25 Most Expensive Sneakers Ever Sold: The Market for Rare Sneakers Has Exploded
The market for coveted sneakers has exploded in the past decade, as seen with the rise of resale platforms, and even more recently we’ve seen a major boon in the pairs rare enough to go on auction.
In 2020, a pair of Air Jordan 1s worn and signed by Michael Jordan broke the record for most expensive pairs ever sold. Today, that same shoe is just number 8 on our list of the most expensive pairs, and 20 of the 25 ahead wore sold in 2021 or later.
Given the centrality of the man within sneaker culture, it should come as no surprise that Air Jordans worn by Michael dominate this list. The few pairs that weren’t his largely still come from the world of the NBA, but there are just a few exceptions and oddballs to be found ahead.
Take a look as we’ve gathered the 25 most expensive sneakers that have ever sold.
25. Air Jordan 1 “Chicago” — $152,000 (2021)
Prepare yourself to see a whole lot of game-worn Air Jordan 1s on this list. This pair is a player sample made in either January or February 1985. While this pair is game-worn, appearing in mismatched sizes of 13 and 13.5, it was neither autographed nor attached to a specific NBA game — two distinctions that make for many more expensive versions ahead.
24. Adidas Kobe 2 “USA”— $156,000 (2021)
This pair of Kobes worn by LeBron James is so old that it predates both James’ and Kobe Bryant’s relationship with Nike. The player-exclusive American flag colorway was made for Bryant as 9/11 tribute, and Bryant himself gifted a pair to James when the latter was still in high school. Just the day after receiving the sneakers, James wore them in a game against Carmelo Anthony.
23. Nike Waffle Sneakers — $163,800 (2022)
Steve Prefontaine, nicknamed “Pre,” was a long-distance running prodigy recruited to Oregon’s track team by the coach and Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman. Co-founder Phil Knight referred to Prefontaine as the “soul of Nike,” as he was the first runner signed by the company and also served as its Nike’s national director of public affairs before passing away at just 24 years old. This early pair of Waffle sneakers in Oregon Ducks colors was the first worn by Prefontaine to ever go on sale.
22. Air Jordan 11 “Space Jam” Player Sample — $176,000 (2021)
The original Air Jordan 11 “Space Jam” colorway was made exclusively for Michael Jordan, who wore them in a rare early-playoff exit in 1995 and then, much more famously, in the Looney Toons film. Nike didn’t actually release a version of the shoe until 2000, four years after the premiere, long of to build demand and make Jordan’s player samples highly sought after by collectors. Jordan didn’t wear these, but he did sign one of the shoes, and a custom box was made later on.
21. Converse Fastbreak Mid — $190,000 (2017)
Before entering the NBA and signing with Nike, Michael Jordan wore Converse. This pair of Fastbreak Mids was worn by Jordan during the 1984 Olympic Gold Medal game against Spain and are considered the last he wore as an amateur. When the sneakers sold in 2017, they set a world record for game-worn shoes — showing just how much the market has blown up in the six years since.
20. Adidas EQT Top Ten — $192,000 (2021)
Prior to the Adidas KB8, now known as the Crazy 8, becoming Kobe Bryant’s first signature sneaker, he began his rookie season wearing the Adidas EQT Top Ten. This game-worn and autographed pair has been traced back to November 1996.
19. Nike Air Mag Auto-Lace — $200,000 (2016)
Sneakerheads had been clamoring for the self-lacing Nike shoe from Back to the Future Part II to go on sale for decades, and they were almost given what they wanted in 2011, with the release of a version without automatic lacing. The Tinker Hatfield-designed finally dropped in its full glory, complete with a motorized lacing system, through a 2016 raffle benefitting the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. One final pair then went up for the foundation’s gala and fetched what was then a record for any sneaker sale.
18. Air Jordan 13 Player Sample — $204,000 (2023)
This pair of game-worn and autographed Air Jordan 13s wasn’t able to be photo-matched and tied to a specific game, but it was confirmed to be worn by Michael Jordan during some point during his final championship season in 1998, aka the “Last Dance.” Further down, you’ll see a pair that was photo-matched for an NBA Finals game and commanded a ten-fold price increase.
