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Spike lee jordans on feet1/21/2024 ![]() ![]() That experience led Hatfield to believe that Jordan could provide serious input on the design of his third shoe. What can we do that's different?' He was very involved in the process." "He was picking out materials, and he literally said, 'I don't like that lapel. "It was amazing to watch him with these suit-makers," said Hatfield. Hatfield - who was originally hired at Nike in the early 1980s to be a campus architect for the company's headquarters-expansion plan - saw his chance to work with Jordan as a way to involve him in the process like no other athlete had been before.īefore the presentation, he and Nike sports marketing exec Howard White had flown to Chicago to spend a day with the then-24-year-old Jordan, meeting him at his condo and shadowing along for an appointment he had with a nearby suit designer. "Phil Knight was in the room, and Michael came in after keeping him waiting for four hours." "He was not in a great mood," Hatfield said. Legend goes that he was instead out golfing, indifferent to meeting with Nike execs, and made the meeting only once his father, James, dragged him off the course. Once the official Air Jordan 3 meeting was set to begin, Jordan was nowhere to be found. He also felt the shoe was stiff, as its rich Italian leathers and firm bottom didn't break in right away on the court. While he averaged a career high 37.1 points per game in the second Air Jordan, the colors were tame, as the brand launched low and high cuts in only two colors each - a white-and-red look, and a white, black and red edition. Jordan had been sidelined for 64 games the prior season after breaking his left foot in the Air Jordan 1. "I knew Michael wasn't very happy with the Air Jordan 2," Hatfield said. Nike was scheduled to present a third Air Jordan sample to the Bulls star in a matter of weeks. While he has since theorized that the timeline and handoff was part of Moore's grand plan to "sabotage" the Jordan line and take him to Adidas, Hatfield had no time to stress. Just before leaving, he handed off the ongoing Air Jordan project on a quick-turn timeline to Hatfield, who had only just begun designing sneakers for the brand. Peter Moore, the designer of the first two Air Jordan models, had abruptly left Nike for Adidas in 1987. Unlike most signature sneakers, which are planned out more than a year in advance, the Jordan 3 came to life out of a chaotic, compressed timeline. Jordan Brand is honoring the shoe's 30th anniversary this weekend by launching a pair based on one of Hatfield's earliest sketches of what would become the third shoe in Jordan's signature line. Instead of bolting for Adidas, Jordan embraced the Air Jordan 3, marking a turning point in the relationship between the company and its most high-profile star. "Michael really did want to leave us at the time," said the legendary Nike designer, who is credited with creating some of the most iconic Jordan sneakers. New Air Jordan 3 honors the designer who saved NikeĪs Tinker Hatfield remembers it, had his initial presentation of the Air Jordan 3 to Michael Jordan gone awry back in 1987, Nike and Jordan Brand might not exist as we know them today. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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