"It's Gotta Be The Shoes" – Air Jordan 3
Air Jordan 3 (1987 – 88)
INTRODUCING MARS BLACKMON & THE JUMPMAN
In 1988, Nike unveiled perhaps the most famous Air Jordan shoe of them all, the Air Jordan 3. It introduced the ‘Jumpman’ logo, the iconic silhouette of MJ to commemorate his slam dunk contest triumph the year before. Coincidentally as if to accentuate his Airness, it also was the first Air Jordan sneaker to feature a visible air sole. To help promote the release of the Air Jordan 3, Nike enlisted the help of successful filmmaker Spike Lee to incorporate his alter-ego character Mars Blackmon from his breakthrough film ‘She’s gotta have it’.
HIS GREATEST INDIVIDUAL SEASON
The Air Jordan 3 coincided with the 1987-88 NBA season, which was simply Jordan’s greatest individual statistical season. The numbers says it all…NBA scoring leader at 35 points per game on 53.5% FG shooting, which is exceptional for a perimeter guard. Furthermore he lodged career highs in Player Efficiency Rating (31.71, third highest in NBA history) and NBA win shares (21.23, Eighth highest in NBA history). Jordan not only consolidated his standing as the game’s premier offensive force, but he was finally and belatedly recognised as the NBA’s premier defensive force as well.
His career high season totals of 259 steals and 131 blocks were instrumental in him winning the 1987-88 Defensive Player of the Year, an award that Jordan himself admitted was the one “that meant the most to him.” But in the eyes of his peers and fans, Jordan was presented with the greatest individual honor, winning the NBA’s most valuable player award for the 1987-88 season. It was the first time in history that a player had won both the MVP and Defensive player of the year awards in the same season, as well as leading the league in both scoring and steals and blocking more shots then over half of the league’s starting centers!
AN ALL STAR WEEKEND TO REMEMBER …AT MIKE’S HOUSE
The annual All-star weekend was held at Jordan’s ‘Madhouse on Madison’ – Chicago Stadium in 1988. It was an all star weekend to remember for Jordan, who participated in arguably the most competitive and exciting Slam Dunk contest in history. It featured the ‘who’s who’ of dunkers; The Human Highlight Reel - Dominique Wilkins, the diminutive Spud Webb (who was the shortest Slam Dunk champion in history at 5 Foot 7) and Phi Slama Jama Clyde ‘the Glide’ Drexler.
The Slam Dunk contest ended up being a heavy weight shootout between Wilkins and Jordan in the final round. After a trio of perfect dunks (2 violent above the rim rattlers from Nique and a double clutched back slam from MJ), Jordan’s two handed rock the cradle dunk controversially drew a score of 47, which attracted a chorus of boos from the crowd. But Nique’s emphatic dual handed windmill could only draw a 45 from the judges. So the outcome of the Slam Dunk contest came down to Jordan’s final dunk, which he needed a 48 to tie and a 49 to win. Dramatically he walked to the back of the court and delivered his spectacular spread eagled dunk from the foul line, which caused his home crowd to erupt in delirium. The judges had no choice but to award Jordan a 50, which sealed his second consecutive Slam Dunk crown, being the first player in all star history to achieve this feat.
If Jordan’s Slam Dunk Heroics was the jewel in the all star weekend crown, then his All Star MVP performance was definitely the icing in the cake as he led the Eastern All-stars to a 138-133 victory over the Western All-Stars. Jordan scored 40 points on an incredible 17-23 shooting performance in just 29 minutes to seal the MVP award. It was the second highest scoring output in NBA All star game history.
JORDAN RULES!
Undoubtedly Jordan’s greatest game during his greatest season was his 59 point outburst against the Detroit Pistons in a 112-110 victory. The pre-championship Detroit Pistons were Jordan’s puppets at the time, as he continuously torched them at will, having lit them up for 61 points the previous season. Jordan hit 20 of his first 24 field goal attempts and sealed the game with a pair of game winning free throws. Ironically this was the game that Piston coach Chuck Daly and his Bad Boy contingents had enough of Jordan’s offensive explosions and decided to create the ‘Jordan Rules’ – an unprecedented defensive strategy aimed at containing Jordan’s scoring outbursts through double teaming and dirty physical ambushes aimed at knocking him down especially when he drove to the basket.
Is it the Shoes? … Money, it’s gotta be the shoes!
As Mars Blackmon would say in ‘She’s gotta have it’. It’s no coincidence that the Air Jordan3’s would top numerous polls as the greatest Air Jordan sneakers of all time & reportedly be Jordan’s personal favourite sneakers out of his AJ collection. It did feature heavily in Jordan’s greatest individual season. If the Air Jordan 3 shoes had ceased to exist, would Jordan have enjoyed the same level of success he had in 1987-88?……
Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!