Air Jordan 6 Retro 'Infrared'

A sports car and a cleaner toe

Tinker Hatfield designed the Air Jordan 6, released in 1991 at $125. He took cues from Michael Jordan's Porsche 911 Turbo: the molded heel tab is shaped like the car's rear spoiler, and the toe is streamlined.

Jordan was taking a bigger role in the design. 'Michael actually started influencing more design power over the process, and I was cool with that,' Hatfield said. Jordan felt his signature shoe should not have a toe tip, because the dress shoes he was wearing at the time had a cleaner, molded toe, so the 6 dropped the toe panel of earlier models.

Getting the shoe on and off quickly mattered too. The neoprene tongue has rubber-lined holes that work with the heel tab as pull points, and by one account Jordan asked that the spoiler sit where it would not press on his Achilles tendon. The shoe also carried visible Air cushioning and a translucent rubber sole.

The first title

The 6 came out in five colorways in 1991, and the black-and-infrared pair, in an amplified shade of Bulls red, is the one tied to Jordan's breakthrough. By one account he wore the white-and-infrared version in the regular season and switched to black for the playoffs.

The 1991 Finals pitted Jordan against Magic Johnson's Lakers, and Chicago won 4-1. In Game 2 at Chicago Stadium, Jordan rose for a right-handed dunk, switched the ball to his left in midair to avoid Sam Perkins and banked in a layup, one of the best-known plays of his career.

The Bulls clinched on June 12, 1991, at the Great Western Forum, 108-101. Jordan played all 48 minutes for 30 points, 10 assists and 5 steals; Scottie Pippen scored 32 and John Paxson 20. Jordan was named Finals MVP after averaging 31.2 points and 11.4 assists. It was the first of six titles, and Magic Johnson's last Finals.

The 2019 remaster

The Black Infrared 6 first came back as a retro in 2000 with the original 'Nike Air' branding. It returned in 2010 in an 'Infrared Pack' and as a standalone release in 2014, but both of those versions carried a Jumpman on the heel instead.

The 2019 pair was part of a broader Jordan Brand push to remake its retros with better construction and original branding. A New York boutique held an early release on February 1, 2019, with a matching apparel capsule. The wide release, at $200, came on February 16, 2019, during NBA All-Star Weekend, at select Jordan Brand retailers.

On October 3, 2026, the lowest listed asking price for a men's pair at a U.S. sneaker retailer was $270.

How to identify the 2019 pair

The upper is black nubuck with bright infrared accents, and parts of the outsole are icy and translucent. The shoe has 3M reflective detailing, as the 1991 original did.

The key tell is the heel: 'Nike Air' is embroidered there, where the 2010 and 2014 retros had a Jumpman. The infrared shade was also described as closer to the 1991 original than earlier retros.

Men's pairs carry style code 384664-060; grade school sizes carry 384665-060.

The numbers

Release date

February 16, 2019 (early in-store release February 1, 2019)

Retail price

$200

Style code

384664-060 (grade school 384665-060)

Original 1991 price

$125

1991 Finals Game 5

June 12, 1991, Great Western Forum, Inglewood; Bulls 108, Lakers 101; attendance 17,506

Jordan box score

48:00 min, 12-23 FG, 0-0 3P, 6-8 FT, 30 PTS, 4 REB, 10 AST, 5 STL, 2 BLK, 6 TOV

1991 Finals

Bulls won 4-1; Jordan Finals MVP, 31.2 PPG, 11.4 APG, 6.6 RPG

Production

No production figures have been published

Timeline

1. 1991

   The Air Jordan 6 is released in five colorways at $125.

2. Jun 12, 1991

   Jordan and the Bulls win their first championship, 108-101 at Los Angeles.

3. 2000

   The Black Infrared 6 is retroed with 'Nike Air' on the heel.

4. 2010

   The Black Infrared returns in an 'Infrared Pack,' with a Jumpman heel.

5. 2014

   A standalone Black Infrared retro, again with a Jumpman heel.

6. Feb 1, 2019

   Early in-store release in Manhattan with an apparel capsule.

7. Feb 16, 2019

   Wide release at $200 during NBA All-Star Weekend, with 'Nike Air' restored.

8. Oct 3, 2026

   Lowest listed asking price at a U.S. sneaker retailer: $270.

The world in 2019

• Jan 25, 2019

  President Trump ends a federal government shutdown with a three-week funding deal.

• Feb 3, 2019

  Tom Brady wins his sixth Super Bowl, a record for a player.

• Mar 22, 2019

  Special Counsel Robert Mueller submits his report.

• Apr 26, 2019

  Avengers: Endgame is released.

• Dec 18, 2019

  The House votes to impeach President Trump.

Price record

This is an asking price, not a sale. It is what a seller wanted on the date shown. Asking prices often sit above what buyers pay, but an ask is not a ceiling: a sale can land on either side of it. It is not a value.

By reference price, Air Jordan 6 Retro 'Infrared' is number 82 of 100 in the sneakers entries of the FLOAT 100. 22 of those 100 rest on a realized sale; the rest carry an asking price or a guide value, and each page says which. Rank within the FLOAT 100 itself (84 here) is editorial: how much an object defines its field, not price alone.

Did you know

• The heel tab on the Air Jordan 6 was modeled on the rear spoiler of Jordan's Porsche.
• Jordan dropped the toe panel because he wanted a toe as clean as his dress shoes.
• The holes in the tongue are there to help pull the shoe on.
• The 2010 and 2014 Infrared retros carried a Jumpman; 2019 brought 'Nike Air' back for the first time since 2000.
• The 1991 Finals were the first broadcast by NBC after 17 years on CBS.
• The Air Jordan 6 appears in the manga Slam Dunk.