1987-88 Air Jordan 3 - These shoes set the bar for all Air Jordans to come, propelling the Nike Air Jordan brand to a new level in consumer awareness and fashion alike. The designer of these shoes (Tinker Hatfield) made these shoes completely different from the previous versions, abandoning the wings logo, and completely redefining the design so that it resembled more a mid cut shoe rather then the high top versions of past.
The Air Jordan 3's gave birth to the Jumpman logo. They also feature a stylish elephant or reptile print around the soles. Yet another improvement on these shoes is the visible air unit in the rear sole of the shoes which is on display through a clear lining. Clearly these shoes were a complete make over and brought new style and definition to the air jordan line of shoes. They were also a huge hit in the stores, selling out immediately and developing a huge following that would later support the Nike Air Jordan line of shoes in years to come.
At the same time, Michael Jordan wore this shoe will reaching a new level of superstardom. During the 87-88 season Michael Jordan won all of the top accolades a NBA player could win. Among his many titles he was the defensive player of the year, the MVP of the year, scoring champion, slam dunk dunk competition champion and all star game MVP. It was the first and only time that player had won both the defensive player of the year award and the MVP of the league.
The Air Jordan 3's were also heavily promoted with the timeless Spike Lee and Michael Jordan commercials. The comedy in them and their popularity were a major contributor to the shoes sales and Michael Jordan's well documented history of having upwards of 10 advertising contracts at once. These commercials were also dubbed for the Japanese market and Michael gained new fame on a global scale. The Air Jordan 3's sold very well in Japan and became a huge part of the later Air Jordan's market.
