To build a successful brand, there has to be a moment when you make the leap from popular to iconic. It’s that moment when you become one of the premier brands in your industry, when your name is synonymous with something tangible that works as a touchstone between what you sell and what you represent. That was what the Air Jordan 3 did for Michael Jordan’s brand.

The Air Jordan line was popular from day one, but popular doesn’t put the Jordan name into all corners of the world. Part of the rapid growth was savvy marketing, like Nike’s “Banned” campaign for the Air Jordan I. Part of it was Michael Jordan’s personality and off-court charisma. A huge part of it was Jordan’s on-court play.

But this is the sneaker business, and for shoes to sell, they have to be cool. For that, the Air Jordan 3 definitely fit the mold.

But it wasn’t just that. A lot of pieces had to fall neatly into place for Jordan shoes to take off at the pace that matched Jordan’s playing career.

The History of Air Jordan 3

The release of the Air Jordan 3 lined up with Jordan’s fourth year in the league, the 1987-88 NBA season.

At this time, Jordan was already a phenomena.

Following up the ridiculous 37.1 points per game from his third season, Jordan reached 35 points per game, the second highest mark of his career. He was the league’s scoring champion, steals leader, NBA All-Star, All-Star MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and NBA Most Valuable Player.

All the while, he was wearing the Air Jordan 3s.

Basketball has changed a lot since 1988. Teams have moved away from isolation sets and post play and are moving toward spacing the offense, going small and shooting threes. Team defense practically didn’t exist 1980s, but it was more physical. Today, switch-happy teams are having the most success, and rules changed to speed up the game.

The way people watch and interact with the league is different, too. The media and social channels guide conversation. Fans are locked into the game 24 hours a day. The NBA is pushing more content than it ever has before, and even in the off-season the conversations are churning.

One thing that will never change, however, is that when fans see something amazing, they know it. Everyone knew Michael Jordan was an amazing basketball player.

You better believe in the playgrounds and driveways of the world, kids were mimicking everything Jordan did. If you wanted to “be like Mike,” you had the fadeaway jumper on lock, you had the up-and-under, you had your tongue hanging out of your mouth and you certainly knew what he was wearing on his feet.

Nike had to pull out all the stops.

By the time the Air Jordan III was being conceived, there were rumors of Jordan considering a move away from the brand. Peter Moore, who designed the Air Jordan I and Bruce Kilgore, another designer, were let go by Nike and tried to get Jordan to come with them.

These attempts were unsuccessful, but it did let Nike know that Jordan leaving actually was a possibility. The Air jordan 3 had to convince him to stay.

Nike put designer Tinker Hatfield, the mind behind the Nike Air Max, on the Air Jordan 3s. Hatfield was well-known and well-respected in the sneaker community, and his work with Jordan only cemented his place among the greatest sneaker designers of all time.

The Air Jordan III took a page out of the Air Max book with a visible air bubble in the heel of the sole. It was the first time Air Jordans got away from the wings logo and moved onto the Jumpman. The look of the shoes was elevated with the elephant print trim and tumble leather.

There was also a lot of correspondence between Hatfield and Jordan to decide what would work. Hatfield went on to design every Air Jordan model through the Air Jordan 15, and then again for the Air Jordan 20.

How Air Jordan 3 came to be successful

The design was a success. Now Nike just had to figure out how to market the Air Jordan 3.

For the Air Jordan 3, Nike conceived one of the most famous sneaker advertisement campaigns ever.

Nike brought on Spike Lee to act as Mars Blackmon, a character he played in She’s Gotta Have It, the 1986 film that Lee also wrote and directed. The Jordan and Lee pairing became known as “Mike and Mars”.

The success of these ads did mainly three things. For one, it put Jordan side-by-side with a influential cultural figure in Spike Lee, introducing the shoes and the brand to a wider audience than just basketball fans. It also showcased Jordan’s own personality and sense of humor.

Most importantly for Nike, it put the shoes in front of consumers’ eyes.

The Air Jordan III debuted at $100 a pair, a lot of money for sneakers at that time. But Nike’s investment in advertising and finding a big-name celebrity to put behind Jordan gave the brand the cache and notoriety to make it worth it.

Air Jordan 3 Original Colorways

When released in 1988, the Air Jordan III came in four distinct colorways. There would be more to come in retros and later releases, but in the beginning, it was only these four: White - Cement Grey, Black - Cement Grey, White- Fire Red, True Blue - Cement Grey.

Air Jordan 3 and Tinker Hatfield

This is what most believe to be Tinker Hatfield and MJ’s path to greatness! The Air Jordan 3 is one of the most popular silhouettes that Tinker designed, and was the first silhouette he designed for a third-year player named Michael Jordan. Once this duo linked up, from then it was on like Kirk and Spock!

Tinker knew he had a challenge when he was tapped to take over the Air Jordan line at Nike. Michael Jordan was beginning to show his greatness, and Tinker wanted to create a silhouette that would match the GOAT’s dominance on the court.

The Air Jordan 3 was the first ever basketball sneaker to debut as a mid-top because Tinker thought it would allow Jordan more flexibility while still providing the stability he needed.

The Air Jordan 3 was also the first AJ silhouette to sport the now-famous Jumpman logo on the tongue. Being a Tinker Hatfield creation, it was also the first basketball sneaker to have Tinker’s signature visible Nike Air unit. For inspiration of the Air Jordan 3, Tinker looked towards luxury handbags to keep the high fashion blend that started with the Air Jordan 2. Sticking with a high fashion look, Tinker created a pattern that has become synonymous with Jordan, the Elephant Print.

While wearing the Air Jordan 3 during the 1987-88 NBA season, Michael Jordan had a career defining season. He went on to win the regular season MVP, the All-Star Game MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Scoring Champion, Steals Champion and the Dunk Contest Champion.

Air Jordan 3 for Men and Kids

To many, the Air Jordan 3 is the greatest Air Jordan of all-time, perhaps the greatest sneaker of all-time. This is all in thanks to Nike for allowing an architect to design sneakers. Tinker Hatfield started the line of greatness with the Air Jordan 3 and made the Jumpman logo the beast it has become today. If you’re a fan of the Air Jordan 3, you can shop the latest Jordan releases at SNIPES with new colorways for men and kids!