I bought another pair of Air Jordan 6s.
I think this is my fifth pair.
I’ve bought replacements when a pair fell apart. I also sold a pair before moving to Australia because I could only take so much with me. This time, I bought them again.
When I moved into my new place in Tokyo after returning to Japan, I found I had more shoe storage than I’d expected.
I figured I had room for the 6s again, so I bought a pair.
Honestly, I don’t think the Air Jordan 6 does anything particularly well in terms of performance compared with today’s sneakers. Even so, when I had room for another pair of shoes, the Air Jordan 6 was the one I bought again.
Why do I keep buying the same sneaker? I gave it some thought.
That’s what this article is about.
I came up with two reasons.
Reason 1. It Has Everything I Think Looks Cool
A translucent outsole.
Red on the midsole that pops against the black upper.
There’s even a lace lock.
Each detail catches my eye, and each is something I think looks cool on a sneaker. This one pair has them all.
When I look at the Air Jordan 4, 5, and 6 side by side, they all look like designs that went all in on eye-catching details. By the time you get to the 7, the design feels noticeably cleaner to me.
Seen in that progression, the 6 looks like a shoe that packs in as many cool details as it can. To me, it’s the ultimate expression of that era’s maximalist Air Jordan design.
Reason 2. It’s the Shoe Jordan Wore for His First Championship
The Air Jordan 6 is the shoe Michael Jordan wore when he won his first NBA championship in 1991. As someone who’s played basketball, I love this shoe partly because of the story of how he got there.
Jordan was already dominant as an individual player. Even so, the Chicago Bulls hadn’t won a championship.
Under Phil Jackson, the Bulls adopted the triangle offense. Jordan could score on his own, and he learned to get his teammates involved and win as a team. I love watching that evolution.
In the 1991 playoffs, the Bulls swept the Detroit Pistons, the team that had stood in their way so many times. Once they got past the Bad Boys, they faced the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Magic Johnson.
Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. The two MJs faced off in the Finals, and Jordan and the Bulls won their first championship. To me, it feels like the moment the NBA entered a new era. As a basketball fan, I love that story.
And the shoes Jordan had on his feet were these very 6s.
I Want to Wear Them as Much as I Can While I Still Can
I’m about to turn 36.
These shoes are so sporty that as I get older, there might come a day when I feel they no longer suit me.
So for now, I want to keep them around and wear them as much as I can.
That’s what the Air Jordan 6 is to me.
What did you think of my story about buying the Air Jordan 6 again and again?
If you enjoy reading about other people’s favorite things and why they keep using them for years, take a look at My Mainstays.
From everything I’ve reviewed on this blog, I’ve picked out the things I use regularly and want to keep using. Many have been part of my life for years, and I’ve used some for over a decade.
