Jordan 3 Legit Check: How To Spot Fake 3s

Last Updated on May 16, 2024 by Ch David

This is an expert-made Air Jordan 3s authentication tutorial with images and professional explanations.

You can legit check any colorway Jordan 3 with this guide.

How to Tell if Jordan 3 are Fake

The quickest way to spot fake Air Jordan 3 sneakers is to check out the size tag inside each shoe. Fake 3s never get the thickness right.

1. Size tag

• The fake “US” text is too thin, too wide and improperly spaced compared to the authentic Air Jordan 3s.
• Below is the text with the date of manufacturing of the sneakers, which is too big.
  • The “02” is bigger than the rest of the text.
  • The same “02” print is also too thin and wide.
• The style-code inscription is too thick on the fake Jordan 3s — visible in the middle of the shoes.
• The text saying the shoes were made in China is too thin on the fake Air Jordan 3 pair.
• The replica shoes have their date of production on the right side improperly kerned between the letters.
  • This is because the “17” is placed too far away from the slash symbol (“/”).

Note: The style code differs from one authentic pair to another. Nike uses these codes for each different colorway.

In our example, the authentic sneakers are the Cement White Jordan 3s, and the replica shoes are the Cement Black 3s.

Expert Legit Check - Let our team look at your Jordans:

2. Tongue

• The fake pair’s hand with the ball is too thick compared to the authentic logos’ arm.
• On the body’s arch, the fake Air Jordan 3’s looks too curvy compared to the retail Air Jordan 3s.
• The bottom arm’s fingers are too thick on the fake pair. You can’t properly distinguish each finger.

On authentic sneakers, you’ll never notice flaws such as the connected fingers, or the rest.

A quick mention:

• The steps we’ve written so far are the BEST ways to authenticate this item
• The next few steps are still reliable methods…
• … but they apply to non-top-versions of replicas available for this item

If in doubt, we recommend double-checking the steps we’ve explained above this line.

3. Rear logo

Due to high production and demand, there are many different logo variations even for the real pairs.

We’ll take a look at each, one by one.

3.1. Nike logo

• The fake AJ3s have their “NIKE” text too thick compared to the authentic shoes’ text.
• The replica Jordan 3s also have their “A I R” text looking too thin.
• The same “A I R” logo is also too narrow on the fake shoes.

On the other hand, looking at the authentic sneakers, you can observe how the “NIKE” text appears to be thinner.

The authentic Air Jordan 3’s have their rear “A I R” text looking thicker and wider than the fake shoes’ text.

3.2. Jordan logo

Also known as the Jumpman logo.

• The fake Air Jordan 3s have their rear Jumpman looking too curvy and small.
• The fake “A I R” text is thicker than the authentic pair’s.
• Also, the replica “A I R” text is also too narrow and not as wide as the authentic pair’s.

4. Side stitching

• The fake shoes have their stitching lines with too little of a gap in-between
• This makes them not to be in tune with the authentic Air Jordan 3 sneakers.

If you take a close look at the authentic shoes, you can see how the two stitching lines are placed close to each other.

Shortlist: Tell fake Air Jordan 3 in 30 seconds

1. Check the size tag inside the sneakers. Most of the time, the replica Air Jordan 3’s have their text improperly positioned and font-weighted
2. Make sure you check out the stitching on the Jumpman on the tongue. The counterfeit Air Jordan 3 sneakers are most common to have their Jumpman stitched too thick into the sneakers
3. Verify the logos on the rear side. Both of the releases which have the rear Jumpman and the Nike AIR inscriptions usually look too thick and their text is too boxy and wide
4. Analyze the sneakers’ stitching from the side. The counterfeit Air Jordan 3’s commonly have too much distance between their double stitching

The 4 detailed steps outlined above might not be so practical when you are in a hurry or when you want to buy sneakers online.

That is why we have compiled this quick 30 seconds solution to authenticating your Air Jordan 3s.

Expert Air Jordan 3 authentication service

If you need help with the authentication of your Air Jordan 3, we’ve got you covered.

All you have to do is send us good-quality pictures of your sneakers and we will get back to you with the results within 24 to 48 hours. The results will also come with a report on why we believe your sneakers are fake or authentic.

That brings us to the end of our real vs fake Air Jordan 3 guide. We will continue to update this article as better and newer comparisons are put out.

Need our opinion on your item’s authenticity? It’s a service we provide.

Get a fully-detailed report for why you have a real or fake item. Takes less than 48 hours!

Alternatively, use our free resources: written guides and video tutorials.

Thank you for reading this,

Ch Daniel and Ch David