I was too young to care when the Jordan III originally released. World-famous sneaker designer Tinker Hatfield was called upon to create the latest signature shoe for Michael Jordan’s 1987-88 season, and I was almost four. My eyes opened when Nike retro’d the shoe in 1994, though.

There was a lull in our playtime in Spanish Harlem’s Franklin Plaza. There were four of us, all lethargic after playing 21 with a deflating basketball. No one had an air pump, or the quarter needed to fill it at the nearby gas station. So we sat, huddled by the cement basketball court benches to plot our next activity.

We weighed the pros and cons behind a game of Manhunt, but acknowledged that it wouldn’t be as fun with only four people. It wouldn’t be a hunt as much as it would’ve been two kids getting lost somewhere between First and Second Avenue. It was obvious that we weren’t going to play anything at all, but the time spent contemplating was reasonable justification to stay outside longer.

Eventually, two other friends joined us in the basketball court. The prospect of a three-on-three game, involving running around and hiding in dark areas was dismissed by one of the new arrivals as quickly as it was suggested.

“Sorry, these are new,” Chris said, clearly intending to divert our attention to his new sneakers.

But new sneakers weren’t really worthy of acknowledgment with Chris. The workers at Tom, Dick, and Harry’s — the popular sneaker shop on Third Avenue — knew him and his family. His parents routinely provided him with the latest and most stunning in footwear, oftentimes without his request — or so he’d say.

“What are those?” chimed from the benches. He didn’t really know, but 10- and 11-year-old children took him for an expert because of his collection. I wouldn’t learn till much later how wrong he was.

“These are Jordan’s retirement sneakers,” Chris said proudly.

Strangely enough, it made sense then. Hatfield’s design didn’t really look like the basketball shoes we were accustomed to seeing. They were clean and precise; the Jordan III was for utility on the hardwood, but stylish enough for casual comfort. And with Michael Jordan retired, it made sense for his signature shoe to not be a basketball sneaker. I believed Chris.

When the sneakers retro’d once more during my high school years, Chris’ words stuck with me. I never spoke them out loud, of course. It wasn’t until the early 2000s that I realized Chris was wrong. A picture of Michael Jordan from the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest was all the evidence I needed.

Cursed by ignorance, because I consciously ignored all sneaker lore during my teenage years. I saw pairs I liked, but refused to let myself get involved because I was still a dependent in a household that wouldn’t tolerate my sneaker requests with every release. I saved my energy, and saved my parents the stress of telling me “No” every month. That actually meant a lot, I think.

When I learned that these sneakers were seeing the light of day again in 2011, they were absolute-haves. I wanted to showcase the elephant print with the same pride Chris enjoyed. I wanted the mid-top sneakers. Most importantly, I wanted the sneakers that sparked my awareness of this kick culture.

I was prepared at midnight on Jan. 22. My Firefox browser was open, all my tabs were pointing to the sites for Nike, Eastbay, Foot Locker, and Foot Action, and my knuckles were cracked. Except I wasn’t fast enough for the sneakerheads on Nike; the site kept crashing and by the time I made it through, every 11.5 was gone. Good thing I was already on the wait lines for Eastbay and Foot Locker, the former moving much more quickly. The order was placed a little more than an hour after midnight.

Since you guys come to me for honesty, you know I have to give it to you straight. The white leather on the Jordan III is a little too glossy and slick for my liking. I don’t want to say it’s cheap, just not what I expected. My lady agreed, noting how bright the sneakers looked — even as the sun was preparing to set. The flash made it more extreme in the above picture, but it’s not too far from reality.

Here’s a night shot with no flash. The primary light source is from the auburn glow of the nearest street lamp, and even that reflects fairly heavily off the toe box. I know I talk a lot about summer shoes, but these definitely fit the bill. Sneakerheads will wear them when they wear them; I’m just throwing out suggestions. No regrets, though.

My lady, bless her heart, is a trooper. She’s beyond exhausted with my sneaker acquisitions (read: addiction). But she’s still there for me. She knew I was going to get the white cement 3s the moment there was a release date, but I had an idea and pleaded with her. There were no known plans for a 2011 retro for the black cement 3s, and I wanted to hurt sneakerheads’ feelings with a fresh pair. While everyone wore their white 2011 3s, I wanted to be the guy with the black pair. And so, she came through in the clutch for me: CDP 3s for Christmas 2010.

Plans for the 2011 black cement 3 retro release leaked out a few weeks later. We might be seeing those again in October.