(Las Vegas) A pair of shoes worn by NBA superstar Michael Jordan early in his career sold for nearly $ 1.5 million on Sunday, setting a record auction price for shoes worn in matches, a announced Sotheby’s.
The shoes, dressed in red and white, were worn by the basketball legend in Game 5 of his first season with the Chicago Bulls and have become iconic both on and off the court.
“The most valuable athletic shoes ever to be auctioned, the 1984 Nike Air Ships worn by Michael Jordan during the regular season, just sold for $ 1,472,000 at our luxury sale in Las Vegas,” he said. the auction house said in a statement posted on Twitter.
An astronomical price, well above the record held by a pair of Nike Air Jordans which sold for $ 615,000 in August 2020 at an auction organized by Christie’s.
The shoes were in good condition, with signs of wear from play, Sotheby’s detailed. The pair were a gift from Michael Jordan to Tommie Tim III Lewis, who was a ball collector for the Denver Nuggets during the 1984-85 season.
In April, a pair of Nike Air Yeezy 1 sneakers, worn by rapper Kanye West – bought by an investment platform through a private sale – smashed all records reaching $ 1.8 million, at Sotheby’s.
The market for rare sports shoes, considered a niche market ten years ago, is booming, and arouses the interest of collectors and the general public.
The signed shoes sold on Sunday predate the first Air Jordans. The Air Ships were designed by Peter Moore. Michael Jordan wore this model in 1984 and 1985, as well as modified versions in 1986.
And the market value of items related to the retired basketball superstar has skyrocketed since the release of The Last Dance, an ESPN / Netflix documentary that traces the saga of Jordan and his Chicago Bulls.
Also sold at Sunday auction for 20,160 dollars a pair of shoes, never presented to the public, Nike Air Jordan 11 Retro x OVO “Gold”, as part of a collaboration between the brand and rapper Drake.