Look: Michael Jordan's first pro-worn sneakers expected to fetch insane price in auction
Michael Jordan changed the shoe game for many generations by becoming the first NBA athlete to market his own shoe. The rest is history, but while we know a pair of “J’s” can be pricey, what about Jordan’s first-ever game worn Nikes that were worn in the his rookie debut for the Bulls?
On Friday the bidding opened to auction off Michael Jordan’s first pair of sneakers worn as a pro, the red and white Nike Air Ships.
The sneakers are the earliest regular season pair of Jordans to come to the market.
“Sotheby’s estimates the sneakers will sell for $1 million to $1.5 million. It’s the highest estimate for a pair of sneakers ever sold at auction,” Front Office Sports reported.
Sothebys has emerged as the “new-age” auction house for rare memorabilia, from rare game-worn Jordan sneakers to handbags to a wide array of art.
“Michael Jordan’s items are perhaps the most coveted. We put up a lot of other valuable memorabilia items, but I would say on a kind of ongoing and continuous basis Michael Jordan’s market is really strong,” Brahm Wachter, head of Sotheby’s streetwear and modern collectables, told CNBC in an interview this week.
Who had the rare Michael Jordan 1984 Airships now up for auction?
The Air Ships come from a former Denver Nuggets ball boy who was originally gifted them in 1984 from Jordan following the game, the CNBC deep-dive reported.
Jordan’s partnership with Nike in 1984 to create a signature line of shoes was the first of its kind. It soon became the model, paving the way for many of the player collaborations we see today.
Michael Jordan wore the red and white Air Ships on Nov. 1, 1984, of his rookie season, his fifth pro game ever as the Bulls played the Denver Nuggets. The shoes designed by Bruce Kilgore were supplied to Jordan in limited numbers as they finished production of the Air Jordan 1s.
The current record for a pair of sneakers sold at auction is $615,000, which was by Christies in August 2020 for a pair of Nike Air Jordan 1 High game-worn sneakers from 1985.
In May 2020, following the success of the hit documentary series “The Last Dance,” Sotheby’s sold an autographed pair of Air Jordan 1s for a record $560,000. After the airing of the ESPN and Netflix documentary, sales of nearly every product associated with the six-time NBA champion saw record highs.
All indications point to these rare Michael Jordan 1984 Nikes shattering previous records of sneakers.
The current record for a pair of sneakers sold at auction is $615,000, which was by Christies in August 2020 for a pair of Nike Air Jordan 1 High game-worn sneakers from 1985.
In May 2020, following the success of the hit documentary series “The Last Dance,” Sotheby’s sold an autographed pair of Air Jordan 1s for a record $560,000. After the airing of the ESPN and Netflix documentary, sales of nearly every product associated with the six-time NBA champion saw record highs.