Official Images of the Air Jordan 3 ‘Desert Elephant’ Have Been Released

At the end of 2021, rumours began to swirl of a new take on the classic Air Jordan 3 silhouette slated for 2022, a year ahead of its 35th anniversary. Initially released in 1988, the Air Jordan 3 was the sneaker that saved Nike from losing Michael Jordan as a signed athlete following the underwhelming release of the Air Jordan 2 just two years prior. 

Much of the sneaker community hold the Air Jordan 3 close to their heart preferring it to stay untouched, with several retroes, including the 2021 ‘Pine Green’ colourway being met with a mixed response. However, initial images and mockups of the upcoming ‘Desert Elephant’ colourway (previously coined the ‘Desert Cement’) had people interested. 

Released by zSneakerHeadz, the mockups of the release saw the AJ 3 that people love with the soft tumbled leather on the upper, a clean white midsole holding the signature visible Air Unit, almost acting as Tinker Hatfield's signature feature, and subtle red detailing along the eyelets and on the tongue. 

The only noticeable change was seen on the outsole, perforated panels around the ankle and tongue as well as the beloved elephant leather with a desert hue added as opposed to the grey we are used to. While the updated rendition wasn’t on the level of the OG release, they provided a close second. 

As we know with all leaked sneaker releases, you cannot always trust the mockups. Following the official images of the Air Jordan 3 ‘Desert Elephant’ being made public, it’s clear that a number of features from the mockup design are correct, apart from arguably the most imperative feature - the elephant print leather. 

Swapping out the grey elephant print leather, mimicking the dried, cracked skin of an elephant, Jordan Brand has used brown leather in its place bringing an almost entirely new look to the shoe while complimenting the desert pink tones that surround the upper and tongue.

Additional details include what appears to be suede on the tongue as opposed to the usual standard as well as an odd algorithm stitched onto the sneaker's insole showing an elephant, plus the Jumpman logo equalling a basketball player - confusing.

While the images of the sneaker have been met with mixed responses thus far, it appears that this might be a sneaker that grows on people once it’s in hand. 

For more news on the upcoming Air Jordan 3 ‘Desert Elephant’ as well as all other Air Jordan releases, keep it Kick Game.