Many of the most beloved Air Jordan colorways of all time were inspired by Michael Jordan’s legacy on the court. Largely that means borrowing palettes from the uniforms of his six-time champion Chicago Bulls or his championship-winning UNC Tar Heels. Less common but just as desirable are the Js that pay tribute to Jordan’s feats with the United States men’s national team, with whom he won gold at the 1983 Pan American Games, the 1984 Summer Olympics, the 1992 Tournament of the Americas, and the 1992 Summer Olympics.
The Air Jordan 6 “Olympic” is one of the most beloved USA squad makeups. This particular red-white-and-blue version didn’t debut until the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney—eight years after Jordan and the Dream Team ran rampant in Barcelona—where it was worn by Team USA legends of the era like Ray Allen. It returned at London 2012 with a slightly revamped silhouette, featuring a narrower profile and redesigned outsole, not unlike the popular Air Jordan 6 “Carmine,” one of the best-known Jordan 6 retros. The “Olympic” colorway has appeared more recently on an Air Jordan 5 and as a cleated golf version of the AJ6, but the OG hasn’t gotten a proper release in over a decade.
That’s set to change this summer, when Nike will reissue the Air Jordan 6 “Olympic” just in time for Paris 2024. The Jordan 6 has been somewhat underrated by sneakerheads in recent years, and underrepresented as a retro model by Jordan Brand in general, with few must-have releases dropping outside of the return of the “Carmine” in 2021. The “Olympic” shows the silhouette at its best, with a crisp aesthetic that’s at once sleek and strikingly geometric. The dominant white and blue offset by the red Jumpman logo looks about as perfectly clean as Air Jordan colorways get.
The Air Jordan 6 “Olympic” is set to return via Nike and the SNKRS app on August 3—but if you really can’t wait to get your hands on a pair, you can nab the 2012 release via StockX right now instead.
