Air Jordan 5 Black Metallic: Where to Buy, Price, Resale

There is a kid at my church who rocks the Air Jordan 5 'Black Metallic' in a way that makes me wanna cop my own pair. Before I saw this stylish young man, I was lukewarm on the Black Metallic as I'd already fought a war to get a pair of the Air Jordan 4 "Black Cat." As it is now, the texture and pop on the Black Metallic has an upscaled value that is undeniable. Let's talk sneakers.

Key Facts at a Glance

Where Can You Buy the Air Jordan 5 'Black Metallic'?

The February 2025 retail window has long since closed and multiple SNKRS restocks have come and gone, so resale is the path forward. StockX, GOAT and Flight Club are the cleanest options, with pricing currently ranging from the low $300s to the mid $500s depending on size and condition.

What Makes the Black Metallic Reimagined Stand Out?

The Reimagined treatment is what separates this from the previous five releases. A black nubuck upper carries the classic shape, but the 3M reflective piping along the upper, reflective Nike Air heel branding (replacing the stitched look), Metallic Silver shark teeth on the midsole and Fire Red Jumpman branding all push the OG details further than any prior retro.

The white laces are the most quietly important detail. MJ wore the original Black Metallic with white laces in 1990 game footage, and Jordan Brand finally matched that look in the Reimagined version - though the box also includes a backup black pair if you want the cleaner all-black read.

Why Does the Black Metallic Still Matter?

The Black Metallic is one of the four OG 1990 colorways alongside Fire Red, Grape and the white-based 1990 version, which makes it a foundational AJ5 in any collector run. The Air Jordan 5 'Fire Red' Black Tongue was the OG counterpart in the same 35th anniversary year, but the Black Metallic outperformed market expectations in a way the Fire Red didn't.

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There's also a real basketball-history pull here. Black-based AJ5s sit in a different lane than the wider AJ5 catalog of brighter, more graphic-heavy retros, and the Black Metallic's reflective storytelling reads dressier than the typical "blackout" Jordan 5. Among the four 1990 originals, this is the one collectors keep ranking highest after the dust settled.

Should You Buy the Air Jordan 5 'Black Metallic Reimagined' 2025?

The Black Metallic Reimagined is a yes if you want a Jordan 5 with reflective storytelling that does work in any low-light photo, you collect OG colorways or you're filling out a 35th-anniversary AJ5 run. The 3M piping, alternate lace pack and OG-accurate proportions all give you a level of detail recent retros have been missing.

Where it gets harder is the resale tag. Paying mid-$300s and up for a retro that recently dropped at $210 is a real ask, especially with how often the Black Metallic has cycled through. If you want a different OG 1990 lane, the Air Jordan 5 'Grape' is the obvious pivot. But for anyone hunting the reflective Black Metallic story with the most OG-accurate execution to date, this is the cleanest Jordan Brand has done it.

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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 8:00 AM.