Michael Jordan’s legendary status in the world of sports has been proven once again. Decades after wearing them during his rookie season in 1984, a pair of Air Jordan sneakers have recently been auctioned off for a record-breaking price tag.
Auction Sale
Sotheby’s auctions have recently sold the Air Jordan 1 shoes for $560,000 making it the most expensive pair of sneakers of all time. Not only that, but its final selling price also exceeded initial auction estimates for over three times.
It’s sale effectively dethroned the former record holder for the title, which is a pair of the original prototype Nike moon shoes that sold for $437,500 in 2019. The latter was notably designed by the late Bill Bowerman, who is Nike’s co-founder.
Both the Air Jordan 1’s and the Nike moon shoes were once the property of sneaker collector Jordy Geller.
Meanwhile, the identity of the buyer of Jordan’s game-worn Air Jordan 1’s remains undisclosed. Sotheby’s did share though that bids came from four continents.
Fantastic Timing
It’s also worth noting that the auction coincided with the premiere of the final episode of ‘The Last Dance’, a Netflix and ESPN documentary series about Jordan’s basketball career. This timing isn’t just a lucky coincidence.
Geller, who reportedly acquired the shoes in 2012, actually planned on selling the Air Jordan 1’s due to the reception of the series, which resulted in a spike in the demand for memorabilia related to the NBA legend.
Sotheby’s Brahm Wachter also noted Geller’s intuitive sense of timing and commended Jordan’s legacy as the ‘greatest athlete to ever play’.
‘The Last Dance’ emerged as the most-watched ESPN documentary of all time after it garnered a viewership of 5.648 million people during its 10-episode run. Meanwhile, the series got 23.8 million viewers from all over the world to tune in on Netflix to watch it.
Joining the Ranks
With the record-breaking sale of the Jordan’s Air Jordan 1’s, the pair now ranks number one on the list of the most valued shoes the player has ever worn to a game.
It joins the ranks of the Converse sneakers that basketball icon wore to the 1984 Olympics, which sold for $190,373 back in 2017, and the pair of Air Jordan 12s he wore to ‘The Flu Game’, which sold for $104,765 in 2013.