23 Ways The Air Jordan III Revolutionized Sneakers

Michael Jordan's sneakers ruffled feathers from the very first time he set foot on an NBA court wearing Air Jordans. Sometimes that pushing of the limits can result in amazing things. With the Air Jordan III celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and Jordan Brand answering the prayers of many sneakerheads by giving the proper "Nike Air" treatment to the heel, it's a good time to look at just how much the Air Jordan III changed sneakers forever. Check out the 23 Ways The Air Jordan III Revolutionized Sneakers and drop your memories of these iconic kicks in the comment section.

This year we will see the "Nike Air" return to the heel of the Air Jordan III model for the first time since 2001. The return marks the 25th anniversary of the original Nike Air Jordan releasing in 1988. The upcoming release even includes a nod to the oringal in its name, the Air Jordan III Retro 88 "OG."

For many older 'heads, the talk of the "good old days" is never ending. That's because back in the day the challenge was never about sneakers being sold out, the challenge was having the money to get a pair. Although retro models began to create a little buzz in 1999 and 2000 (word to #NT!), most of the time you could still get your hands on a pair ('94s even sold poorly), but that began to change in 2001 when for the first time hitting your favorite spot a week or two after you heard about the Air Jordan III retro releasing resulted in hearing "Sorry, we're sold out" for the very first time.

Maybe it was because he came to sneaker design via architecture, but Tinker Hatfield had a different approach when it came to just about everything. And when it came to designing a signature sneaker, Hatfield had the (at the time) revolutionary thought of actually getting the athlete's input on more than just comfort. Why not let the performer whose name graced the shoe have a say in every aspect? Not only did this make the athlete feel like a bigger part of the process, it made it harder for them to say "but I would never wear that!" after the fact.

The original Air Jordan came in so many color schemes that it's actually hard to track down all of them now - the second came in just two. The Air Jordan III was the sneaker that set the future of Air Jordan releases to come: two "Bulls" themed white-based models, a black shoe, and one outlier (in this case, True Blue). Jordan actually debuted the black IIIs in the All-Star Game at Chicago Stadium, but the black Air Jordan quickly became known as his playoff shoe. And once the success started to build and build (hey, Craig Ehlo!), a new standard was set.

Traditional basketball shoes always showed their branding on the sides - from the Converse All Star ankle patch to adidas's Three Stripes. The Air Jordan II took an entirely new approach, stripping off nearly all the branding and making the sneaker itself the brand. The Air Jordan III stayed Swoosh-less, but the prominent Jumpman logo on the tongue and huge Nike Air on the external heel counter let those who weren't in the know, know.

The Air Jordan I and II both featured a somewhat tradional toebox in terms of leather basketball shoes. Perforations around the toebox were used for ventilation. The Air Jordan III changed that tradition. It was the first Air Jordan model to have a "clean" toebox design without perforations and it became the standard for nearly every Air Jordan model that followed, not to mention the countless other sneakers that used the same approach over the years.

In the late '80s, there wasn't much thought that went into creating basketball sneakers. In fact, the general consensus seemed to be something along the lines of the more leather and rubber, the better support. Michael Jordan wanted something that wasn't as heavy, Tinker Hatfield made it happen, Mike made them fly and the Air Jordan III began to change the way basketball sneakers were created.

In the 25 years since the Air Jordan III released, the sneaker game has changed tremendously. One thing that hasn't is the popularity of the Air Jordan III, which is apparent in looking at the number of times the original colorways have come and gone in retro form. While most Jordans have received dozens of creative color options, the Air Jordan III returns in near-original makeups more than any other Jordan models.

In the '80s, multi-sport stars were unheard of and the first of them to really make a name went by the name of Bo. With Nike taking a braoder approach to marketing their main man Michael Jordan, MJ appeared in a number of print ads suited up for his "other" favorite sport, golf. MJ knows.

You saw earlier Air Jordan models on the feet of a lot of people (and a lot of skaters throughout the late '80s) but the Air Jordan III had a more luxurious appeal to it. That appeal landed the Air Jordan III on the feet of everyone from the neighborhood hustler to famous entertainers. To this day, you can expect to see the Air Jordan III on the feet of anyone from Kendrick Lamar to Kim Kardashian.

Sneakers have come a long way but in the '80s, it was pretty much leather and rubber. The use of plastic to reinforce lace eyelets began to appear in earlier models but the Air Jordan III had reinforcements at every lace hole, which can be seen as a nod to Michael Jordan's athletic abilities pushing technology forward in many ways.

The Air Jordan signature line has always been a frontrunner in its marketing aspects. With that said, the Air Jordan III took things to a completely new level. For the first time, Nike had not just one commercial that ran during televised games, but they had a whole slew of commercials that you were bound to see any time you flipped on the TV. The results of course, speak for themselves.

