The GOAT continues to set records, even though it’s been decades since he retired. A collection of Michael Jordan’s championship sneakers hammered down for a record US$8 million (HK$62.5 million) at auction on Friday. Sotheby’s offered the six Air Jordan kicks that the baller wore in the clinching games of his six NBA Finals championships, setting a new record for game-worn sneakers and becoming the second-most-valuable piece of Jordan memorabilia.
“Today’s record-breaking price is a testament to the GOAT,” Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of modern collectibles, said in a statement. “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. A truly unparalleled moment and milestone in auction history, the sale of these six championship-clinching sneakers will likely never be replicated.”
The collection spans from Jordan’s first win with the Chicago Bulls in 1991 to his 1996 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics after coming out of retirement to his final season with the Bulls in 1998. The shoes were given by Jordan to Tim Hallman, a PR executive with the Bulls, and each one was signed and inscribed by the legendary athlete. (The tradition also led to some iconic images of Jordan celebrating each win with just one sneaker on his foot.) Hallman eventually gave the collection to the prior owner, who put them up for sale with Sotheby’s.
While US$8 million (HK$62.5 million) is a rather eye-popping amount for six unmatched sneakers (albeit not just any kicks), it’s not the most that’s been paid for Jordan memorabilia. In 2022, the hooper’s 1998 NBA Finals Game 1 jersey from his “Last Dance” season sold on the auction block for a bonkers US$10.1 million (HK$78.9 million). That made it the most expensive piece of game-worn sports memorabilia ever sold, a record that it still holds today. And in April, Sotheby’s sold another record-breaking piece of Jordan history: His Air Jordan 13s from Game 2 of the same series hammered down for US$2.2 million (HK$17.2 million), the most paid for any pair of sneakers at that time.
Most people would despair over having just one shoe from a pair, but the owner of the Dynasty Collection must be feeling pretty happy with that outcome.
