Michael Jordan’s autographed Air Jordan 13s worn in the 1998 NBA Finals have fetched a cool $2.2 million (A$3.3m) at auction.
The pair of sneakers broke the previous record of $1.472 million for the price fetched at an auction.
That record was also held by a pair of Jordan shoes, the Nike Air Ships worn during the regular season which were snapped up in 2021.
It also beats the record of the most expensive trainers sold in a private sale: a pair of worn Nike Air Yeezy Sample shoes worn by Kanye West at the 2008 Grammy Awards.
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They sold for $1.8 million on that occasion in April 2021.
So yeah, the ‘Air’ brand certainly holds its weight in sneaker gold.
The sale places the shoes in a group of some of the most expensive Michael Jordan items ever sold.
His NBA Finals Game 1 jersey sold for $10.1 million in 2022 - likely in help to the popularity of the Last Dance documentary.
Meanwhile, the black and red shoes were routinely worn throughout his career, but these ones were particularly rare being worn in the famous 1998 Finals series.
Sotheby’s Head of Streetwear and Modern Collectibles Brahm Wachter said of the sale: “Michael Jordan game-worn sports memorabilia has proven time and time again to be the most elite and coveted items on the market.”
“However, items from his Last Dance season are of a greater scale and magnitude as seen with our record-breaking sale of his Game 1 jersey in 2022.”
The NBA’s official authenticator MeiGray used photo matching to verify the sneakers which were originally gifted to a ball boy after the game.
The ball boy had previously unloaded the shoes and was not the consignor of the sale.
The sale comes just days after ‘Air’ the movie hit theatres, starring Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Phil Knight.
The film focuses on the branding of the shoes and signing Jordan to the Nike brand at a time when the sneaker game was dominated by Converse and Adidas.
The original deal with Nike was worth around $2.5 million at the time, and now a pair of sneakers had sold almost the entire value of the original deal.
Even years after his NBA retirement Nike Air’s continue to be one of the most popular and lucrative brands in the world.
It also helps when productions such as Air and The Last Dance continue to show just why the brand and Jordan himself were so popular.
Topics: Michael Jordan, NBA, US Sports, Basketball
Jayden Collins