Michael Jordan shoes sell for auction record USD 2.2 million

Tuesday, a pair of sneakers worn by NBA legend Michael Jordan sold for USD 2.2 million setting a record price at auction for game-worn sports footwear, Sotheby's announced.

The basketball great wore the "Bred" Air Jordan 13s during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals on the way to his sixth and last NBA championship title.

Sotheby’s Head of Streetwear and Modern Collectables Brahm Wachter said: "The condition of the sneakers is remarkable. It looks like Michael Jordan took them off his foot yesterday. And of course, you know, he signed both sneakers in bright silver marker."

"Many people sort of when they think about Michael Jordan playing in the 80s, or the 90s, they feel this remarkable sense of nostalgia for that era. And in many collecting classes, whether it's, you know, candidly, sports memorabilia, or Pokemon cards very often the driver behind that, is that sense of nostalgia for a different era," he explained.

The signed shoes, which Sotheby's had initially estimated to sell for somewhere between USD 2-4 million, officially declared Jordan as the most valuable athlete at auctions for sportswear memorabilia.

Last year, one of the athlete's jerseys sold for USD 10.1 million and, in 2021, a pair of his Nike Air Ships went for USD 1.47 million.