Former basketball player and National Basketball Association (NBA) great Michael Jordan’s shoes he wore during his NBA Finals victories have been sold for a record of $8 million. The news, reported by the Independent, said that the shoes were auctioned off in New York by Sotheby on February 2. The actual price for the set of six sneakers from Jordan’s six NBA Championships was $8,032,800, as informed by the auctions house.
Jordan had won the NBA titles in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998 while playing for the Chicago Bulls. The whole set is collectively known as Dynasty Collection. Auction house Sotheby’s head of modern collectibles, Brahm Wachter said in a statement, “Today’s record-breaking price is a testament to the GOAT. The Dynasty Collection undeniably ranks among the most significant compilations of sports memorabilia in history. Serving as both a reminder of Michael Jordan’s lasting impact on the world and a tangible expression of his recognised legendary status, its significance is further validated by this monumental result.”
The auction house also shared the story of collecting one shoe each from the pair worn by Jordan in the NBA Finals on it’s official Instagram handle before the auction and wrote: “There’s a reason Michael Jordan is missing a shoe after each of his 6 championship-clinching games. Before his first championship finals with the Chicago Bulls in 1991, Tim Hallam—executive director of PR for the Chicago Bulls—asked for the game-worn sneaker from the championship-clinching game. Not only did Jordan oblige, he signed it as well. What happened over the next few years is the stuff of sports legend.
“Perhaps superstitiously, Jordan didn’t stop at the first championship. Instead, after each of the following five finals (1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998) Jordan removed one shoe right after leaving the court, signed it, and handed it off to Hallam.”