Jordan's first Air Jordan sneakers
sold for record $560,000 at Sotheby's
Send a link to a friend
 [May 18, 2020]
(Reuters) - NBA great Michael
Jordan's autographed game-worn sneakers from his rookie season
fetched a record $560,000 (463,380 pounds) in an online auction,
Sotheby's said on Sunday.
The Air Jordan 1s, designed for Jordan in 1985 and the first ever
signature sneakers, were expected to sell for between $100,000 and
$150,000 in the auction.
Known for selling multimillion-dollar art, Sotheby's held its first
auction dedicated entirely to sneakers last year and had then set a
world record of $437,500 for a pair of 1972 Nike running shoes known
as the "Moon Shoe."
"We saw tremendous bidding up until the moment the sale closed, with
the value more than doubling in the final hour alone," said Brahm
Wachter, Sotheby’s director of eCommerce development.
"That coupled with strong international bidding from six countries
on four continents shows not only the incredible appeal of Michael
Jordan... but also that sneaker collecting is truly a global and
growing market."
Like most of Jordan's basketball shoes, they are a mismatched pair
in a size 13 (left) and size 13.5 (right).
[to top of second column] |
A pair of 1985 Nike Air Jordan 1s, made for and worn by U.S.
basketball player Michael Jordan, are seen in an undated handout
photo ahead of an online auction by Sotheby's New York.
Sotheby's/Handout via Reuters
The auction coincided with the 35th anniversary of the Air Jordan
brand and the screening of the 10-part ESPN documentary "The Last
Dance" about the Chicago Bulls and Jordan. The final two episodes of
the show are set to air later on Sunday.
The shoes were sold by collector Jordan Geller, the founder of the
sneaker museum Shoezeum in Las Vegas.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian
Radnedge and Kim Coghill)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
