These Air Jordan 3s Are Inspired by Michael Jordan’s ‘Lucky’ Practice Shorts

By Danial Martinus  •  12 Feb 2025 in Sneak Peek

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Any sneakerhead will know that the Air Jordan 3 is an extremely versatile silhouette, despite its chunky design. It looks good on everyone, regardless of style.

Sneaker appearance aside, the Air Jordan 3 is also a silhouette that Jordan himself has worn on multiple iconic court appearances, leading to the its popularity among collectors.

Paying homage to Jordan’s roots at the University of North Carolina (UNC), Nike will be releasing the Air Jordan 3 ‘Lucky Shorts’, inspired by the iconic UNC practice shorts that the basketball player would wear under his Chicago Bulls uniform.

A long-held superstition

If you’re not familiar with the lore of Jordan’s supposedly “lucky” practice shorts, here’s a quick refresher: In 1982, Jordan lead the UNC Tar Heels to the National Championship with a late-game go-ahead jump shot that would eventually seal the deal for the team. He was wearing his trusty UNC practice shorts at the time.

Since then, the basketball legend would continue wearing the shorts under his Chicago Bulls uniform as a form of good luck during games. It was a superstition Jordan consistently held close to his heart (or shorts).

You wouldn’t really see much of them in photos, except for blue accents peeking out of his Bulls shorts. Despite this, they’re as iconic as the Jordan brand itself.

With the AJ3 ‘Lucky Shorts’, you’ve got relatively clean and minimal colour-blocking, comprising Summer White, Legend Blue, Photon Dust, and Hydrogen Blue. From afar, most people will probably think they’re regular white sneakers—but that’s not a bad thing in this writer’s eyes.

The shoe’s upper is adorned with high quality leather featuring the shoe’s signature elephant print texture. If you’ve never held a pair of Jordan 3s in hand before, let’s just say they feel like really supple, high-quality leather.

As with all AJ3s, the midsole also predominantly features a visible Nike Air window, tastefully disrupting the seamless look of the shoe’s midsole. Plus, you’ll get to show everyone you’re walking and playing in comfort.

Out in the back, the heel features a blue Jumpman logo along with an ‘AIR’ word mark. This brings up one question: Would you rather have a “Nike Air” logo in the back as opposed to the Jumpman?

Overall, the sneakers are as clean as a pair of Air Jordan 3s can be. Minimal colour-blocking on a versatile silhouette always spells for a good release. And if you happen to be interested in getting your hands on a pair, they’re releasing on 22 February.

They’ll cost you US$200 (RM895) on Nike’s official website.

For more sneakers, head to JUICE Malaysia.