Jordan 3 White Cement Reimagined: Classic
Price: $210 [SOLD OUT: Check eBay for Pricing]
Why Buy?
The Jordan 3 White Cement Reimagined is about as classic as it comes for sneaker design, and works everywhere a sneaker can.
Why Avoid?
The Jordan 3 White Cement Reimagined doesn’t have the best materials and, while this pair is without issue, others have seen quality control issues.
Specs
| Model | Jordan 3 |
| Height | Mid |
| Materials | Leather, Faux Leather, Polyurethane; Rubber |
| Size | 13 |
| Weight | 603 g / 1 lb 5.3 oz |
| Construction | Cemented |
| Country of Origin | China |
History
The Air Jordan 3 probably needs no introduction. One of the most famous sneakers of all time, it’s been released in nearly every colorway you can think of. And, for good reason.
Just before the Jordan 3 came out, Nike was in a tough spot. Within the past 3 years, Jordan had worn Converse, publicly stated he loved Adidas, and the designer of the Air Jordan 1 and 2 – Peter Moore – had just taken the designer of the Air Force 1 – Bruce Kilgore – and started their own brand. They wanted Jordan to come with them.
Keeping Jordan fell to one man you may have heard of, Tinker Hatfield. Given just a few weeks, he met with Jordan to see what he wanted, designed the shoe, built the prototype, and flew to California to try and convince MJ to stay. Even worse, when he arrived for the pitch, Jordan was off golfing with Moore and Kilgore.
Seeing as we now have more than 30 more iterations of the Jordan line since, you can probably guess what Michael thought.
This particular pair is designed to follow in the footsteps of the Jordan 1 Lost and Found, and get as close as possible to the original. Details were changed to more closely match the 1988 release, including artificially faded parts of the shoe, and a faux-worn box.
A lot of people have already been saying this is their “sneaker of they year.” Or, at least they did for a few days before the new Jordan 4 SB came out. Are they worth the hype? Let’s find out.
Looks
Upper
Taking a look at the upper of the Jordan 3 White Cement Reimagined, you’ll find arguably the classic Jordan 3 design. The majority of the upper – over the toebox, along the sides, and up near top eyelets – is a white tumbled leather. Like most Jordan 3s, it isn’t evenly tumbled, but that’s to be expected at this point.
Along the bottom edge, a flat white piece is accented by elephant print panels. If you’re not familiar, elephant print is the grey designs seen in the pictures. There has been a lot of ink spilled over the inconsistencies of the elephant print on these, but on mine they look fine. Besides, the design is inconsistent by its very nature. Minor differences between panels are no big deal in my mind.
The body of the tongue, along with the leather around the eyelets, are a perforated faux-leather that works well overall. Speaking of the eyelets, the three in the middle are a cream/aged design.
As for color, the only real color pop are the five bottom eyelets at the base of the tongue, and the large woven jumpman. However, where the jumpman sits, if you’re not wearing joggers it’ll almost certainly be covered. This means you don’t need to treat these as “red” sneakers.
Around back, the rubber heel tab is also in a cream white and has the classic Nike Air logo.
Inside, the anklr area is lined with a very fuzzy felt-like polyester. The insole and under the tongue, however, are a much less fuzzy bright red. Though, you’re probably the only person who will see it.
Mid- and Outsole
Side on, pretty much the entire midsole of the Jordan 3 White Cement Reimagined is painted. The majority is done up in a cream white. I have to admit, painting white polyurethane to make it look aged seems a bit odd to me. Just wear it twice and it’ll look like that and you won’t need to worry about paint cracking. That being said, it’ll probably hide dirt better, so on the whole it’s not worth stressing over. The other painted section is the black area along the heel.
The only area that isn’t painted is the white rubber along the toe, which is actually a carryover from the hard rubber outsole. If you take a look at the rest of the outsole, it’s incredibly 1980’s. I love it.
