Compilation of Michael Jordan’s Sneakers Achieved Record-breaking Sale of $8 Million in An Auction
MICHAEL JORDAN – A compilation of Michael Jordan’s sneakers has achieved a record-breaking sale of $8 million in an auction.
A collection of six individual sneakers worn by NBA champion Michael Jordan fetched $8 million at a Sotheby’s auction on Friday, setting a new record for the highest price ever paid for game-worn sneakers.
In September 2022, Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals Game 1 jersey from the renowned ‘Last Dance’ season was sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $10.1 million, establishing it as the most expensive piece of game-worn sports memorabilia ever sold.
Michael Jordan achieved six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, along with six Finals MVP awards and five league MVPs. Before his initial finals victory in 1991, Tim Hallam, a longtime Bulls public relations executive, made a notable request of the soon-to-be champion—he asked for one of Jordan’s game-worn Air Jordan sneakers.
Jordan fulfilled the request after the game, autographed the shoe, and presented it to Hallam, a tradition he maintained out of superstition for the following decade. The shoes not gifted to Hallam (which have since been acquired by a collector, as per Sotheby’s) were included in Friday’s auction.
Jordan’s sneakers were not the only notable celebrity memorabilia sold this week. The sole painting known to be created and signed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison of The Beatles surpassed triple its anticipated price at a Christie’s auction on Thursday, selling for $1.744 million in New York. Titled “Images of a Woman,” the psychedelic painting was crafted by the Fab Four during their stay at Tokyo’s Hilton Hotel in 1966.
The painting was part of a collection at Christie’s named “The Exceptional Sale,” which also showcased items such as Elvis Presley’s Fred Gretsch guitar (sold for $302,400) and Janis Joplin’s gold crocheted vest, which remained unsold. Additionally, on Wednesday, Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler auctioned off his assortment of 120 guitars and amps for £8.8 million ($11 million) at Christie’s in London, setting a new world record for the highest price paid for a 1959 Vintage Gibson Les Paul Standard, according to the BBC. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the British Red Cross, Tusk, and Brave Hearts of the North East charities.
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