Bidders went wild for the kicks Michael Jordan sported while repping the Chicago Bulls at the 1998 NBA finals.
The black-and-red Nike Air Jordan XIII sneakers, which Jordan wore during Game 2 against the Utah Jazz in his “Last Dance” season with the Bulls, went up for auction on April 3 and sold for $2,238,000 on April 11, according to Sotheby’s.
Featuring Jordan’s signature in silver ink on the toe of each shoe, the sneakers are in “immaculate condition,” according to the auction house. Additionally, the shoes are the only complete pair of sneakers Jordan wore from any of his six NBA Finals to be photo matched and authenticated by MeiGray Group, the official authenticator of the NBA.
One of the most significant items from Michael Jordan’s entire career is coming to auction: his 1998 NBA Finals Game 2 Air Jordan 13s from his final year with the Chicago Bulls, a season made famous by ‘The Last Dance’.
Bidding opens 3 April. Learn more: https://t.co/ca9re41beL pic.twitter.com/tyQvAPiawc
— Sotheby’s (@Sothebys) March 14, 2023
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Jordan wore the sneakers when the Chicago Bulls beat the Utah Jazz with a score of 93 to 88. Jordan scored 37 points in the second half alone. According to the auction house, Jordan immediately gave the shoes to an employee in charge of setting up the visitors’ locker room — the same person who had found Jordan’s lost jacket earlier that day. He allegedly signed the shoes and gave them to the employee after the game as a thank-you.
The sale of the shoes follows several impressive Jordan items that sold at auction, including a jersey that sold for $10.1 million.
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The auction coincides with the release of the new movie “Air,” which is about Jordan’s legendary deal with Nike to create his signature shoe.
The deal, which was originally worth $2.5 million, has been lucrative. According to Nike CFO Matt Friend, Jordans generated approximately $5 billion in revenue in fiscal 2022, making it the brand’s “biggest year ever, with epic growth potential ahead,” he said during an earnings call according to a transcript obtained by Fox Business.
