NEW YORK (AP) — A collection of sneakers worn by superstar Michael Jordan as he won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls has sold at auction for a game-record $8 million, Sotheby’s said. A new record for sneakers worn.
The six pairs of Air Jordans – one from each of the final games of the Championship Series in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998 – were sold on Friday. Sotheby’s calls it a “dynasty collection.”
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Brahm Wachter of Sotheby’s said in a statement: “This is both a reminder of Michael Jordan’s lasting impact on the world and a tangible reflection of his recognized legend status. The landmark result further confirms its importance.” Wachter oversees the auction house’s modern collection.
Sotheby’s did not reveal the identity of the buyer, describing the seller only as “an American private collector” who acquired the pieces from a longtime Bulls executive.
According to Sotheby’s, Jordan first presented a pair of sneakers to executives after his 1991 championship and has continued the tradition ever since. The auction items include photos of Jordan celebrating his 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1998 victories in a single shoe.
A five-time league MVP and two-time Olympic gold medalist, Jordan was such an extraordinary player that then-NBA commissioner David Stern called him in 1992 “the measure of excellence in the game of basketball.” standard”. The NBA renamed the MVP trophy for Jordan in 2022.
He also collaborated with Nike in the mid-1980s to create the Air Jordan shoe, which helped shake up the sneaker industry and enhance sneaker culture.
The sneakers he wore in Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold for $2.2 million at Sotheby’s last April, setting a record for a pair of sneakers. The highest auction price for Jordan memorabilia was his jersey from Game 1 of the series, which sold for $10.1 million in 2022, according to Sotheby’s.
An unused ticket from Jordan’s 1984 Bulls debut sold for $468,000 through Heritage Auctions in 2022 – more than 55,000 times the face value.