At auction, Michael Jordan’s championship sneakers bring in a record $8 million.
During his illustrious athletic career, basketball legend Michael Jordan won six NBA titles. A set of the six sneakers he wore to secure those victories sold for an unprecedented $8 million at auction.
According to auction house Sotheby’s, the winning price for “The Dynasty Collection” on Friday hit $8,032,800, which set a new record for game-worn sneakers at sale worldwide.
The Air Jordan VI (1991), Air Jordan VII (1992), Air Jordan VIII (1993), Air Jordan XI (1996), Air Jordan XII (1997), and Air Jordan XIV (1998) were the pieces that made up the set.
Prior to the auction, the auction house stated on its website that “this set represents the most valuable and significant collection of Air Jordan sneakers ever brought to market.”
Notably, each pair was sold in only one instance.
Prior to the 1991 NBA Finals, Chicago Bulls executive director of public relations Tim Halland asked Jordan to give him one of his used Air Jordan trainers if the team won. After winning, Jordan complied with Halland’s request and signed and engraved the shoe before giving it to him. According to Sotheby’s, which bought the sneakers from a private American collector who had gotten them from superstition forced Jordan to carry on this tradition for the remaining five championships.
A pair of autographed limited edition photos featuring a grinning Michael Jordan sporting a single sneaker after the NBA Finals victory were included in the auction lot.
The separation between Jordan’s first three championship runs and his subsequent three was caused by his short leave from basketball in October 1993 to pursue a career in professional baseball. However, by March 1995, he had returned in style, helping the Chicago Bulls record the highest number of victories in an NBA regular season with 72.
Jordan was a remarkable athlete who gained notoriety as “Air Jordan” due to his amazing leaping prowess and acrobatic skills.
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