:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XAJCUHVOW5AJ5IGNUEK54ZONNE.jpg "Six-time NBA Finals-winning Michael Jordan sneakers sold for record million – WSB-TV Channel 2")
A set of six pairs of sneakers worn by basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan during his six NBA championships sold for a record $8,032,800 at auction on Friday.
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According to auction house Sotheby’s, the sale price for an Air Jordan sneaker from the “Dynasty Collection” set a global record for a game sneaker, ESPN reported.
The “Dynasty Collection” was the second highest price paid for Jordanian memorabilia. According to Sports Collectors Daily, the jersey Jordan wore in Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold for just $10.1 million. This item was sold in September 2022.
Sotheby’s put the sneakers on tour last year on behalf of the current owner and valued them at $7 million to $10 million, Sports Collectors Daily reported.
The set sold on Friday included one pair of sneakers – a pair of 1991 Air Jordan VI sneakers, as well as pairs of Air Jordan VII (1992), Air Jordan VIII (1993), Air Jordan XI (1996), Air Jordan XII (1997 ), Air Jordan XIV (1998), according to CNN. According to Sports Collectors Daily, Jordan autographed each pair of sneakers.
According to ESPN, after Jordan won six championships, in which he also won the Finals MVP in those six series, he was photographed wearing only one shoe. Jordan gave a pair of his shoes to Chicago Bulls public relations director Tim Hallam, who asked for the shoes when the team won the 1991 NBA championship.
A skeptical Jordan continued the tradition with each of the Bulls’ subsequent championships, according to Cable Sports.
The lot also includes a set of signed photos of Jordan, showing the Bulls superstar after each championship, Sports Collectors Daily reported. Jordan celebrated wearing a sneaker because he had handed a pair of sneakers to Hallam in the locker room.
Sotheby’s auction house said it obtained the sneakers from a private American collector who purchased them in Hallam, CNN reported.
“Today’s record-breaking price is a testament to the ‘GOAT,'” Brian Wachter, Sotheby’s head of modern collections, said in a statement. “There is no denying that dynastic collections are among the most important in history. One of the greatest collections of sports memorabilia. (A) truly unparalleled moment and milestone in auction history, the sale of these six championship-winning sneakers may never be replicated.”