J Balvin Debuts Another Air Jordan 3 Collaboration

While sneakerheads and J Balvin fans alike wait for release details to be set in stone for the artist’s first Air Jordan 3, the Prince of Reggaeton has debuted a black version of the sneaker.

J Balvin met up with Jimmy Butler Tuesday at public basketball court in New York City while wearing the previously unseen sneakers. The Air Jordan 3 makes use of the same gradient as his collaboration that will reportedly release in September, only with black replacing white for the majority of the sneaker.

Rumors of this second sneaker began circulating in July, with its nickname said to be “Rio” and summer 2024 said to be the release window. J Balvin himself, however, told Overtime in a video that he doesn’t know when the black pair will arrive — only that it’ll be after the white ones.

Neither the Colombian artist nor Jordan Brand have confirmed a release date for the more immediate J Balvin x Air Jordan 3, although he was spotted shooting a commercial for the sneaker just a week ago in his hometown of Medellín. Leaks originally suggested the sneaker would release Sept. 2, but that date has now been pushed back to Sept. 23.

Balvin is the first Latino artist to partner with Jordan Brand, and his two AJ3s will mark his third and fourth collaborative sneakers (not counting the Super Play Slide). His Air Jordan 2 released nearly a year ago, while his sneaker debut came with his Air Jordan 1 launching in December 2020.