Michael Jordan game-worn basketball shoes auctioned for $1.4 million
The Nike Air Ships worn by Micheal Jordan for a Chicago Bulls game in 1984 were sold at a Sotheby's auction on Sunday for a record price of almost $1.5 million.
A pair of basketball shoes worn in 1984 by American basketball legend Michael Jordan were sold at an auction at Sotheby's on Sunday for a record price of nearly $1.5 million.
"The most valuable sneakers ever offered for auction - the Nike Air Ships model used in regular games in 1984 - just sold for $1,472,000 at our Las Vegas luxury sale," Sotheby's said in a statement.
The white and red shoes were worn by Jordan in the fifth game of his first NBA season as a Chicago Bulls player in 1984, and are signed by the former player.
This is the first time that a pair of shoes at public auction has exceeded a million dollars, and they were acquired by collector Nick Fiorella.
"This record result of the Jordan Nike Air Ships reaffirms the place of Michael Jordan and the Air Jordan franchise at the top of the shoe market," explained Brahm Wachter of the auction house after the sale closed.
Previously, in 2020, a Nike Air Jordan 1 High worn by the basketball legend in 1985 fetched a price at Christie's auction of $615,000.
Jordan retired from basketball in 2003 and is considered one of the best players in the history of the sport.