17. Nike Air Zoom Generation — $222,000 (2023)
Although it didn’t originally bear his name, the Nike Air Zoom Generation was LeBron James’ first signature sneaker. This pair was confirmed to have been worn by James during just his second NBA game ever, an Oct. 30, 2023 matchup against the Phoenix Suns.
16. Bill Bowerman Hand-Made Track Spike Prototype — $315,000 (2021)
These track spikes hand-made by Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman in the ’60s and were updated with a waffle sole in the early-’70s. Bowerman made them for Harry Jerome, an Olympic runner for Canada who won a Bronze Medal at the 1964 Summer Games. The lifespan of the shoes take it through the evolution of Nike from its origins as Blue Ribbon Sports, and they were never worn after their final alteration.
15. Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 — $353,000 (2022)
Sotheby’s held an auction for the first colorway of the Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1, a landmark collaboration helmed by Virgil Abloh prior to this passing. The $353,000 price tag for a size 5 with Pilot Case was the highest figure for the 200 pairs that went up for bidding — more than 150 commanded at least $100,000, and $25.3 million was collected in total for all 200.
14. Air Jordan 13 “He Got Game” — $375,000 (2021)
Michael Jordan wore this pair of Air Jordan 13s, featuring a colorway nicknamed for the Spike Lee film of the same name in which it appeared — during an April 1998 game that was both his last for the Bulls in the regular season and against the New York Knicks, a perpetual playoff rival of the decade. Jordan signed both shoes in the pair and gave them to Isiah Thomas, a former rival and then-commentator, who in turn gave them to his son Joshua as a birthday gift.
13. Air Jordan 13 Low — $378,000 (2022)
Cut lower than the other Air Jordan 13s in this list and typically worn by Michael Jordan, this pair of signed Js appeared on the feet of the legend himself during the first half of game 5 of the 1998 NBA Finals matchup against the Utah Jazz. In the Last Dance documentary, Jordan can even be seen holding the sneakers while telling his teammates, “You go out there and play hard tonight and we win, you don’t have to hear from me no more, ever again.”
12. Air Jordan 7 “Olympic” — $420,000 (2023)
As tipped off by the autographed, Michael Jordan signed this pair of Air Jordan 7s for his 1992 Olympic teammate Karl Malone. Jordan wore the sneakers for a pre-Olympic Tournament of the Americas game against Puerto Rico, and Malone auctioned them as part of a much larger collection of Olympic mementos.
11. Air Jordan 1 “Chicago” — $422,000 (2022)
Because this was the very pair worn by Michael Jordan when he broke his foot early in his second season, this be the last original Air Jordan 1 he played in. Following his return from injury six months later, he wore several different versions of the shoe, including one with the sole from the Nike Dunk, another with the sole used for the Air Jordan 2, and another with a custom strap.
10. Nike Waffle “Moon Shoe” — $437,500 (2019)
At the time it sold, this racing flat “Moon Shoe” was the most expensive pair of shoes ever sold. The buyer, Canadian businessman Miles Nadal, spent another $850,000 on 99 other sneakers sold by Sotheby’s as part of the same collection. But the top prize of all was one of 12 shoes for the 1972 Olympic Trials designed by Bill Bowerman and handmade by Geoff Hollister, one of Nike’s first employees, with the famous Waffle sole.
9. Air Jordan 1 “Chicago” — $486,000 (2022)
Michael Jordan signed and wore this pair of Air Jordan 1s at some point during the latter part of his rookie season in the NBA. Former Chicago Bulls trainer Mark Pfeil wrote a leather of povenance stating that the pair were originally sold in a 1985 charity auction.
8. Air Jordan 1 “Chicago” — $560,000 (2020)
As yet another pair worn and signed by Michael Jordan, this Air Jordan 1 saw its price bolstered by the time it went up for auction. Bidding for it closed just as the final episode of The Last Dance aired, when the pandemic was at a peak and there was very little else commanding anyone’s attention. It then set a record as the most expensive pair of sneakers ever sold.
