How To Tell If Jordan 5 Are Fake (2023)

Last Updated on September 4, 2023 by Ch David

You can tell if your Jordan 5 are fake by looking at the size tag. Fake pairs always have bolded inscriptions, which are never to be seen on a real pair of Air Jordan 5s.

If you are wondering how to spot fake Air Jordan 5s, then you are in the best place to find out.

In this real vs fake Air Jordan 5 guide, you will easily learn how to spot fake Air Jordan 5 sneakers in just a few simple steps.

This guide works for any colourway of the Jordan 5s.

Along with each step, we will link fake vs real Air Jordan 5 images in order for you to visualize and easily understand the flaws of the fake Jordans.

How to spot fake Air Jordan 5 (Any)

The quickest way to spot fake Air Jordan 5 sneakers is to check out the size tag since fake pairs always have thicker inscriptions than those seen on a real pair.

Let’s check it out!

1. Rear details

We are first going to begin with the sneakers which have been released with the Jumpman on the rear side.

Then, we are going to check out the real vs fake Air Jordan 5 sneakers with the Nike logos text on the back.

1.1. Jumpman logo

• The fake Air Jordan 5s have their Jumpman’s upper arm (the one with the ball) improperly stitched.
• The fake sneakers have their Jumpman’s upper arm looking too thick.
• Looking at the curvy part of the Jumpman’s body, you can see how the fake Air Jordan 5’s have their bumpy part of the body looking too curvy compared to the authentic Air Jordan 5’s.

See how the authentic pair is exactly the opposite.

1.2. Nike Air text

• The replica Air Jordan 5s have their “NIKE” text looking too thick compared to the text on the authentic shoes.
• The fake Jordan 5s have their “A I R” text looking too thick.

See how the authentic pair has thinner inscriptions.

2. Interior tongue

In the real vs fake Air Jordan 5 image above:

• The fake Jordan 5 pair has its text improperly stitched into the tongue label.
• The fake pair’s text looks too thick compared to the original example.

Looking at the authentic Air Jordan 5’s in the real vs fake Air Jordan 5 image above, it is visible how all of the letters have the same font-weight.

A quick mention:

• The steps we’ve written so far are the BEST ways to authenticate this item
• The next few steps are still reliable methods…
• … but they apply to non-top-versions of replicas available for this item

If in doubt, we recommend double-checking the steps we’ve explained above this line.

3. Exterior tongue

• The counterfeit Air Jordan 5’s have their Jumpman’s upper arm looking too thick.
• On fake pairs, the Jumpman logo is angled too much. The fake logo curves more than the real one.
• The replica AJ5s have their Jumpman’s fingers looking too thick.

4. Midsole lines

• The lines on the fake midsole are crooked. They’re not straight.
• The fake lines are also too thin.
• On the fake pair, the lines don’t come out of the shoes.

The authentic sneakers have their lines perfectly positioned and look sharp, while the fake Air Jordan 5’s have their midsoles’ lines looking bumpy and less sharp than the authentic shoes’ lines.

The authentic Jordan 5s also have their midsole lines coming out of the black part.

5. Rear shape

• The fake 5s have their rear U-shaped patch less deep.
• The fake patch is also too wide compared to the patch on the authentic AJ5s.

On the other hand, the authentic Air Jordan 5’s have their patch bumped in the middle, making them look curvier and less wide than the fake shoes’ patch.

6. Profile “23” logo

• The fake sneakers have their text looking bigger and less defined than the one met on the authentic shoes.
• The fake sneakers use a different font for the “23” text.
• The replica Air Jordan 5’s don’t even have their shadows behind placed evenly with the text.

The authentic Air Jordan 5 sneakers will always have their shadows placed correctly behind the “23” text.

7. Reflective tongue

Let’s check out the fake vs real Air Jordan 5’s with the lights off, using a phone’s flashlight to reveal the 3M-refelctive material on the tongue.

• The replica Air Jordan 5’s has a poorer quality for the tongue’s 3M reflective material.
• In fact, the shining of their tongue is more chaotic and lighter than the authentic shoes’ tongue.

The authentic pair shines cleaner, making it easy to spot the whole red Jumpman logo.

Shortlist: Tell if your Jordan 5s are real or fake in 30 seconds

1. Verify the sneakers from the rear side. Usually, the fake sneakers have their Jumpman looking too thick and curvy, and the fake pairs with the Nike AIR text are most common to have it looking too thick
2. Check the interior tongue label with the “AIR JORDAN” text. Fake sneakers commonly have their text improperly stitched into the label
3. Analyze the stitching on the tongue’s Jumpman. Usually, the replica Air Jordan 5s have their Jumpman looking too curvy and thick
4. Inspect the pattern of the lines on the midsoles of your shoes. Fake Jordan 5 commonly have their lines too little sharp and too bumpy
5. Check the rear U shape. Most of the time, the replica Air Jordan 5 has its U-shaped patch on the rear side looking too wide and less bumpy than needed
6. Make sure you verify the text on the side of the shoes, as fake sneakers are most common to have their text with a different font than the one used for the retail pairs and check the shadows on the text for any improper placement
7. Examine the 3M reflective tongue feature. The counterfeit Air Jordan 5’s are most common to have their tongue shining chaotically

The 7 detailed steps outlined above might not be so practical when you are in a hurry or when you want to buy sneakers online.

That is why we have compiled this quick 30 seconds solution to authenticating your sneakers.

Expert Air Jordan 5 authentication service

If you need help with the authentication of your Air Jordan 5, we’ve got you covered.

All you have to do is send us good-quality pictures of your sneakers and we will get back to you with the results within 24 to 48 hours. The results will also come with a report on why we believe your sneakers are fake or authentic.

That brings us to the end of our real vs fake Air Jordan 5 guide. We will continue to update this article as better and newer comparisons are put out.

Need our opinion on your item’s authenticity? It’s a service we provide.

Get a fully-detailed report for why you have a real or fake item. Takes less than 48 hours!

Alternatively, use our free resources: written guides and video tutorials.

Thank you for reading this,

Ch Daniel and Ch David