Rare Air: Michael Jordan’s Shoes From 1998 NBA Finals Shatter Auction Record
A pair of sneakers famously worn by Michael Jordan has reset the market for athletic shoes at auction.
The NBA legend’s “Air Jordan XIII Breds” that he wore during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold Tuesday through Sotheby’s auction house for $2,238,000, the highest price ever paid for a pair of sneakers at auction. The previous highest amount—$1.472 million at Sotheby’s in ’21—was spent on a pair of Nike Air Ships that are the oldest-known pair worn by Jordan during a regular-season game.
When Jordan wore his “Breds” in Game 2 en route to his sixth NBA title, he recorded 37 points, five rebounds and three assists with no turnovers in the Bulls’ 93-88 victory against the Jazz. It also marked the last time he wore pair of Breds in a game.
Sotheby’s announced that Jordan gave the sneakers to a Jazz ball boy who found the NBA legend’s lost jacket. Even more, the Breds are the only pair of sneakers worn by Jordan in an NBA Finals game that have been verified by the NBA’s official authenticator, MeiGray Group.
“Today’s record-breaking result further proves that the demand for Michael Jordan sports memorabilia continues to outperform and transcend all expectations,” Sotheby’s spokesman Brahm Wachter said in a statement.
The record sale took place less than a week after the release of the movie Air, a film directed by Ben Affleck that documents Nike’s signing of the NBA legend.