The majority is that mid-grey that you don’t really find anymore. As a kid from that era, it makes me think of Shredder. This grey is accented by the red hit under the ball of your foot, and the (painted) cream and red heel compression area.
Summary
I’ll be honest with everyone – I’m not the youngest guy out there anymore. It can be hard to dress appropriately for your age while still rocking sneakers that you wanted growing up. This guy is my sneaker spirit animal. That’s why I love the Jordan 3 White Cements so much.
On one hand, the Jordan 3 White Cement are fun to pull out. Sneakerheads will see them and strike up a conversation. You can post them on Instagram with sweatpants and get likes. If you’re looking for that, it’s everything you want it to be.
At the same time, the Jordan 3 White Cements fit in with more subtle or adult fits. The aging makes it even more so. That isn’t to say you should be wearing these with a suit – don’t do that – but other dads at baseball practice won’t bat an eye in the way they might with a Jordan 13.
The versatility of this sneaker is simply through the roof.
Fit & Comfort
Fit
The Jordan 3 White Cement Reimagined fits like other 1980’s Nike sneakers. That is to say, very long and very narrow. While that can be a pain for people who don’t have narrow feet, it does mean that if you’ve tried on any Nike sneaker from that era (Jordan 1, Dunk, Terminator, etc.) you’ll know how these fit. More recent releases (such as the Jordan 5 onward), are a bit wider.
For most people, I think you’ll want to take your typical sneaker size. You will probably end up with a bit more space in front of your toes than you would like, but going down in size will probably be too narrow. However, if you have never tried a Nike from this period and have particularly wide toes, you might want to consider going up a half size.
The good news is that the materials are quite thin and the shoes are reasonably padded. That means that if you are right on the edge between sizes, odds are good you’ll be able to wear either one.
I take these in a size 13, which is my typical Nike size. I wear a size 12.5 in the Stan Smith, a 13 in the Ultraboost, and a 12 in most stitched footwear. For a full list of sizing for every shoe reviewed on this site, click here.
Comfort
If you’re going for a sneaker that is designed to match it’s 1980’s release as closely as possible, you probably are not looking for comfort. That’s good, because the Jordan 3 White Cement isn’t going to give it to you.
Don’t get me wrong, these are a bit step up from something like a Dunk or a Jordan 1. But they are not even as good as “Air”-branded sneakers that came out at the same time like the Air Max 1.
The shoes are padded, but it’s less than you might find in other Jordans. Underfoot, the PU midsole isn’t a brick, but it isn’t plush either.
The way I see it, if you know you’re going to be on your feet all day, grab another pair. At the same time, if you do end up walking a few miles, you probably won’t be crying at the end.
Materials & Construction
Materials
While I love the style of the Jordan 3 White Cement, the materials do leave a bit to be desired. At least at this price.
The only real leather on the upper is the tumbled white panel. And even then, it’s an incredibly thin strip of spilts coated in plastic. All the other panels – the elephant print, the mud guard, the eyelet panels, etc. – are a faux leather. Fake leather isn’t the end of the word. It’ll almost certainly outlast the midsole cushioning. It’s just a shame to see at this price point.
The eyelets are all plastic, but should be durable enough that you won’t need to worry about it. Around back, the back panel is rubber. This is about as good a material as you can use, but try not to pull on them – they can and will break once that rubber has hardened up after a few months.
Inside, the entire lining is made of polyester. While you might expect some complaints, you won’t hear them from me. Using polyester here will help keep it from ripping or getting too hot. The insole, below that polyester, is made of polyurethane.
Speaking of polyurethane, or PU, that’s also what you’ll find in the midsole as well. PU tends to be more durable than other foams, but can crumble over time. Especially if they are not worn. Seriously – wear your PU sneakers! Inside of that midsole you’ll find two air units. One in the back that is visible, and one up front that isn’t.
Rounding everything out, the outsole of the sneaker is made of a very hard rubber. That might harm grip once the stars wear off, but it should mean these last a long time, even after use on concrete.
