Don’t Call it a Comeback… Well Actually You Can
There are sneaker releases, and then there are releases that make grown adults start refreshing an app like their mortgage payment depends on it. The Eminem x Air Jordan 4 “Encore” belongs firmly in the second category. The legendary blue-and-grey Air Jordan 4, one of the rarest and most expensive Eminem sneakers ever produced, is reportedly headed for a major return in May 2027. If the reports prove accurate, Jordan Brand is preparing to take a shoe that has existed in microscopic quantities and put it in the hands of thousands of ‘sneakerheads’ around the world.
There is one important caveat before everybody starts selling their kidneys for resale capital: Nike has not yet published an official release announcement or confirmed production quantity for the 2027 Encore through its public channels that we could independently verify. The May 2027 date is circulating through sneaker-release reporting and social media, so it should be treated as a reported or expected release rather than a formally announced Nike launch. That distinction matters, because the sneaker industry has developed a charming tradition of announcing shoes approximately seventeen times before somebody at Nike actually presses the button.
What makes the Encore particularly interesting is that the shoe’s story is almost as good as the sneaker itself.
The Air Jordan 4 That Wasn’t Supposed to Be Eminem’s
The Encore traces back to the early days of Jordan Brand’s relationship with Undefeated. During the development of what eventually became the famous Undefeated Air Jordan 4, a blue Air Jordan 4 sample was created with inspiration from the BlackBerry phone Eddie Cruz carried at the time. The sample featured a striking blue upper with white, grey and red detailing.
According to the history recounted by sneaker publications, Eminem visited Nike headquarters while he was working around the release of his 2004 album Encore. He saw the blue sample, immediately loved the colorway and eventually secured permission to use it for his own project. Undefeated ultimately went in another direction, creating the olive-colored Air Jordan 4 inspired by the MA-1 flight jacket. The blue sample, meanwhile, became the foundation for Eminem’s Encore sneaker.
That makes the shoe something of a sneaker-world accident. It wasn’t originally conceived as an Eminem collaboration. One artist saw a sample intended for another project, liked it enough to pursue it, and the result became one of the most famous rapper sneakers ever produced.
And the timing could hardly have been better. Eminem was at the absolute peak of his cultural power. Encore was released in November 2004 and became one of the biggest albums of his career. The sneaker carried the album’s visual identity while incorporating Detroit-inspired colors, making it much more than simply another celebrity-branded shoe.
Then There Was the Michael Jordan Phone Call
This is where the story gets even stranger.
One of the most entertaining pieces of the Encore mythology is the story that Eminem nearly blew up the entire collaboration by contacting Michael Jordan directly. The commonly repeated version of the story is that Eminem, believing he needed Jordan’s personal blessing, called the basketball legend and asked about the project.
The anecdote has circulated for years, but the specific claim that Eminem nearly destroyed the collaboration with one phone call to Michael Jordan is not something I could independently verify from a primary Nike, Jordan or Eminem source. It is better treated as sneaker folklore than established fact.
What is established is that the Encore emerged from the same development lineage as the Undefeated Air Jordan 4 and became one of Jordan Brand’s earliest major intersections with hip-hop culture. Undefeated itself was the first brand to collaborate with Jordan Brand when its extremely limited Air Jordan 4 released in 2005. Only 72 pairs of that original Undefeated 4 were made.
Only 73 Encore Pairs Exist
This is where the numbers become ridiculous.
The original Eminem Encore was reportedly limited to 50 pairs in 2005, distributed privately rather than sold through a traditional retail release. Then, in 2017, another 23 pairs were produced for a charity campaign benefiting the Marshall Mathers Foundation.
That brings the widely reported total to exactly 73 pairs. Yes, just 73 pairs!
The scarcity has helped turn the Encore into a serious collector’s grail. StockX currently shows the 2017 Encore with a lowest ask around $25,000, although individual sales and asking prices fluctuate dramatically because there are so few authentic pairs available.
And Eminem’s own personal collection is currently reinforcing just how valuable his sneaker history has become. More than 100 pairs from his collection are being auctioned for charity in August 2026, including rare Eminem Jordan releases. The collection includes a signed 2017 Encore, with proceeds benefiting the Marshall Mathers Foundation.
So when somebody says the Encore is a $30,000 sneaker, they aren’t talking about some random pair of Jordans that happens to have a celebrity’s name attached to it. This is legitimately rare sneaker history.
But Nike Isn’t Making 73 Pairs This Time
This is where things get interesting. If Jordan Brand really brings the Encore back in 2027, the company has to walk a very narrow line. Make 5,000 pairs and the sneaker becomes almost impossible to buy, recreating the mythology but leaving enormous money on the table. Make 500,000 pairs and you’ve done the exact opposite. You’ve taken one of the world’s rarest sneakers and turned it into something people can grab on their lunch break.
Neither makes much sense.
One on point prediction made by ChatGPT is that Nike will land somewhere around 50,000 pairs globally.
Is Jordan Brand Actually In Trouble?
This is the bigger question.
Nike has been struggling with a sneaker market that has changed considerably. The company’s stock has fallen sharply from its highs, while competitors such as ASICS have benefited from the renewed popularity of performance and running footwear. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Nike’s lifestyle-sneaker dominance has weakened as consumers have moved toward running shoes and other silhouettes.
Nike has also spent years dealing with the downside of its own success. Jordans and Dunks became so widely available that the scarcity that once drove sneaker culture began disappearing. The Wall Street Journal previously reported that oversaturation of limited-edition Jordans contributed to weaker desirability and excess inventory.
Could the Encore Actually Save Jordan Brand?
No single sneaker is going to save Nike. But the Encore doesn’t have to. It just needs to remind people why sneakers were exciting in the first place.
The shoe has Eminem. It has Jordan. It has Undefeated. It has Detroit. It has the Encore era. It has a bizarre origin story involving a sample that wasn’t even supposed to become Eminem’s sneaker. It has only 73 originals in existence. It has a resale history that has pushed into five-figure territory. And now it may finally be heading toward something resembling a real retail release. That’s a hell of a package.
If Nike makes too many, the Encore becomes another Jordan that eventually sits on shelves. If Nike makes too few, the company misses the opportunity to turn one of its greatest sneaker stories into a genuine commercial event. But if Jordan Brand hits that middle ground, the Encore could accomplish something Nike desperately needs right now: make people care again.
And maybe that’s the real genius behind bringing it back. Nike isn’t really selling a $30,000 sneaker. It’s selling the fantasy of getting a $30,000 sneaker for $250.
Human beings have been chasing impossible bargains since the invention of the flea market. Apparently, we now do it through an app at 10 a.m. while Nike’s servers collapse.
If the May 2027 release happens, the Eminem Air Jordan 4 “Encore” could be one of the most fascinating sneaker launches in years. Not because 50,000 pairs would make it rare in the traditional sense, but because it would take one of the most inaccessible grails in sneaker history and test whether the mythology surrounding it is strong enough to survive mass production.
