Six unique Nike Air Jordan sneakers worn in the 1990s by US basketball legend Michael Jordan were auctioned for a record-breaking US$8 million on Friday, Sotheby’s auction house announced.
These were six distinct shoes - not three pairs - that Jordan gifted to Tim Hallam, a communications executive at the Chicago Bulls, after each of his decisive games. These games led the team to clinch six NBA championships from 1991 to 1993, and from 1996 to 1998.
The US$8-million purchase price, achieved at the Sotheby’s auction in New York, set a record for the unique lot. It was also the second-highest amount ever paid for collector’s sport articles related to Michael Jordan.
Last April, a company owned by Franco-Israeli tycoon Patrick Drahi auctioned off a pair of trainers Jordan wore during his final championship game in 1998 with the Chicago Bulls. They sold for $2.2 million.
The six shoes sold on Friday were Air Jordan models VI (1991), VII (1992), VIII (1993), XI (1996), XII (1997), and XIV (1998).
The record for the most expensive jersey sold at an auction also belongs to Michael Jordan: a jersey he wore during his 1998 final fetched $10.1 million in September 2022.
This surpassed the price of a jersey worn by Argentine footballer Diego Maradona in the quarter-final match against England at the 1986 World Cup, which sold for $9.3 million in May 2022.
