The Air Jordan 3
In 1987, Jordan’s contract with Nike was coming up for renewal, and they knew they had to do something big to keep the basketball star on side. It was the revolutionary Air Jordan 3 design that saved the day. One of the most popular Air Jordan models of all time, the silhouette set a new standard for Nike and Michael Jordan’s sneakers.
Tinker Hatfield was the genius behind the design of the Air Jordan 3. Given the project when it was already months behind schedule, Hatfield worked day and night to get a prototype in front of Jordan. Luckily, he loved it!
Hatfield was listening closely when Michael Jordan told him what he was looking for in a sneaker; something that wasn’t as high as everyone else was wearing, that was comfortable and broken-in right out of the box and had a sophisticated style.
The prototype presented to Jordan had a mid-cut height, was made from soft leather, included the elephant hide-like print on the upper and had a visible Air Unit in the heel. Another key new element was the now iconic Jumpman logo on the tongue. With the shoe missing Nike’s famous Swoosh, the Air Jordan 3 was giving Jordan the chance to make a bold statement.
Unsurprisingly, Jordan renewed his contract with Nike.
Jordan sporadically wore the ‘White Cement’ colorway as early as November 1987, but most fans remember him wearing the Air Jordan 3 for the first time during the 1988 NBA All-Star game.
The ‘White Cement’ and ‘Black Cement’ Air Jordan 3s came out in January 1988 and have remained the most popular colorways with numerous re-releases throughout the years.
Upon release Air Jordan 3s retail for around €190.
The Air Jordan 3 does fit true to size, but if you have wider feet you may want to size up half a size. The leather upper can also feel a little snug at first.
