A pair of game-worn Air Jordan 13’s from the 1998 NBA Finals, worn by Michael Jordan just shattered the record for most expensive sneakers sold at auction.
Fetching an eye popping $2.2M, the pair easily eclipsed the previous high water mark of $1.472M, also set by His Airness back in 2021. The Nike Air Ships were worn by Jordan in a regular season game.
The new record holding sneakers were worn by Jordan in Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals vs. the Utah Jazz. A series which was made all the more famous by the release of “The Last Dance” documentary.
Sotheby’s Auction House, which facilitated the sale, remarked “The historic sneakers were worn during the most recognizable season of Jordan’s storied career, which helped secure his legacy as the greatest basketball player of all time.”
“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.
According to Sotheby’s, the shoes were worn in the 2nd half of Game 2 where Jordan scored 37pts, en route to securing the Bulls 6th championship later that spring. As a thank you, Jordan gifted the pair to a ball boy who took care of the visitor’s locker room and autographed them.
Adding to the lore of the shoes, Sotheby’s marketed them as the only complete pair known to exist that have been authenticated as being “game worn” by Jordan in the NBA Finals.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Joshua Massel. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.