In the mid-late 2000s, the “Motorsports” theme was one of Jordan Brand’s most thrilling colorway concepts as it grew from MJ’s fledgling efforts in the racing world. In fact, to this day, the GOAT is as passionate as ever in that circuit, officially announcing in October 2020 his 23XI racing team with long-time pal Denny Hamlin as co-owner and Bubba Wallace as one of the premier drivers in that team.
Back to the footwear side of things, the “Motorsports” colorway was marked by a clean white/black/royal mix on the Air Jordan 4, and later a sharp white leather exterior, black soles, and the iconic elephant print lining the interiors of the Air Jordan 6. Both were considered among the most sought after unreleased promo samples on the market, and SneekGeekz, then a notable sneaker reviewer long before a “shoetuber” was a thing, apparently paid in the five figures just to acquire the AJ6. Seemed like money well spent, until Jordan Brand decided to release the Air Jordan 6 “Motorsports” as a Quickstrike in early 2010. While the promo sample and the general release look entirely the same, to collectors, they’re two completely different entities. It’s worth noting that the Air Jordan 4 “Motorsports” eventually released as a GR as well, but without the Mars logo on the heel.
In 2010, Jordan Brand also brought the Motorsports look to the ever-popular Six Rings, a hybrid sneaker that combined elements from the six championship shoes worn by Jordan throughout his career. As you can see, it features the same clean white leather upper, black sole and accents, and b&w elephant print on the interior lining. It would be interesting to see this colorway applied to other models, but for now the Six Rings is all that’s confirmed.
The Jordan Six Rings typically drops at stores without any firm release dates, so expect these to show up randomly in the coming weeks. Check out the Jordan Release Dates page to see what’s for certain in 2021.