An Early Sample Of Nigel Sylvester’s Air Jordan 4 “Brick By Brick” Is Revealed

Did Jordan Brand get it right with the eventual release?

Matt Varga July 15, 2025

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After dominating the early months of 2025, the BMX superstar is once again an extremely hot topic. First, it was the Nigel Sylvester Jordan 1 Low that brought his name back to the fore, but leaks of the Nigel Sylvester Jordan 4 “Sail/Cinnabar” ensure he’ll remain in discussions for months. A third, unexpected plotline has now surfaced, as a sample version of the Air Jordan 4 “Brick By Brick” has now emerged for the very first time.

What you’ll immediately note is the material shift on this sample compared to the now-vaunted collaboration. First and foremost, the brick-textured leather mudguard is entirely absent; this design instead opts for matte nubuck throughout all the panels up top. It’s overall far more one-note, opting for a cohesive dark red rather than the spectrum of reds we see on the retail version. Along similar lines, the Bike Air brand blends into the overall profile, itself painted in the brick shade.

For our money, the additional design rounds that followed this sample version very much paid off, as the public release pair offers far more depth and better executes the “Brick By Brick” storytelling. However, as the shoe has already entered the pantheon of this decade’s most well-received Jordan collaborations, gaining this additional insight into the design is invaluable. If you’re so inclined, vaunted sample and PE collector @heat.forya.feet is in fact taking offers on this size 9 pair. If you’d rather window shop, you can catch the full slate of in-hand shots below.

: Nigel Sylvester x Air Jordan 4 (1st Round Sample) @heat.forya.feet

: Nigel Sylvester x Air Jordan 4 (1st Round Sample) @heat.forya.feet

: Nigel Sylvester x Air Jordan 4 (1st Round Sample) @heat.forya.feet

: Nigel Sylvester x Air Jordan 4 (1st Round Sample) @heat.forya.feet

: Nigel Sylvester x Air Jordan 4 (1st Round Sample) @heat.forya.feet

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Written by

Matt Varga, Junior Editor

Matt Varga is an Editor at SneakerNews. Initially earning a degree in Video Arts and Technology, he got his start in video editing and writing in the music world — primarily on hip-hop and electronic. A long-standing interest in sneakers led him to switching over to footwear. An avid collector, his favorite sneaker of all time comes down to either the Air Jordan 1 “Black Toe” and Air Jordan 5 “Laney,” his first ever pick-ups. When he’s not writing, you can find Matt cooking, traveling, attending concerts and when weather permits, on the handball court.