 pair is a slightly darker hue than the color on the 2025 version. Otherwise, it utilizes the same AJ1 outsole pattern that we’ve all grown accustomed to.
While both pairs were given the same Black/Sail/Starfish color code, there are some noticeable differences with the color when looking at both shoes side-by-side. The leather on the OG feels like a more natural orange compared to the 2025, and it is also quite a bit lighter in hue. The white on both the midsole and the underlays is also a much creamier Sail color on the OG than the retro as well.
So, what’s the verdict? Overall, this is a very solid recreation of the original. If you saw someone walking down the street in a pair, we don’t think you’d be able to tell the difference. Sure, if you had them both in hand, you’d likely be able to tell the 2015 vs the 2025. The 2015 pair is definitely a bit better than the ‘25, but the OG is one of the greatest Jordan 1s ever made, so we’re hardly holding that against the retro.
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