It was in 1984 that US basketballer Michael Jordan began his long-running collaboration with Nike to create his signature brand of clothes and shoes. That same year – his first season with the Chicago Bulls – during his fifth game, he wore his white and red leather high-tops featuring Nike’s iconic swoosh.
Now, the sneakers have sold for $1,472,00 at a luxury sale in Las Vegas by Sotheby’s x MGM.
Nick Fiorella, a well-known collector, purchased the signed size 13 sneakers, which were up with an estimate between $1-1.5 million. Sotheby’s confirmed the shoes were in good condition, “with signs of court wear and tear”. The shoes were originally a gift from Jordan to Tommie Tim III Lewis, who was a ballboy for the Denver Nuggets during the 1984-85 season.
$1.47 million is the highest sum ever paid for any game-worn footwear – from any sport. The record was previously set last year with another pair of shoes worn by Jordan, which sold for $560,000 (£447,000) on May 17, 2020 at an auction at Christie’s.
Speaking of records, Jordan, who retired in 2003, also became the first billionaire player in NBA history.
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"This record-breaking result for the Jordan Nike Air Ships affirms the place of Michael Jordan and the Air Jordan franchise at the pinnacle of the sneaker market," said Sotheby's Brahm Wachter after Sunday's auction in Las Vegas.
The sneakers are not, however, the most expensive ever sold. That trophy belongs to rapper Kanye West whose Nike Air Yeezy 1 Prototypes, designed in a collaboration between the American rapper and Nike creative director Mark Smith, sold for $1.8 million in April this year in a private sale. West donned the shoes during his performances of ‘Hey Mama’ and ‘Stronger’ at the 2008 Grammy Awards.
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These sales affirm the market’s growing interest in, and demand for, collectible sneakers.
According to the Guardian, the development of resale- and sneaker-specialist sites, which allow collectors to trade their ‘player exclusives’ and limited-edition footwear, has fueled this global trainer resale market – valued at $6 billion in 2019 and forecast to be worth a whopping $30 billion by 2030.
The growing economy of collectable trainers is also seen in the likes of high-end fashion labels, such as Balenciaga, Lanvin and Louis Vuitton, which now offer luxury sneakers. Balenciaga’s Triple S sneaker became the biggest-selling luxury sneaker on the market in 2017.
