At the All Star Game in Charlotte in 1995, Jordan wore AJ VI’s for the first time, just after winning his first ring. This year the All Star comes back to Charlotte and also the Jordan VI’s are making a comeback.
Michael Jordan was the first to use the All Star game to present his new creations. Already in 1985, he took advantage of the fact that the slam dunking contest is regulated by very lax rules by participating with his ‘prohibited’ Jordan I’s, and even in those first two dunks, he showed up dressed in clothes from his own line instead of the Bulls’ uniform. As legend has it, other players saw this as the last straw and during the All Star’s game, the veterans denied playing against him to teach a lesson to the rookie that seemed to be more interested in his own clothes and sneakers than in playing. Time would later teach them to stay in their own lanes.
After the Jordan II’s, the All Star game was seen as the place to try out new colourways, which would later be mimicked by other brands. The dunking competition and later on the All Star’s match would become a showcase of new trends. Shaquille O´Neal’s sneakers’ turned into a phone, Chris Webber with chrome sneakers, adidas’ patriotic versions for Kobe Bryant, T-Mac’s one that didn’t match or Scottie Pippen’s red Nike Maestro’s were the usual conversation pieces at the All Star.
The one in 2019 will be celebrated 28 years after the debut of the Jordan VI’s in Charlotte , a city that holds a great relationship with Michael Jordan. Not only is he the co-owner of the Hornets, but he was also raised in Wilmington, three hours away from Charlotte. The Jordan VI’s were debuted in black during the All Star, just as the prior years the III, IV and V did, and returned to the courts during the playoffs that would end up becoming Michael Jordan’s first victory against Magic Johnson’s Lakers.
The design inspired by Michael’s Porsche 911, the plastic tongue and back quarter, the exoskeletal structure, the pocket for the laces, the moulded collar and the Air Max unit gave it that advanced technology touch. Will Smith, Kadeem Hardison (in White men can’t jump) Batman (in Batman Returns), Jerry Seinfeld or Larry David were in charge of showing how this was more than just a performance product. Time managed to turn the Jordan VI’s into one of the most desired sneakers in history.
The reedition of the Jordan VI coincides with the return of the All Star to Charlotte, which this year will celebrate Michael Jordan’s birthday, for the first time since the year 2000 in its original version.
