The Air Jordan 3 hit the streets running in 1988. To follow up an incredible year the year before, a great pair of Jordan shoes was needed and fulfilled.

Hatfield takes command

The Air Jordan 3 was the first of 14 Air Jordans he designed. The Air Jordan 3 also carried more of Jordan¡¯s name on the shoe since the man himself was an active part of the design of the shoe. The shoe was the perfect example of Tinker¡¯s skill to blend fashion with function.

A first of many

The Air Jordan 3 broke ground for many different aspects of the Nike Air Jordan shoe line. First, the Air Jordan 3 featured the ¡°Jumpman¡± on the tongue of the shoe. This silhouette of Jordan was to celebrate and commemorate his Slam Dunk Contest victory the year before. Every Jordan after the Air Jordan 3 features this Jumpman as a focal point of the shoe as well as became the new logo for the Air Jordan line. The Air Jordan 3 was also the first to feature a visible air unit. Lastly, the Air Jordan 3 featured elephant print on the upper. Though this material was only used again on 1 other model, it set a standard that the Jordan shoes are as much fashionable as functional.

The Air Jordan 3 also is one of the most famous shoes in the Air Jordan lineup. On many polls, the Air Jordan 3 finishes as the greatest sneaker of all time.

Marketing Monster

Nike created a personality ad campaign featuring the Mars Blackmon character who was created and played by famous director and actor Spike Lee. This campaign followed Air Jordan for a couple of years and is definitely one of the most appreciated Nike commercial series through all time.

Retro blues and Retro boom

Surprisingly enough, the first time the Air Jordan 3 was retroed in 1994, the shoe had limited success. When the Air Jordan 3 was sold again as a re-retro in 2001, it was a different story. The shoe was released in 4 re-retro colorways including 3 of the original 4 colorways except featuring a Jumpman on the back of the shoe instead of the famous ¡°Nike Air¡± symbol. The absence of the ¡°Nike Air¡± symbol made many OG Jordan collectors happy while many sneakerheads joined ¡°Team Crybaby.¡±

The Air Jordan 3 set the standard for all Jordan shoes to follow and is the biggest reason for success of the entire line.