Ultra-Rare Michael Jordan Artefact Turns Up On Pawn Stars Episode, Expert Values 'Holy Grail' Item At $1m

Michael Jordan’s sneakers from the cult classic Space Jam turned up on an episode of the hit TV show Pawn Stars -- and they were valued at an astonishing $1m.

The 58-year-old NBA legend teamed up with Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes to clash with the Monstars in the 1996 fan-favourite film.

World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop owner Rick Harrison and Austin Russell, better known as Chumlee, visited a Los Angeles warehouse on season 18 of Pawn Stars.

The seller brought out the “holy grail” item for Rick and Chum, which turned out to be the Air Jordan sneakers that MJ wore in Space Jam.

The Jordan 11 owner claimed that he acquired the rare item “from somebody whose relative worked on the set” of Space Jam.

“Apparently, MJ handed it to him,” he added.

Pawn Stars/YouTube

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YouTube star Yeezy Busta, who was brought in by Chum as Pawn Stars’ so-called expert for the segment, claimed the sneakers could be sold for “upwards of a million dollars.”

The 24-year-old American took into account Space Jam’s blockbuster success and the release of The Last Dance documentary in 2020 when it came to the valuation of the Jordan 11.

Rick was initially hesitant to make an offer for the sneakers before Chum convinced him to make a bid for the item.

The 56-year-old TV star tabled a $300k offer for the Air Jordans, but the seller was unconvinced and wanted more after Busta’s valuation.

Rick refused to make a higher offer -- the best he could do was $300k -- and walked away from the negotiations.

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PA

One fan said: “For a million bucks, those shoes better have Jordan's feet still in them!” 

Someone else posted: “This [is] like the second time Rick messes up and passes on some shoes that are worth a lot ... Chum knows what's up, so [I don’t know] why Chum didn't jump on it for himself.”

While a third said: “I find it really amazing how Michael Jordan can turn a $200 sneaker to $1m. He is truly the GOAT!”

And a fourth added: “I can’t believe that guy is even in possession of those 11s. They belong in a museum, they’re a piece of sport/pop culture history.”

Space Jam received a standalone sequel with Space Jam: A New Legacy, which featured Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James in the leading role.

A New Legacy was released in July and made $156.2m at the box office, but the Malcolm Lee film had a budget of $150m.

Topics: Michael Jordan, Basketball

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

@AdnanRiaz9