From backpacks to headphones, phone cases and shoelaces, the design elements of the Air Jordan III can be seen in nearly everything sneaker related and many things that have nothing at all to do with sneakers. Before the Air Jordan III, there wasn't much thought of "sneaker inspired" anything. But ever since, we've seen just about everyone and their mother become "creatively inspired" by the Air Jordan III.

In today's sneaker game, we see outrageous designs that feature tongues that are larger enough to flag down a taxi on their own. However, tastefully done, popping tongues is one of the ways most rock their kicks and we can thank the Air Jordan III for that. The elongated design combined with the iconic Jumpman logo make the Jordan III unforgettable.

No sneaker has ever been a part of such longstanding iconic images. Sure, MJ had countless photographs over the years that we will never forget but his performance at the Slam Dunk Contest resuted in imagery that really made it seem like Michael could fly. It had to be the shoes.

Heading into the offseason following his third year in the NBA, Michael Jordan was at a crossroads. Despite a second season that saw him play in just 17 games, he'd already become one of the league's biggest draws. And while his first two signature shoes had been successful - wildly successful in the case of the first - the people who brought him into the Nike fold were leaving, and he was considering going with them. Fortunately, he met with his new designer, a former architect named Tinker Hatfield, before he did anything drastic.

Spike Lee's directorial debut was a black-and-white venture called "She's Gotta Have It," where he starred as a sketchy bike messenger from Brooklyn named Mars Blackmon who never took his Air Jordans off, even in bed. In Portland, a little ad agency called Wieden & Kennedy took notice. And after humorous commercials for the original Air Jordan, and slow-motion dunks for the II, the Air Jordan III was introduced via a series of black and white commercials featuring Michael Jordan and his diminutive, glasses-wearing, chain-having, trash-talking sidekick. Mars Blackmon had found his audience.

Back in the late '80s, most basketball players wore hightops. It's not that lows and mids didn't exist - they certainly did - but the prevailing thought was that basketball shoes should be higher cut. The Air Jordan III did for midcuts what the recent Kobe line has done for lows. It didn't create something entirely new, but it attached the biggest name in the game to a yet-unproven (to many) design concept. Hightops didn't stop, but people became aware of the alternative.

Visible Air was Nike's statement technology in 1988, having just been introduced via the Air Max the year prior. Tinker Hatfield came up with the concept as a way to use a larger Air bag without compromising the midsole - 360 Air was still quite a ways off - and it immediately became recognizable as a Nike element. The Air Jordan III wasn't the first Nike Basketball product to use it, the Air Revolution was. But it was the Air Jordan III that spread the still-new concept far and wide.

Tinker Hatfield has become the most recognized designer in footwear but back in 1987, his name was unknown to most people outside of Nike's Beaverton headquarters (which, in his initial role as architect, he had played a role in designing). The Air Jordan III is said to have kept Michael Jordan with Nike, after being offered a deal with former Nike execs Peter Moore and Rob Strasser to leave and start his own company. Thankfully, Tinker came through on the groundbreaking design of the Air Jordan III because if he hadn't, the sneaker landscape might look quite different.

To take off the Nike Swoosh from the side panel of the Air Jordan III was quite a statement, especially with relatively few design elements to compensate. They had done the same thing with the Air Jordan II (which was truly an icebreaker for the III in lots of ways), but the Italian-made sneaker didn't sell nearly as well as its boldly colored predecessor. The easy choice would have been to go back to the Swoosh and a more conventional basketball shoe design. But the Air Jordan line wouldn't be what it is today had Nike (and Tinker Hatfield) made easy choices. The Swoosh stayed off, and the Air Jordan III became legendary.

Elephant print has become something bigger than anyone could have ever anticipated. It's synonymous with Air Jordans in the same way that the Jumpman logo is. It's also been used on countless styles and silhouettes, ranging from the atmos Air Max 1 to the Air Force 1 on NIKEiD and a seemingly endless number of accessories and "inspired by" products. The roots of its popularity and familiarity to the world can be traced to the Air Jordan III. And its use also opened up performance product being dressed in exotic style. This was actually first tried on the Air Jordan II with iguana print, but the elephant was way more in-your-face.

It goes without saying that the Peter Moore designed Air Jordan Jumpman logo that Tinker Hatfield placed on the tongue of the Air Jordan III is the most game-changing element of the iconic sneaker. In fact, you could argue that it could be one of the most revolutionary design pieces in the history of sneakers, period. MJ may have been wearing the Air Jordan I when this iconic image was first captured for a Nike poster, but Jordan's own image being transformed into his logo will forever be remembered because of the Air Jordan III.