Sotheby’s to Sell Michael Jordan’s Iconic Championship Air Jordan Sneakers
Sotheby’s auction house will present a collection of six iconic Nike Air Jordan sneakers, each worn by NBA legend Michael Jordan during the six crucial championship games that the Chicago Bulls won in the 1990s.
The set, dubbed “The Dynasty Collection,” includes an Air Jordan 6 (1991), Air Jordan 7 (1992), Air Jordan 8 (1993), Air Jordan 11 (1996), Air Jordan 12 (1997), and Air Jordan 14 (1998). The collection will be presented on Tuesday for private sale at an undisclosed price.
According to Sotheby’s, this set represents ” the most valuable and significant collection of Air Jordan sneakers ever brought to market.” Head of streetwear and modern collectables Brahm Wachter described this collection as the “Mona Lisa of the sneaker collecting and sports memorabilia communities,” in a statement.
“While they are two distinct communities, they converge here with The Dynasty Collection. They also represent the intersection of Jordan’s championship legacy and his style legacy, both of which have combined to make him a global icon,” Wachter said. “Because of the historical and cultural impact that they represent, as a group, they are among the most important basketball shoes a collector could own.”
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Michael Jordan led his team to six NBA championships during 15 professional seasons. Nike launched its first-ever Air Jordan model, the Air Jordan 1, in 1984 and released a model to the general public a year later.
According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Tim Hallam collected the Nike shoes directly from Jordan after the championship games.
Game-worn Michael Jordan sneakers selling at auction for exorbitant prices is hardly a new phenomenon. In 2021, Christie’s and Stadium Goods launched an auction with 90 pairs of shoes including game-worn pairs, samples, rare exclusives and looks worn by Jordan’s teammates and competitors. And in September of 2022, Sotheby’s set a new record for a basketball jersey at auction by selling Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals Game 1 jersey, as seen in the “Last Dance” series, for $10.1 million. This also set the record for the most valuable piece of Michael Jordan sports memorabilia to ever be sold. Sotheby’s expects each sneaker in this new collection to sell for more than this record-breaking item.
In January, the Jordan Brand, which was named the 2022 FNAA Brand of the Year, teamed up with the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation to auction 23 exclusive pairs of the “Christopher Wallace” Air Jordan 13. The shoes were on public exhibition at the Sotheby’s gallery in New York through Feb. 3.
