This week, iconic pieces from Chicago sports history will be up for auction, with a potential top price of $10 million.
Six pairs of shoes that Michael Jordan wore in each of the Bulls’ six NBA Finals championship games in the 1990s will go up for auction at 9 a.m. on Friday through the fine arts and collectibles firm Sotheby’s. This is the first time that any of Jordan’s trainers from the NBA Finals will be up for auction.
The six Air Jordan variations—the Air Jordan VI, Air Jordan VII, Air Jordan VIII, Air Jordan XI, Air Jordan XII, and Air Jordan XIV—that make up the ‘Dynasty Collection’ were developed in collaboration with Nike.
What did Sotheby’s say about the shoes?
“Every one of these six championship-winning shoes that Michael Jordan wore during games is directly associated with some of the most noteworthy and significant moments in his remarkable career,” Sotheby’s head of modern collectibles, Brahm Wachter, told the Sun-Times. He added, “It is nothing but magical to combine them into one collection.”
Jordan is seen in several well-known pictures wearing just one shoe as he celebrates winning the titles. This is because, before the 1991 NBA Finals, Jordan was asked to give up one of his game-used shoes by Tim Hallam, a public relations executive for the Bulls, if the team were to win the championship.
Jordan consented to sign a shoe and give it up; he later did the same after winning more titles, according to Sotheby’s.
The shoes were later acquired by a private collector from Hallam and put up for sale this week.
How to contact Sotheby’s?
To pre-register their interest, bidders must get in touch with Sotheby’s at [email protected] or (212) 606-7414. In addition to requiring a photo ID, financial data might also be needed.
The shoes from the Dynasty Collection, which come in sizes 13 and 13.5 and are composed of leather, cotton, plastic, and rubber, are expected to fetch between $7 million and $10 million at auction.
The value estimate that Sotheby’s came up with, according to Wachter, is “both attractive and conservative within the current market.”
“The sports memorabilia market has never been bigger before. Its growth is rapid and there are no signs of a slowdown. However, when it comes to collection like this, the prices go higher than usual.”
The recent prices fetched by Jordan’s memorabilia:
Recent Jordan memorabilia was considered by Sotheby’s, such as his 1998 NBA Finals Game 1 jersey, which set a record for any game-worn sports memorabilia when it sold for $10.1 million in 2022.
The superstar’s Air Jordans from Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals were sold for a record $2.238 million last year.
Last year, a gold Air Jordan III customized for director Spike Lee sold for almost $51,000. The shoes were surreptitiously deposited into the Portland Rescue Mission’s donation chute, which has assisted those facing hunger, homelessness, and addiction. The Oregon shelter benefited from the sale’s proceeds.
Watcher has called The Dynasty Collection the “most significant group of game work sneakers ever assembled.”