1 colorway of the Jordan Air Jordan 3 Retro OG on SoleBook.
The Air Jordan 3 didn't just save Michael Jordan's signature line, it arguably saved Nike's basketball business in the late 1980s. Designed by Tinker Hatfield, who took over the franchise after two underwhelming Jordan models, the AJ3 introduced elephant print overlays, visible Air cushioning in the heel, and a tumbled leather build that felt more premium than anything Nike had put on court before. It was also the first Jordan to feature the Jumpman logo, phasing out the wings emblem, and the first shoe MJ wore in the film "Come Fly With Me." Since its original run, the silhouette has become one of the most revisited in the entire Jordan Brand catalog. The 2016 Air Jordan 3 Retro OG rebuilds the classic proportions with attention to original detailing, from the rounded toe box to the era-correct midsole markings, catering to a market that treats these retros as archival documents as much as footwear. Colorways like White Cement and Black Cement remain benchmark releases whenever they resurface, and the model's continued relevance shows how a shoe born out of necessity became a permanent fixture in sneaker culture.