Jordan Brand is releasing the Air Jordan 3 "Laser" on August 22 for $230, in a Phantom/University Red-Palomino-Sail colorway under style code JA1369-001. It arrives through SNKRS and select Jordan Brand retailers in unisex sizing. It replaces the Air Jordan 3's signature elephant print.
In its place, coffee-brown suede wraps the toe and heel, and the rest of the upper is covered edge to edge in graphics burned into the leather with a laser. Sole Retriever notes the same brown reappears on the sockliner and the perforated ankle collar, against white leather with a red Jumpman on the tongue. Metallic silver eyelets ring the lacing, and Nike Air branding sits on the heel.
What is etched into the upper
According to Sneaker Bar Detroit, the artwork is a catalog of references to Michael Jordan's life, rendered in the laser-etching technique Nike designer Mark Smith made a signature of the brand's mid-2000s output.
Among the details worked into the upper: the "M AIR J" license plate from the black Ferrari 512 TR that Jordan drove during the Bulls' early-1990s championship run; a golf cart; the "23" gate from Jordan's former estate outside Chicago; and the words "Sandy Bros.," a nod to Nike twins Eric and Chad Sandy, who have both worked closely with Jordan Brand. The Sandy name also appeared on the receipt packaged with the "Lost and Found" Air Jordan 1.
Jayson Tatum wore the shoe first, revealing it during a Jordan Brand summer tour stop in London before Jordan Brand released official images.
The 2003 one-of-one
Laser etching has landed on the Air Jordan 3 before, but never as a shoe anyone could buy. In 2003, Jordan Brand built a single laser-etched Air Jordan 3 for Michael Jordan's 40th birthday. That one-of-one player exclusive is the reference point for this release, which makes August 22 the first time a laser Air Jordan 3 reaches a general release in the 23 years since.
The Air Jordan 3 has been on the calendar all year. The "True Blue" returned July 18 at $230, recreating the 1988 build. The "Bin 23" arrived in June at $355, capped at 2,300 individually numbered pairs. The "Laser" is a retro of a shoe that was made once, for one person, and it replaces the model's most recognizable design element to do it.
Official images
The wider laser program
The Air Jordan 3 is not arriving alone. Sole Retriever reports the shoe joins a two-pack of laser-etched Air Jordan 4s and an Air Jordan 1 Low carrying the same all-over treatment, which our August calendar dates to the same August 22 release at $145. Sneaker Bar Detroit reports that both the black and white versions of the original 2005 Air Jordan 4 "Laser" are expected to return in 2027, which would put the technique back across the line for a second straight year.
For the rest of the month's calendar, see our August 2026 sneaker release guide. Earlier in the month, the Air Jordan 13 “Wings” arrives August 6 at $215, the first Air Jordan 13 released under the brand’s Wings education program.
That $230 price repeats a week later on the Awake NY x Air Jordan 6 "Playful Pink," which drops August 29.
Release details
- Shoe: Air Jordan 3 Retro "Laser"
- Colorway: Phantom/University Red-Palomino-Sail
- Style code: JA1369-001
- Release date: August 22, 2026
- Price: $230 (unisex sizing)
- Where: Nike SNKRS and select Jordan Brand retailers
Source: Sneaker Bar Detroit, Sole Retriever, and Nice Kicks.
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