6. (Tie) Air Jordan 1 “Chicago” — $615,000 (2021)
Here we have yet another game-worn Air Jordan 1 from Michael Jordan’s rookie year, but this pair was signed on two separate occasions as part of its unusual backstory. Jordan first signed the ankle of both shoes and gave them to teammate Gene Banks, who had just joined the Chicago Bulls from the San Antonio Spurs. Banks later gave the shoes to Spurs reporter Rick Lozano, who had them signed once again by Jordan upon interviewing him just before the 1991 game in which he clinched his first NBA title. On one of the toes, Jordan jotted “1st pair” along with the signature.
6. (Tie) Air Jordan 1 “Shattered Backboard” — $615,000 (2020)
Although this Air Jordan 1 has the original “Chicago” color scheme, it’s the very sneaker that later inspired the “Shattered Backboard” colorway. Michael Jordan wore the pair while he shattered a backboard while dunking in a 1985 exhibition game in Trieste, Italy. There’s even a piece of glass embedded into the outsole of the shoe, which Jordan signed and gave to Gianni Bertolitti, captain of the opposing Stefanel Trieste team. When the orange, white, and black Air Jordan 1 “Shattered Backboard” released in 2015, it took in the colors of Stefanel Trieste.
5. Air Jordan 1 “Chicago” — $675,000 (2023)
The final Air Jordan 1 on this list, this pair stands out for it utilizing the sole from the Nike Dunk rather than its original because the former is softer and wider. Having been signed and worn by Michael Jordan, the shoes were photo-matched to an April 1986 against the Milwaukee Bucks after having returned from breaking his foot.
4. Air Jordan 12 “Flu Game” — $1.38 million (2023)
The “Flu Game” was one of the most iconic moments of Michael Jordan’s career. Battling illness — or food poisoning brought on by a suspicious pizza, if you believe the man himself — Jordan managed to score 38 points, including 15 in the 4th quarter and a go-ahead 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining, while winning game 5 of the 1997 finals. Utah Jazz ball boy Preston Truman received the signed shoes following the heroic performance from Jordan, who rewarded him for having supplied his favorite post-game snack of applesauce for the past two seasons.
3. Michael Jordan Nike Air Ship Game-Worn — $1.47 million (2021)
Despite the legend that Nike used to its advantage for marketing purposes, the Air Jordan 1 wasn’t actually banned by the NBA. That denigration-turned-honor belonged to the Air Ship, the similar silhouette worn by Michael Jordan until he received his first signature sneaker. This particular pair was worn by Jordan in the fifth game of his rookie season and is the earliest known pair from his NBA career. He signed them and gave them to Tommie Tim III Lewis, the Denver Nuggets ball boy who later included his staff pass from the season for the auction. Despite the fee it commanded in 2021, the shoe sold again this year for only $624,000.
2. Nike Air Yeezy Sample — $1.8 million (2021)
When it sold through a private transaction in 2021, this Nike Air Yeezy sample worn by Kanye West at the 2008 Grammys blew away the previous record-holder for most expensive pair of shoes (the $560,000 pair of Air Jordans up above). The shoe marked the first-ever public appearance for what was then West’s highly anticipated first Nike sneaker. Rares, a platform that allowed users to buy shares in sneakers just like stocks, bought the Air Yeezys before turning them into an IPO later in the year. This year, the company sold them for just $180,000 after declaring bankruptcy — and after West tanked the value through repeated anti-Semitic comments.
1. Air Jordan 13 “Bred” — $2.2 million (2023)
Finally, we have the Air Jordan 13 “Bred” that Michael Jordan wore during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals, which would be his “Last Dance.” Jordan signed them and gave them to another ball boy who had successfully tracked down his lost jacket. No pair has gone on sale from later in that sixth championship series.
About the Author:
Ian Servantes is a Senior Trending News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.