A legendary piece of Chicago sports history will go up for auction this week and is expected to sell for up to $10 million.
Art and collectibles company Sotheby’s will auction six pairs of personal sneakers worn by Michael Jordan during key NBA Finals games for the Bulls in the 1990s at 9 a.m. Friday. This is the first time sneakers worn by Jordan in the NBA Finals have been sold at auction.
Collectively known as the “Dynasty Series,” these shoes are six styles from the Air Jordan brand created in partnership with Nike: Air Jordan VI, Air Jordan VII, Air Jordan VIII, Air Jordan XI, Air Jordan XII and Air Jordan XIV.
The “Dynasty Collection” includes six pairs of personal sneakers worn by Michael Jordan during his 1990s Bulls championship years.
Brahm Wachter, head of modern collections at Sotheby’s, told the Sun-Times: “Personally, each of these six pairs of championship-winning sneakers worn by Michael Jordan is as relevant as any other. Directly related to some of the most memorable and important moments of his illustrious career.” “To bring them together into one collection is nothing short of magical.”
Several iconic photos of Jordan celebrating his championship show him wearing just one shoe. That’s because Bulls public relations director Tim Hallam asked Jordan for a pair of his game-worn shoes before the 1991 NBA Finals, assuming the Bulls won the championship.
Sotheby’s said Jordan agreed to sign a shoe and part ways with it, then continued to do the same after subsequent championship games.
On June 20, 1993, Michael Jordan celebrated his third NBA Finals championship wearing only one shoe in the locker room.
A private collector later acquired the shoes from Hallam, who then put them up for sale this week.
Bidders must contact Sotheby’s at (212) 606-7414 or bids.newyork@sothebys.com to pre-register their interest. Photo ID is required and financial information may also be required.
The Dynasty Collection shoes, available in sizes 13 and 13.5, are made from a variety of materials including rubber, leather, cotton and plastic and are expected to sell for between $7 million and $10 million.
Wachter said Sotheby’s arrived at a valuation that was “both attractive and conservative in the current market.”
“The sports memorabilia market has grown significantly in recent years and prices for similar items have been strong, but there’s certainly nothing that compares to this,” he said.
Sotheby’s considered recent Jordan memorabilia, including his 1998 NBA Finals Game 1 jersey, which sold for $10.1 million in 2022 (a record for all game-worn sports memorabilia).
A pair of Air Jordans worn by the superstar during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold for a record $2.238 million last year.
Another pair of Air Jordans — a gold Air Jordan III custom made for filmmaker Spike Lee — also sold last year for nearly $51,000. The shoes were dropped anonymously into a donation chute at Portland Rescue Mission, an organization that provides services to people suffering from homelessness, hunger and addiction. Proceeds from the sale were donated to the Oregon Shelter.
James Free holds rare gold Nike Jordan III sneakers that were thrown into the Portland Rescue Mission’s donation chute. “I’m excited to be a part of this,” said Free, who discovered the shoes while sorting through donations and brought them to the staff’s attention.
Wachter calls the Dynasty series “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that represents the most important set of game-worn sneakers ever assembled and brought to market.”
On June 12, 1991, Jordan reached the NBA Finals for the first time in a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, when he scored 30 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocks while wearing the Air Jordan VI.
On June 14, 1992, he defeated the Portland Trail Blazers at Chicago Stadium to win his second championship, while wearing the Air Jordan VII and scoring a game-high 33 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 assists. Steals.
On June 20, 1993, the Bulls defeated the Phoenix Suns by one point in Arizona, completing their first three-peat championship. Jordan once again scored a game-high 33 points in the Air Jordan VIII and contributed 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal.
After a brief spell playing professional baseball and failing to win another championship upon his return in 1995, Jordan won his fourth championship on June 16, 1996, defeating the Seattle SuperSonics at the United Center. He finished with 22 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals while wearing the Air Jordan XI.
A year later, the Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz to win their fifth championship on June 13, 1997 at the United Center. Wearing Air Jordan XII, Jordan scored 39 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.
This was the series known as the “Flu Game,” in which Jordan appeared dehydrated and exhausted during Game 5 in Salt Lake City. He scored 38 points and had to be helped off the court by teammate Scottie Pippen.
Jordan said it was “probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
Jordan’s final year with the Bulls ended with another championship victory over the Jazz in Salt Lake City on June 14, 1998. In the final seconds of Game 6, Jordan stole the ball and made the game-winning shot, winning 87-86 and earning his sixth NBA Finals MVP award. He scored 45 points in the Air Jordan XIV and had 4 steals, 1 rebound and 1 assist.