SOLE COLLECTOR: Sneakers

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Key Tech: Visible Air-Sole unit (heel), encapsulated Air-Sole unit (forefoot), early implementation of a Dynamic-Fit inner sleeve

Use: Hoops, Indoor

Position: Guard/Forward

Colorway Tested: Midnight Navy/Varsity Red/White

Price: $120 for all Retro and Retro + releases (the O.G. retailed for $125)

Pros: Generally comfortable for off-court wear; generally good fit around the rearfoot; tremendous court feel (but only because there’s pretty much no midsole material under the ball of the foot); wickedly good traction; light

Cons: Surprisingly sloppy fit at the rearfoot; middling fit overall; disappointing level of support around the ankle given the shoe’s high cut; takes a step back from the V in terms of cushioning, feel and overall performance; clear portions of outsole yellow with wearSPACE

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FIVE STEPS FORWARD, ONE STEP BACK

NOW, THE VI WASN’T THE ONLY SHOE THAT LEFT A LESS than pleasant impression on my feet. For example, the Air Jordan I, to which I assigned a big, fat “F,” was da bomb in the original sense of the word. But given its age and paper-thin midsole I wasn’t expecting much in the first place, so its poor performance really wasn’t a letdown.

In the case of the XV, to which I assigned the same “C-” as I have to the VI, its poor performance did come as something of a surprise, but my expectations weren’t set quite as high as they’d normally be for a J, as the shoe seemed overly minimal and its design perfunctory. So, downer that it was, the XV wasn’t Prozac worthy.

But the VI…the VI is another story entirely. I was expecting great or, at the very least, good things from the Air Jordan VI for a whole host of reasons. Chief among them was the simple fact that each successive shoe in the line up to the VI had improved upon the performance of its predecessor. Given that trend, it held to reason that the VI would be an excellent shoe.

There was also the fact that MJ did so many special things in the VI, not the least of which was winning his first NBA championship in storybook fashion, sweeping away the personal demon that was the Detroit Pistons and toppling the legendary giant that was the Los Angeles Lakers. Along the way His Airness also picked up quite a bit of hardware, including his fifth consecutive scoring title, second consecutive league MVP award and first of many Finals MVP trophies.

And then there was the design of the VI. If the V’s design was a revelation, the VI’s was a bolt of stupefaction. Some couldn’t stand it, but most just couldn’t get enough of it. For me, at least, the Air Jordan VI is the only shoe in the line that induces goose bumps in every single colorway in which it was released, whether O.G., Retro or Retro +. Visually speaking, it was and still is a shoe worthy of the player.

Which makes it all the more disappointing that its performance leaves so much to be desired. There’s its cushioning, which takes a step back from the V with a polyurethane midsole that’s too thin under the forefoot and too hard overall. Then there’s its fit, which is so-so overall and perplexingly poor around the rearfoot-no Jordan before VI was anywhere near as sloppy around the heel and it wasn’t until the aforementioned XV that another J would match it. Support around the ankle was another source of dissatisfaction, as it also marked a devolution from its predecessor. The VI is cut quite high, but the padding backing its ankle area is too minimal and the lace eyelets along its ankle collar too narrowly set to allow its upper to gain a solid purchase around your ankle.

Now, one facet of the VI’s on-court performance that displayed an interesting “Jekyll-and-Hyde”-like transformation was traction. You see, when I originally reviewed the Air Jordan VI for Kicksology.net back in 2000, I found its traction to be horrible-even on well-maintained courts. But when I pulled the VI back out of the closet to get re-acquainted for this review, I was floored to find that its outsole was now providing excellent traction on a surface very similar to that on which I had originally tested the shoe. My theory-and this is just speculation on my part, as I’m no materials scientist-is that the clear rubber on the VI’s outsole has continued to cure with age, which has led to a marked improvement in its ability to adhere to the court. I’d be interested in hearing if any other owners of the VI have experienced a similar effect-if so, let me know about it at the Web address listed in the “Vitals” box.

I wish I could say that the Air Jordan VI’s overall performance showed a similar improvement with age, but my second time around with the shoe proved as disappointing as the first. There’s no doubt that the VI still turns heads with its unabashedly bold, forward-looking design, but, as a performance proposition, it represents one of the few steps back within the grand chronological arc of the Air Jordan line.

—From Issue 7, article by Professor K