2001 Air Jordan 3 • Black Cement

2001 Air Jordan 3 • Black Cement

Michael Jordan‘s third signature sneaker from Nike is widely beloved for a design unlike anything that had ever been seen before on a basketball shoe in equal parts of its historical significance. As the first of Jordan’s sneakers to be designed by the legendary Tinker Hatfield, the Air Jordan 3 helped prevent the superstar from leaving Nike, which very well may have saved the company. It also introduced the Jumpman logo to the world and brought Spike Lee’s Mars Blackmon character into the fold for one of the most heralded series of advertisements.

The Air Jordan 3’s original run only consisted of four colorways, three of which Jordan wore in an NBA setting. He favored the “White Cement” edition throughout the 1987-1988 regular season, and the colorway is most commonly associated with its appearance on his feet as he won the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest. Jordan would switch over to the “Black Cement” variant for that weekend’s NBA All Star Game, and come the playoffs he favored the “Fire Red” sneaker.