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White, black, red, and blue are among the absolute classic colours on the Nike Air Jordan 3, but of course, the selection hasn't remained this sparse over the last 30 years. All the better that it is regularly equipped with damn sexy releases that polarise people again and again. You couldn't imagine the scene without this unique model. What would the community be without the unmistakable elephant print on the upper of the shoe? To stay up to date on new AJ releases, be sure to download our free Grailify app!

Nike Air Jordan 3 - A Shoe Full of History

The Jordan models are definitely known for their extensive background stories. It's always fun to find out how each of these unique shoes came to be.

The Nike Air Jordan 3 was created in the wake of the legendary Michael Jordan's great performance from 1987–1988, during which he won just about everything he could have achieved as an individual player. The one-time slam dunk contest, All-Star MVP, best defensive player of the year, and many more. Fittingly, his infamous Nike Air Jordan 3's accompanied him throughout these achievements. And with all the trophies in the bag, a lot of attention naturally rubbed off on his shoes. This gave the AJ3 the necessary popularity to solidify itself in the sneaker scene forever.

After the long-term involvement of Peter Moore and Bruce Kilgore, who incidentally worked on the design of the Air Jordan 1 and Air Jordan 2, they exited at some point and left the label with the Swoosh. Both of them also tried to convince Michael Jordan to leave Nike. But how damn glad we are that they didn't succeed at it! Nevertheless, the famous brand needed a competent designer again at some point, which is why Tinker Hatfield ended up on Team Nike. Yes, you heard that right! THE Tinker Hatfield, who is also responsible for the famous Visible Air-Sole. After he was hired, he not only created the AJ3 in close cooperation with Jordan, but also the following models were under his responsibility. It's no wonder why Air Jordans look so damn sexy.

But let's go back to the third model in the series. This is because it seems that MJ and Hatfield were already in perfect harmony with each other on their first project together. They worked hard, talking about sensible ideas and what would ultimately work well on the sneaker. Michael really wanted a lightweight shoe that could also have good durability. Accordingly, they both finally agreed on a mid-top model, which would then become the first of the Air Jordan series. This proved to be a sensible compromise between stability and lightness for both MJ and Hatfield.

Especially in the further design decisions, many of Tinker's famous elements were integrated into the shoe. For example, he placed the infamous Jumpman logo on the back of the sneaker and equipped it with the unmistakable elephant print. Anyone who knows a bit about the history of Nike will know what a very special design element Mr. Hatfield brought to the company. It is, of course, the Visible Air-Sole, which revolutionised all sneakers from Nike. Accordingly, it is hardly surprising that he also incorporated it into the Nike Air Jordan 3. The latter benefited from the sole's unique cushioning qualities, not to mention its sexy look.

If you were to ask Tinker Hatfield today what the decisive inspirations of the AJ3 were, he would name three elementary and yet very obvious things: the legendary free throw line dunk, an elephant — and how could it be otherwise — Michael Jordan himself. We would say the combination of these three things has more than contributed to the success toward creating a truly unique sneaker. We might use the term "original" a bit often in the context of shoes, but the Nike Air Jordan 3 can definitely be called one!

In the course of the sneaker's thirtieth anniversary, the Nike Air Jordan 3 NRG Tinker was released for the first time in February 2018, but got a big restock right at the end of March 2018. This version celebrates the long anniversary and represents one of Hatfield's first designs. And he does it in a damn chic way, so make sure to check it out!