Throwback Thursday – Nike Air Jordan 3 Black/Cement Grey

The first time the Jordan 3 came back, after its debut in 1988, was in 1994 during a campaign that Nike launched to bring back the first three?? Air Jordans that Michael Jordan wore. This followed his first retirement when, at the time, many in Nike’s offices were concerned about sales after Jordan’s exit from the NBA.

The ’94 retro releases were packaged in custom boxes that presented a collage of images telling the story of Michael Jordan and his career. It was also in these boxes that the first retro cards came – much bigger than what was placed in boxes after his second retirement.

Though retro Jordans have a very strong following today, back in the mid 90s, there was anything but that. Many of the retros made their way to sales racks and clearance stores such as Ross for as low as $19.99. Today, coming across retros from this era has become a very hard endeavor, but well worth the hunt. Enjoy the photos after the jump. Also, stay tuned tomorrow for a Retro vs. Retro comparison of this shoe.