A pair of signed, game-worn Michael Jordan sneakers from the 1998 NBA Finals fetched a record $2.2 million on Tuesday, making them the most valuable sneakers ever sold, auction house Sotheby’s said.
Jordan led the Bulls to a 93-88 victory over the Utah Jazz and scored 37 points. Later, he won his sixth and last NBA Championship, earning MVP honors for the Finals.
According to Sotheby’s, Jordan thanked a Jazz ball boy for discovering a misplaced jacket by giving him the sneakers after the game. They were Jordan’s final pair of Bred sneakers to be worn during play.
The MeiGray Group, the NBA’s official authenticator, has photo-matched and authenticated them as the only complete pair of Jordan’s sneakers to have been worn in an NBA Finals contest, according to the auctioneers.
The previous record for a pair of sneakers was held by a pair of Kanye West’s Nike Air Yeezy 1s, which Sotheby’s sold for $1.8 million in 2021.
Additionally, in September 2022, Sotheby’s sold Michael Jordan’s jersey from the first game of the 1998 Finals for $10.1 million, making it the most expensive piece of game-used sports memorabilia ever sold.
