Nike Ja 3 “Year of the Horse” IB6508-200

The Nike Ja 3 CNY “Year Of The Horse” for Chinese New Year 2026 will officially release on January 16th. They’ll be available on SNKRS and Nike Basketball retailers such as Foot Locker, DICK’S, Champs, and more. MSRP is set at $145 for adult, $112 for GS, and $97 for PS.

Beyond simply enjoying a successful market debut, in some regards the Nike Ja 3 is part and parcel of an overall Nike Basketball revival, easily the most well-received of a futuristic crop that includes the GT Future and GT Cut 4. Were the model not to issue another colorway for the rest of its run, we’d feel comfortable crowning it one to remember, but we’ve still got the bulk of its offerings ahead of us, including the Ja 3 “Year of the Horse” that’s just been officially revealed.

First shown to the public via early overseas in-hand images and later confirmed in circular fashion by the man himself, the Nike Ja 3 “Year of the Horse” comes to light as identically titled or otherwise “Chinese New Year” editions have flooded the newswire. Morant’s pair makes no small use of traditional red and gold coloring, the latter via metallic Swooshes on the medial and lateral sides, while firmly cementing its inspiration with Hanzi lettering on the insoles (馬當先, roughly translating to “take the lead”).

The actual equestrian starting point is represented with pony hair materials on the tongue and plenty of Clydesdale-esque brown throughout the upper. Patches of light blue embroidery in Ja’s triangular logo and “TMT” text at the bottom of the eyestay add some off-color contrast. For those who value the packaging details around a shoe, the Nike Ja 3 “Year of the Horse” doesn’t skimp in that department, arriving with a gilded drawstring bag and a pull-out red/gold box bearing a flip on the same concept.

An official date for the Nike Ja 3 “Year of the Horse” is confirmed for January 16th, 2026 for $145; they’ll also be available in GS ($112) and PS ($97).

Matt Varga is an Editor at SneakerNews. Initially earning a degree in Video Arts and Technology, he got his start in video editing and writing in the music world — primarily on hip-hop and electronic. A long-standing interest in sneakers led him to switching over to footwear. An avid collector, his favorite sneaker of all time comes down to either the Air Jordan 1 “Black Toe” and Air Jordan 5 “Laney,” his first ever pick-ups. When he’s not writing, you can find Matt cooking, traveling, attending concerts and when weather permits, on the handball court.