Construction
The Jordan 3 White Cement uses a classic cemented construction, with a bit of reenforcing from stitching by the toe. If you want a more in-depth explanation, click here. The short version is that the upper of the sneaker is made and then glued to the outsole. It is by far the most common way to make a sneaker in 2023.
The benefits of this style of construction are flexibility, water resistance, and price to make. Though, at this cost I’m not sure the consumer is seeing too much of the benefits of that last one. When it comes to drawbacks, cemented construction tends to be the least durable of any way of making a shoe, and resoling them often costs more than the sneaker itself.
Pricing
The Jordan 3 White Cement Reimagined launched with an MSRP of $210, in line with other recent Jordan 3 releases. Amazingly, at the time I’m writing this (about a week after launch) there are still some very small or very large sizes still sitting on nike.com.
For most guys, though, you will need to go into resale. The good news is that – again, at least at time of writing – the Jordan 3 White Cement is only slightly above retail. Over at eBay, depending on size you’ll find them anywhere from $220 to $250. Or, about what you would pay if you bought them from a retailer who charged shipping.
I don’t claim to be able to predict the resale market, but I would assume that in a few years’ time these will be going for much more. Before these were released, the most recent Jordan 3 White Cement was regularly trading for around $500-700, depending on size.
Are the Jordan 3 White Cement Reimagined Worth It?
When evaluating a pair of sneakers, it’s important to remember that $210 is a lot of money. It’s also a nearly 20% mark up from what the Jordan 3s were going for just a few years ago at retail. Outpacing even the recent inflation of everything else.
At the same time, it’s impossible to ignore what you’re getting. So many Jordan 3s, 4s, and 5s, are bought in bright colors and end up crumbling before the owner wears through the outsole. I don’t think that, at least for many, the Jordan 3 White Cement Reimagined is going to be one of them. You don’t need to worry about if the bright shoes will match your shirt, or if the suede will get stained in the rain.
The shoes are also a nod to history. One of the most famous sneakers of all time in, arguably, the most famous colorway they came in.
Is Nike taking you for a ride on price? Yeah, that’s what they do. However, the package they are offering is undeniable. If you’re thinking of picking up a pair, grab one now before the prices go up.
Great review, thank you. Do you know if Nike has done anything to improve the PU durability, like Adidas has with their thermal plastic polyurethane? I’ve got an old pair of 3s from back in the day and they are starting to look like an apple crumble.
James –
First, thanks for the kind words!
On the PU, Nike keeps changing around the formula. Unfortunately, there is a direct trade off between squishiness/comfort and the ability to last for more than a few years before crumbling. The stuff in the late 80’s/early 90’s felt great, but fell apart after just a handful of years. Several years ago, they switched to a blend that was designed to last a lot longer as people were complaining about their 3 year old kicks falling apart, but felt like bricks on your feet. This current blend they are using is harder than the original ones, but softer than the retros from the 2010s. The first time they used this blend was very recent – I think the ’22 Fire Reds – so I don’t know if anyone is 100% sure just how long they’ll last. Probably somewhere in the middle.
In any case, PU is never going to last forever but there are a few things you can do. First, try to avoid keeping them anywhere that is overly humid or overly dry. PU can lose/gain water based on the environment it’s in and too much or too little will lead to it breaking down faster. The old saying about wearing your sneakers is true, too. The compression/decompression of wearing them help keeps the material together. Even wearing them once or twice a month will make a big difference. Finally, when you’re not wearing them, try to keep them out of sunlight.
Hope this is helpful!
A query of what material is the elephant print, is it suede? .
Hey Andre –
On this pair (and most sneakers with elephant print) it is a nubuck leather, pressed and painted. Nubuck is the smooth side of leather, sanded down to give it a bit of texture and hide any scars or nicks that the animal may have picked up. Suede is typically leather that has been split down the middle, and the inner side is then used as suede. In general, nubuck is a tougher material than suede.