The Air Jordan 3 is one of the most important sneakers ever made, and that's not an exaggeration. It only came in 4 colorways when it first dropped in 1988, but every single one of them is a classic. Here they all are, ranked from worst to best...
How The Air Jordan 3 Saved Jordan Brand
By 1987, Nike and Michael Jordan were at a crossroads. His contract was running out, his previous shoe had underwhelmed, and he was seriously considering leaving the Swoosh for Adidas.
Nike needed something special to keep him around. What they got was Tinker Hatfield, a designer who had already made his mark with the Air Max 1, sitting down with Jordan and simply asking him what he wanted in a sneaker.
What Hatfield came back with was unlike anything the basketball world had seen before. The Air Jordan 3 introduced visible air cushioning in the heel, an elephant print leather upper, and a clean mid-cut silhouette that felt more like a lifestyle shoe than a performance basketball sneaker.
It also debuted the Jumpman logo for the first time, which would go on to become one of the most recognizable symbols in sports. Jordan loved it immediately and signed a new deal with Nike. The rest is history.
The shoe was everywhere during Jordans 87-88 run and became permanently tied to the image of Jordan ascending to the top of the sport. More than thirty years later, every one of the 4 original colorways still holds serious weight in sneaker culture.
4. Air Jordan 3 "True Blue"
The "True Blue" lands at the bottom of this list, but let's be clear about something: the bottom of an Air Jordan 3 OG ranking is still an incredible place to be. This is a beautiful shoe.
The white leather base is crisp and clean, the "True Blue" accents on the midsole and heel tab add a pop of color that works perfectly against the cement grey elephant print, and the overall look feels more relaxed and lifestyle-oriented than the other three OGs. It has a lightness to it that the other colorways don't quite have.
The reason it sits here is mostly about history. Jordan wore the "True Blue" in a 1988 exhibition game pitting Team USA against NBA All-Stars, but he didn't lace them up in an actual NBA game until his Washington Wizards days in 2001, when he wore a retro pair.
That lack of on-court history during his Bulls prime means the "True Blue" doesn't carry the same cultural baggage as the rest of the OG lineup. But the shoe itself is stunning and it has developed a passionate following of its own over the years, particularly among collectors who appreciate a cleaner, less expected look on the 3 silhouette.
3. Air Jordan 3 "Fire Red"
The "Fire Red" is the most underrated colorway of the four OGs, and it has been for a long time. Jordan switched into these for the 1988 playoffs and wore them into the start of the 1988-89 season, which means they have genuine on-court history during one of the most important stretches of his career.
The white leather base is bright and clean, the cement grey elephant print wraps the toe and ankle in a way that grounds the shoe, and the fire red hits on the midsole and outsole give the whole thing an energy that the other colorways don't quite match.
It pops in a way that feels exciting without being over the top. The "Fire Red" sits at three only because the two colorways above it are genuinely among the greatest sneakers ever made.
On its own, it is a fantastic shoe that has aged brilliantly, and every retro run it gets reminds people of how well that color combination actually works. It's the Air Jordan 3 for someone who wants the OG experience but isn't ready to go with the obvious choice, and there's nothing wrong with that at all.
2. Air Jordan 3 "Black Cement"
Michael Jordan wore the "Black Cement" exactly once in an NBA game. It was the 1988 All-Star Game in Chicago, his home court, and he went out and dropped 40 points with 8 rebounds and 4 steals to take home All-Star MVP.
One game and one all-time performance. That's all it took for this colorway to become one of the most iconic sneakers ever made. The shoe itself matches the moment. The black leather upper is rich and premium looking, and the cement grey elephant print across the toe and ankle collar creates a contrast that still looks as sharp today as it did in 1988.
The red Jumpman on the tongue adds just enough color to keep the palette from feeling too serious, and the Nike Air branding on the heel is the detail that collectors always point to when a retro gets it right.
Every time Jordan Brand brings this one back with the original heel branding intact, sneakerheads lose their minds, and rightfully so. The "Black Cement" is the Air Jordan 3 at its most premium and most dramatic, and it sits at number two only because the White Cement's story is impossible to beat.
1. Air Jordan 3 "White Cement"
There was never going to be any other number one. The "White Cement" is the Air Jordan 3, and it might be the single most important sneaker colorway in the history of Jordan Brand. This is the shoe Jordan wore when he won the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest with the freethrow line dunk, the moment that elevated him from great player to full-blown cultural icon.
It's the shoe that Tinker Hatfield used to convince him to stay at Nike. It's the shoe that introduced the elephant print, the visible Air unit, and the Jumpman logo to the world all at the same time.
The colorway itself is perfect. White tumbled leather, cement grey elephant print on the toe and ankle, a red Jumpman on the tongue, and the Nike Air logo on the heel that every retro has to get right or face the wrath of every sneakerhead on the internet.
It is clean, timeless, and has never looked out of place, no matter what era it gets retro'd in. It has come back more times than any other Air Jordan 3 colorway, and it has sold out every single time.
The "White Cement" is one of the greatest sneakers ever made, and it isn't particularly close. The good news for everyone who missed the last retro is that the Air Jordan 3 "White Cement" is making its return in spring 2027!
