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The Air Jordan 1 caused controversy, and the Air Jordan II defied convention. The Air Jordan III tooted its horn when Michael Jordan wore them during the 1988 NBA Dunk Contest, winning in style over the favored Dominique Wilkins and performing the most memorable dunk in the contest’s history – one that will be forever instilled in NBA lore and imagery. The Air Jordan III presented a number of new features to the Air Jordan line, like visible Air, which debuted on the classic Air Max 1, the elephant print, which was a result of Jordan’s desire for an animal print on the shoe, and tumbled leather, which added a level of luxury to basketball shoes and satiated Jordan’s wishes.
The Air Jordan III opened the door to now legendary designer Tinker Hatfield, who went on to design the next twelve consecutive Air Jordan models. Hatfield and the design team worked tirelessly for weeks, sometimes going without sleep for days at time, to create a one-of-a-kind shoe fit for Jordan’s personal and specific tastes and grandstanding enough to be worthy of its own podium. The Air Jordan III also welcomed movie director and fellow Brooklyn-native Spike Lee into the Air Jordan marketing strategy; while the Air Jordan 1 & II utilized a dramatic angle, the III featured a comedic approach, with ‘Mars Blackmon’ hanging on a basketball rim while standing on the shoulders of his “main man” Michael Jordan and providing most of the dialogue while letting Jordan speak with his actions.
However, the Air Jordan III was almost at risk of never being created, as Michael Jordan considered leaving Nike, until a stern chat with his father and a meeting with Tinker Hatfield changed his mind and opened up a newfound excitement for the Air Jordan III and the future of his signature line. The excitement resulted in one of the most successful spans in Jordan’s career; Michael ended the ’88 season with an League MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Star Game MVP, and Dunk Contest Trophy while providing a firm foundation for the following ’88-’89 season, which turned out to be Jordan’s best all-around campaign. The three original colorways were all in rotation – White for the Dunk Contest and regular season, Fire Red for the Playoffs, and Black for All-Star Game. The fourth original colorway, known as the ‘True Blues’, were never worn by Michael as a Bull, but he brought them out during his brief tenure with the Washington Wizards. The Air Jordan III is long considered one of the greatest footwear designs of all time, and by some to be the greatest Air Jordan in the label’s history. Continue reading for a gallery of Michael Jordan and the Air Jordan III and stay tuned to Sneaker News for the next volume of Michael Jordan Through The Years.
29 Responses to “Michael Jordan Through The Years: Air Jordan III”
November 18th, 2010 at 9:04 pm
First!! Hell yes bitches
November 18th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
Bring back the Nike Air!
November 18th, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Greatest of all time, and he rocking the 3's right
November 18th, 2010 at 9:25 pm
The best sneaker ever produced. Period.
November 18th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
The Best Out Of All Of His Airness Collection…….
November 18th, 2010 at 9:39 pm
they really should release the original white and red 3s in these pics…just sayin
November 18th, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Bow down to the REAL king w/ 6 rings!
November 18th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
All hail the " true" king – and the 3 was definately one of my top 4 J' ever
November 18th, 2010 at 10:31 pm
III love it
November 18th, 2010 at 10:32 pm
g.o.a.t player and g.o.a.t shoe
November 18th, 2010 at 10:36 pm
Really makes me wanna ball in my III's
November 18th, 2010 at 10:38 pm
Man, I hope next year is the year of the III's & IV's!!! If so, I'm copping all year!!!
November 18th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
Greatest sneaker ever created, case closed.
November 18th, 2010 at 11:35 pm
My personal favourite Jordan of all time is the III.
November 18th, 2010 at 11:49 pm
Like the 2nd to last pic on the 3rd pg. and first pic on the 4th pg., but overall I like the pics when Michael Jordan is in MAXIMUM A.I.R. RESPECT 23. Can't wait to see part 4.
November 18th, 2010 at 11:56 pm
CONGRATULATIONS for being First!!! and here's ur PRIZE GIVEAWAY from SNEAKERNEWS: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING……..:P……….
November 18th, 2010 at 11:59 pm
I agree. Relive the past to the present!
November 19th, 2010 at 12:11 am
judging by these picks, he almost never wore the black cements. only pics here are in the all star game and a nike commercial shoot…hmmm i wonder why
November 19th, 2010 at 12:26 am
He can fly :O
November 19th, 2010 at 1:15 am
Black cements were worn only in the 88 all star game by MJ…Bulls did'nt start wearing black shoes till 89 Playoffs…
November 19th, 2010 at 4:45 am
THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
November 19th, 2010 at 8:02 am
Blue Wizards Jersey + DS True Blues = OMG …
November 19th, 2010 at 10:01 am
DAMN…………………………………WIZARDS MIKE! Still hurt my eyes.
November 19th, 2010 at 11:37 am
bring back quality and shape first
November 19th, 2010 at 4:56 pm
aye i know theyre comin out with the white cement, true blue, and fire red. but does anyone know if theyre comin out with the BLACK CEMENT ?
November 19th, 2010 at 6:44 pm
THE BEST AIR JORDAN EVER THE III 3'S IN MY OPINION EXCEPT FOR THE PAINT & CRACKING ON THE MIDSOLES BIG DISAPOINTMENT… HEY I CANT WAIT FOR A BIN 23 AIR JORDAN 3 TO RELASE.
November 19th, 2010 at 7:58 pm
those true blue IIIs must be a special model, the blue stretches all the way to the inside of the shoe unlike the og and retro models
November 19th, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Still loving this series Sneakernews, any chance of more videos like you had for the AJ1's? I'm sure they're hard to track down one that is relevant, but if you can, it would be incredible!
January 13th, 2011 at 12:21 am
waiting for the black Cement 3's to come out