Sotheby’s announced on Tuesday that a pair of sneakers worn by NBA superstar Michael Jordan sold for $2.2 million, setting a record price at auction for game-worn sports footwear.
The basketball legend wore the “Bred” Air Jordan 13s in Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals on his way to his sixth and final NBA title.
Jordan’s position as the most valuable athlete at sportswear memorabilia auctions is cemented by the online sale.
It surpassed his previous record of $1.5 million for sneakers, which he set in September 2021.
Last year, one of his jerseys sold for $10.1 million at auction, the highest price ever paid for any game-worm collectible.
“Today’s record-breaking result further proves that the demand for Michael Jordan sports memorabilia continues to outperform and transcend all expectations,” Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of streetwear and modern collectables, said in a statement.
Jordan wore the sneakers for the second half of the Chicago Bulls’ 93-88 victory over Utah Jazz on June 5, 1998.
Jordan scored a game-high 37 points as his Bulls side tied the series 1-1.
The Finals featured in the hit 2020 ESPN/Netflix documentary “The Last Dance,” about Jordan’s final season with the Chicago side.
Wachter said nostalgia for a different era was driving the popularity of Jordan memorabilia.
“We have clients in all different areas, from real estate, to finance to private equity. There are many people that are interested in this emerging market,” he told AFP.
The price, which includes fees and commission, was slightly higher than Sotheby’s low pre-sale estimate of $2 million but significantly lower than the predicted high of $4 million.
According to the auction house, Jordan autographed the shoes and gave them to a ball-boy after the game.
Sotheby’s did not name the seller but stated that it was not the original recipient. It also did not identify the purchaser of the size 13 shoe.
The sneakers are known as “Bred” because of their black and red color scheme, which Jordan wore for the majority of his trophy-laden career.
Jordan, now 60, spent the majority of his career with the Bulls, where he won all six of his championships, but came out of retirement in 2001 to play two seasons with the Washington Wizards.
The retired star now owns the Charlotte Hornets, who play in his hometown of North Carolina, and reportedly still earns millions of dollars in royalties from Nike’s Air Jordan brand of sneakers.
The sale on Tuesday coincided with the release of the film “Air,” about Nike’s pursuit of Jordan, earlier this month.
Jordan’s jersey from Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold for $10.1 million in September 2022, breaking the record held by Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” Argentina jersey.