Who would have thought that we’d see Harrison Ford, known for his roles as Indiana Jones and Han Solo, wearing the Air Jordan 3 Retro “Doernbecher XIX” on Apple TV’s Shrinking in 2026? Sneakerheads had to pause the moment as they realised that the 83-year-old was casually wearing $300 (reseller price) sneakers in Season 3. And he looked perfectly cool in the slime green and navy pair designed as a collab between Nike and the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.
The sneakers you wear say a lot about your character. At least that’s the idea costume designer Allyson Fanger stands by. Season 3 of the hit Apple TV comedy has delivered one of television’s best sneaker moments of 2026 so far, and Fanger deserves all the credit.
Well, maybe not all. It seems Ford was actually involved in picking a pair to wear too. “He’s really opinionated about everything. So I made sure that I had a little nice collection. And he just went for the funniest pair, which I was so happy about,” Fanger told Footwear News.
Designed by Doernbecher Children’s Hospital patient Hugo “Juice” Covarrubias Molina, Ford’s Air Jordan 3 “Doernbecher XIX” actually carries emotional weight. The sneaker’s design is inspired by the Seattle Seahawks with navy leather, elephant print overlays, glow-in-the-dark laces, and neon green drip tied to Hugo’s nickname. Underneath the outsole is the phrase: “It’s OK to be different.”
And how perfect is that sneaker for Ford’s character, Dr. Paul Rhoades, who is currently battling Parkinson’s disease. The design and the shoe’s backstory are exactly right for Paul, who is often depicted as grumpy but has softened up over the three seasons.
The inspiration for the surprising sneaker subplot in Shrinking actually comes from real life, too. On the show, Matthew begins sneaker reselling after he discovers that he can flip one pair into more pairs. And the idea for this came from Henry Lawrence, the son of showrunner Bill Lawrence and actress Christa Miller, who is apparently a real sneakerhead.
Honestly, we hope to see more of this on the show. Sneaker culture deserves a place in pop culture, too. The Air Jordan 3 Retro “Doernbecher XIX” just made Harrison Ford’s Dr. Paul Rhoades a hundred times more relatable. And we love that for him. “It’s OK to be different.”
