The best Air Jordan 3 colourways of all time, ranked

The True Blue Air Jordan 3 stands out for a number of reasons. As one of the original four AJ3 colourways, it has always been a prized sneaker, but it’s the only one of the original four that doesn’t derive its colour scheme from the uniforms of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. For that reason, MJ didn’t wear a True Blue in-game until much later in his career, when he joined a new team. That’s right, Jordan wore this sneaker when he played for the Washington Wizards, whose primary blue colour goes much better with the True Blue’s accents.

Of the four original AJ3s, Black Cement proved to be the most popular. Jordan wore it countless times on the court, and having less colour than its sister shoes actually makes Black Cement more versatile and ultimately, more wearable. It’s been re-released countless times and if it hasn’t gone out of fashion by now, we doubt it ever will.

One of the more colourful selections we’ve made on this list, this AJ3 collab with Colombian musician J Balvin combines a toned-down elephant print with rainbow gradients on the heel. The shoes are a tribute to Balvin’s hometown of Medellín, Colombia, a similarly vibrant city. It avoids the common sneaker collab mistake of leaning too far into its celebrity subject’s aesthetic, but still carries enough of Balvin’s style to feel special. And unlike many celebrity sneaker collabs, it’s still laidback enough to be wearable.

In its marketing material for this sneaker, Nike insists that its colourway carries good luck. But whether lady luck is on this shoe’s side or not, the shamrock-hued accents and elephant print upper make for a dynamic duo that is valued by both collectors and the general public. The last time Lucky Green re-released, it was only available in women’s sizes, so you might need to do some quick conversions to figure out your fit, but it’ll be worth it.

Nowadays, every Air Jordan or Nike shoe receives tens of dozens – or even hundreds – of colourways, but it wasn’t always like that. There was a time when sneaker purists dictated that sneakers keep their colourways minimal. As such, the AJ3 originally came in just a handful of colours, mainly pertaining to the Chicago Bulls uniforms. Mocha broke all the rules when it was released in 2001, with a more relaxed, lifestyle-suited colourway that prioritised a muted, earthy palette over garish sports team colours. It worked, and it set a standard to be followed across the industry.

If you’re a basketball fan, chances are you’ve seen Michael Jordan’s iconic free throw line dunk from the 1988 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, but what you probably didn’t know is that Jordan was wearing this very shoe during the competition. That fact alone should be enough to endear the White Cement to you, but if you also consider that it’s one of the original four AJ3s and has endured the test of time to remain one of just two that are still in production and you’ll see that it’s one of the best shoes ever made. Whether you’re a sneaker purist, newbie or an OG that insists everything was better back in your day, there’s something to like about White Cement.

To be clear, the real UNC Air Jordan 3s that were made exclusively for Jordan’s alma mater, the University of North Carolina, go for prices in the five-digit range, and these aren’t those. What they are is a damn good remake, with the only noticeable difference being that they have the Jordan logo on the tongue rather than the UNC logo. If you don’t mind eschewing that one small detail, you can save thousands with what is still a fantastic shoe.

It would be considered heresy if we were to put anything but one of the four original AJ3 colourways at the top of this list, so we’re playing it safe. That’s not to say that we don’t think Fire Red is the best AJ3 though, because we do. Jordan wore these on the court in 1988, as he was coming back from the ankle injury that ended his sophomore season and nearly derailed his career. The Fire Red AJ3 became synonymous with Jordan’s ability to bounce back, and has been a highly coveted collector’s item ever since. Plus, those red accents go with the Chicago Bulls uniform like Jordan goes with winning.