Air Jordan 3 Retro OG White Fire Red True Blue, lateral view

Reviewed: Air Jordan 3 Retro OG "True Blue"

Tinker Hatfield's first Jordan, and the one that kept Michael at Nike. It is also the shoe that introduced two things the line never gave back: the visible Air window and the elephant print.

Air Jordan 3 Retro OG White Fire Red True Blue, lateral view
Air Jordan 3 Retro OG White Fire Red True Blue, lateral view

The design

White tumbled leather body, grey elephant print panels at the toe and heel, true blue across the collar lining and the eyestay, and a small fire red Jumpman on the tongue. The blue is a proper mid-tone — not navy, not royal — and it reads differently in daylight than under shop lighting.

The elephant print is embossed leather, not a printed graphic. Run a thumb across it and you can feel the relief.

Grey elephant print on the toe and heel, true blue on the collar and eyestay, and a small red Jumpman on the tongue.
Grey elephant print on the toe and heel, true blue on the collar and eyestay, and a small red Jumpman on the tongue.

Why "OG" is on the box

Because this pair carries Nike Air on the heel tab and NIKE moulded into the outsole, instead of the Jumpman that non-OG retros use. It is a small thing that collectors care about a great deal, and it is the single detail that separates a $200 retro from a $300 one. If you are buying a 3, buy the OG.

Sizing and wear

The 3 runs true to size with a roomier toe box than the 11 or the 4 — it is one of the more comfortable retros out of the box, and the polyurethane midsole gives more than an Air Max of the same era.

The honest warning: white tumbled leather scuffs, and the midsole on any 3 will yellow over years. This is a shoe to wear, not to store. It looks better with a season on it than it does box-fresh.

The OG detail that matters: NIKE on the outsole, and Nike Air on the heel tab rather than a Jumpman.
The OG detail that matters: NIKE on the outsole, and Nike Air on the heel tab rather than a Jumpman.

Who it's for

Someone who wants the most wearable shoe in the retro line. The 3 goes with denim in a way the 11 never quite manages, and the white body means it takes a colour from whatever you put above it. If your wardrobe is mostly black, the 11 or the 6 is a better spend.

$299.99.

Shop the Nike Air Jordan 3 Retro OG White/Fire Red-True Blue — free US shipping over $150.

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