A pair of sneakers worn by NBA superstar Michael Jordan on Tuesday sold for US$2.2 million, setting a record price at auction for game-worn sports footwear, Sotheby’s announced.
The basketball great wore the “Bred” Air Jordan 13s during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals on the way to his sixth and last NBA championship title.
The sneakers are known as “Bred” for their black and red color, a style Jordan wore throughout most of his trophy-laden career.
Photo: AFP
The online sale cements Jordan’s position as the most valuable athlete at auctions for sportswear memorabilia.
It broke his own record of US$1.5 million for sneakers, set in September 2021. Last year, one of his jerseys sold for US$10.1 million, the most ever paid at auction 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. He 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.
The auction house said Jordan had autographed the shoes and given them to a ball boy after the game.
Sotheby’s did not identify the seller, but said it was not that original recipient. Nor did it name the buyer of the size 13 shoe.
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