The Nike Air Jordan 1 High shoes which had an estimated sale price of between $650,000 and $850,000 were used by the basketball star in
1985 during an exhibition game played in Trieste Italy in the summer of
1985 according to Christie’s.
“It is the top price achieved for sneakers at auction” a spokesperson at Christie’s told CNN.They were sold as part of a wider
online auction of Jordan’s footwear from his days playing for the
Chicago Bulls.
Of the Jordan memorabilia up for sale at Christie’s nine lots went for a combined total of $931,875 including buyers’ fees on Thursday at
the end of a two-week period of bidding.
The bulk of the total sales came from the signed 1985 shoes which the auction catalog describe as “a one-of-a-kind Michael Jordan
artifact.”
They are unusual because the sole of the left shoe contains a shard of glass which became lodged there when Jordan shattered the glass of
the backboard while landing a forceful slam dunk.Another pair of shoes
which the Chicago Bulls player wore in a match in 1992 went for $112,500
in the same auction which was run in conjunction with sneaker
consignment store Stadium Goods.
Thursday’s sale shatters the previous record set just three months earlier when Sotheby’s sold some of the player’s Nike Air Jordans for
$560,000.
“Just three months ago a pair of Nike Air Jordans broke the world record for the most expensive shoes ever sold at auction — fetching just
over half a million dollars” Christie’s said on its website ahead of
its own auction.
Interest in Jordan and his sports memorabilia has increased this year since the release of ESPN’s docuseries “The Last Dance” which
follows the legendary player during the Bulls’ 1997-1998 season.
