History of the Air Jordan III
The year was 1988. A young Michael Jordan was taking the NBA by storm with high-flying athleticism not quite like anything the NBA had seen before. On his feet were also something the NBA—and the entire sneaker industry—had never seen before, either. I speak of MJ’s third signature shoe, the Air Jordan III.
Just like young Michael’s style of play, his new sneakers for the 1987-88 NBA season were bold, flashy and unique, while also smooth and stylish. The groundbreaking Air Jordan III has a number of firsts in the Air Jordan line. Most importantly, it was the first Air Jordan to be designed by legendary Nike designer Tinker Hatfield, who would go on to draft all of the most popular Jordan models ever. The III was also the first Air Jordan model to utilize visible Air, as well as the now-iconic Jumpman logo, seen on the shoe’s tongue. One more first—which was not only a first for the Jordan line, but all basketball shoes—was the mid-top height. Other characteristics of the shoe include a full-grain leather upper, plastic lace eyelets, and a molded heel tab with large “Nike Air” logo (replaced by a Jumpman on retro editions).
But what is it that really makes the III so unique? The elephant print, of course.
What truly made the Air Jordan III so groundbreaking was the use of “elephant” print paneling, seen at the toe and heel of each pair (the original “True Blue” colorway also got a dose of the print on the lace paneling). The use of a design like this was something never seen before on an athletic shoe, and set the tone for the perfect blend of fashion and function—the unsurpassed balance of style and performance—that the Air Jordan line would be known for from then on.
The Elephant print would go on to become an iconic motif for Jordan Brand, used throughout the brand’s history on new designs as well as new colorways of retro models and apparel. The print has even spilled outside of Jordan Brand onto other Nike models, being borrowed for classic and highly-coveted shoes like the Supreme x Nike SB Dunk Lows from 2002.
Since its debut in 1988, the Air Jordan III has become one of the greatest sneakers of all time. Many sneaker connoisseurs would even rank it as their favorite shoe ever, or at least their favorite Air Jordan model. It’s certainly a shoe that has stood the test of time, especially in its sought-after four original colorways. Let’s now take a look at the details of all four original colorways along with Michael Jordan's highlights in each on the court.
The White/Cement Grey colorway is the basic white-based colorway that Michael wore throughout the 1987-88 NBA season. This colorway’s biggest moment came when MJ soared from the free-throw line in a pair on his way to winning the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest.
This colorway has seen four retro releases, including its latest release in 2013 that had the original Nike Air logo at the heel, which was replaced by the Jumpman logo on the previous two retros.
Of the four original colorways, the “Fire Red” version was the only one to have a varied hue for the elephant print paneling, which was in a darker grey than the others. Michael also wore this bright red accented pair throughout the regular season and into the 1988 Playoffs—including during his 50-point performance in Game 1 of the opening round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Fire Reds were never retroed until 2007, and have since released again in 2013.
The lone black-based original Air Jordan III, the Black/Cement Grey version is without a doubt the most popular colorway of the III ever. Due to the strict NBA uniform rules of the time which prevented players from wearing shoes that weren’t mainly white, MJ never laced up the Black/Cement colorway on court, except for his 40-point performance in the 1988 All-Star game.
This original black Air Jordan III has re-released four times to date.
The “True Blue” colorway was the only original III not made up in the Chicago Bulls’ red, black and white color scheme, and therefore never worn by Michael on court. It’s also the only version to receive extra elephant print, with the added panels at the laces.
The highly popular True Blues have only retroed three times, including the 2009 release that was a European exclusive.
Just like young Michael’s style of play, his new sneakers for the 1987-88 NBA season were bold, flashy and unique, while also smooth and stylish. The groundbreaking Air Jordan III has a number of firsts in the Air Jordan line. Most importantly, it was the first Air Jordan to be designed by legendary Nike designer Tinker Hatfield, who would go on to draft all of the most popular Jordan models ever. The III was also the first Air Jordan model to utilize visible Air, as well as the now-iconic Jumpman logo, seen on the shoe’s tongue. One more first—which was not only a first for the Jordan line, but all basketball shoes—was the mid-top height. Other characteristics of the shoe include a full-grain leather upper, plastic lace eyelets, and a molded heel tab with large “Nike Air” logo (replaced by a Jumpman on retro editions).
But what is it that really makes the III so unique? The elephant print, of course.
What truly made the Air Jordan III so groundbreaking was the use of “elephant” print paneling, seen at the toe and heel of each pair (the original “True Blue” colorway also got a dose of the print on the lace paneling). The use of a design like this was something never seen before on an athletic shoe, and set the tone for the perfect blend of fashion and function—the unsurpassed balance of style and performance—that the Air Jordan line would be known for from then on.
The Elephant print would go on to become an iconic motif for Jordan Brand, used throughout the brand’s history on new designs as well as new colorways of retro models and apparel. The print has even spilled outside of Jordan Brand onto other Nike models, being borrowed for classic and highly-coveted shoes like the Supreme x Nike SB Dunk Lows from 2002.
Since its debut in 1988, the Air Jordan III has become one of the greatest sneakers of all time. Many sneaker connoisseurs would even rank it as their favorite shoe ever, or at least their favorite Air Jordan model. It’s certainly a shoe that has stood the test of time, especially in its sought-after four original colorways. Let’s now take a look at the details of all four original colorways along with Michael Jordan's highlights in each on the court.
White/Cement Grey
The White/Cement Grey colorway is the basic white-based colorway that Michael wore throughout the 1987-88 NBA season. This colorway’s biggest moment came when MJ soared from the free-throw line in a pair on his way to winning the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest.
This colorway has seen four retro releases, including its latest release in 2013 that had the original Nike Air logo at the heel, which was replaced by the Jumpman logo on the previous two retros.
White/Fire Red
Of the four original colorways, the “Fire Red” version was the only one to have a varied hue for the elephant print paneling, which was in a darker grey than the others. Michael also wore this bright red accented pair throughout the regular season and into the 1988 Playoffs—including during his 50-point performance in Game 1 of the opening round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Fire Reds were never retroed until 2007, and have since released again in 2013.
Black/Cement Grey
The lone black-based original Air Jordan III, the Black/Cement Grey version is without a doubt the most popular colorway of the III ever. Due to the strict NBA uniform rules of the time which prevented players from wearing shoes that weren’t mainly white, MJ never laced up the Black/Cement colorway on court, except for his 40-point performance in the 1988 All-Star game.
This original black Air Jordan III has re-released four times to date.
White/Cement Grey/True Blue
The “True Blue” colorway was the only original III not made up in the Chicago Bulls’ red, black and white color scheme, and therefore never worn by Michael on court. It’s also the only version to receive extra elephant print, with the added panels at the laces.
The highly popular True Blues have only retroed three times, including the 2009 release that was a European exclusive.
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