1991’s Air Jordan VI was designed by Godfather of Sole, Tinker Hatfield. It marks a special place in both basketball & sneaker history, as MJ won his first championship while wearing the signature model.

Hatfield (Godfather of Sole), was on some sort of legendary roll of creative genius by 1991. Tinker was able to perfectly combine cutting edge performance with revolutionary designs. In the short span of under 15 years, he created some of the most iconic & beloved sneakers ever to come from The Swoosh. The Air Jordan VI’s design was partly inspired by MJ’s love of cars, with it’s heel tab loosely mimicking the spoiler on a Porsche. The AJ6  was the first Jordan model with an easy on/off system, designed through a combination of inner-bootie, pull-holes on the tongue, & heel tab. Also of note, the AJ6 is the last model in the original line up that would have any sort of Nike Air branding on it - a significant precursor to the Jordan Brand we know today. It would be many years until Nike Air branding resurfaced on beloved Jordan retro models.

MJ put up his usual mind melting numbers in the VI. Jordan won the ’91-’92 scoring title averaging 31.5 points per game. He earned a first team spot on the All-NBA team. He also earned an All-Defensive first team spot as well. His Airness won his second MVP Award. But maybe most of all 1991 heralds Jordan’s first of six championship rings.

The ’91 NBA Finals were especially legendary as it was Jordan’s first time on basketball’s biggest stage. MJ faced off against one of the greatest players of all time, Earvin Magic Johnson.  Jordan wore the “Black/Infrared” colorway of the VI for the postseason in 1991. The black colorway symbolized Jordan being locked into playoff mode. History ensued. The Air Jordan VI & the 1991 Playoffs kicked off the Bulls Dynasty: basketball, sneakers & pop culture have never been the same since.