The drop at a glance
| Release date | August 22, 2026 |
| Retail price | $225 |
| Style code | IO2365-001 |
| Colorway | Phantom / laser-etched career iconography (no elephant print) |
| Where | SNKRS + select Jordan retailers |
The story
In 2003, Mark Smith laser-etched an ultra-limited Air Jordan 3 as a gift for Michael Jordan's 40th birthday — reports put the original run at roughly 40 friends-and-family pairs, only one set of photos has ever circulated, and it never saw retail, making it one of the most mythologized PEs in Jordan Brand history.
Twenty-three years later it finally releases: a Phantom base acting as a blank canvas, tonal laser engravings replacing the AJ3's signature elephant print, with University Red and Palomino accents. For PE historians, this is on the shortlist of most significant retro decisions of the decade.
Expected limited quantities plus direct MJ provenance make above-retail resale close to a lock — the collector drop of the month. The date has moved twice already (February, then August 6) before settling here, so stay on the story for changes.
The deep cuts
- Mark Smith — Nike's now-retired VP of Special Projects in Innovation — unveiled the Laser Project at NYC's 255 Elizabeth Street Gallery in 2003, applying tattoo-inspired engraving to the Air Force 1 first.
- A Mark Smith AF1 Laser sample later sold in Sotheby's 2022 '40 for 40' Air Force 1 auction — the pack is certified grail material.
- The first laser Jordans fans could buy came in 2005: the AJ20's strap carried roughly 200 laser-engraved icons of MJ's life, with two retail AJ4 'Laser' colorways alongside.
How to cop
- Launch draw — enter the minute it opens; the raffle button above takes you there.
- Retailer raffles — the big accounts open entries in the days before the drop.
- Miss it? The buy links on this page route to the marketplaces we trust.
Dates move — the Drop Report updates as brands confirm. Answer this drop's culture question in The Feed to build your Culture IQ.
