Michael Jordan's rookie-season Nikes sell for six-figure price at auction
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No athlete has had a bigger impact on footwear than basketball legend Michael Jordan. From the late 80s and early 90s Spike Lee commercials to Miley Cyrus singing about Jordans, the Bulls legend is the undisputed GOAT when it comes to turning shoes into cultural icons. An old pair of Michael Jordan's shoes even gave Lil Bow Wow Jordan like skills in the 2002 film Like Mike.
Now, another pair of shoes worn by Michael Jordan are making headlines after they recently sold for $698.5K through Sotheby's auction at New York City’s Breuer building. The shoes, a pair of red and white Nike Air Ships, were worn by Jordan during his rookie season in a game against the L.A. Lakers on December 2, 1984. That game, Jordan's 19th, was a one-point nailbiter, with the Bulls ultimately securing the come from behind win.
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That game is notable because the 12-6 Lakers, playing on their home turf at The Forum, got everything they could have asked out of stars Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson and were holding onto a 6-point lead entering the fourth quarter. But the Bulls pulled off the 4th quarter comeback. Jordan missing the go-ahead bucket but Orlando Woolridge grabbed the offensive rebound and made a soft putback to give the Bulls a 113-112 lead. The Lakers had two great looks at the end of the game but Jordan and the Bulls held on.
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Despite the huge price tag of nearly $700K, these Jordan rookie-season Nike Air Ships are not the highest-selling pair of Jordan's rookie season shoes. That title belongs to a different pair of red and white Nike Air Ships that he wore during his 5th career game on November 1, 1984. That pair was signed by Jordan and sold back in 2021 for $1.47 million.
Other notable sales at the recent Sotheby's auction include a 2000 NBA Finals basketball signed by all 12 team members of the Champion L.A. Lakers, including Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. That basketball was from the clinching game six and sold for $508K.
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Kobe's jersey, worn in Games 2 and 5 of the 2010 Western Conference quarterfinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, sold for $279.4K. 2010 was a marquee year for Kobe, as he and the Lakers would go on to defeat the Boston Celtics in 7 games to take home the title. By doing so, Kobe captured his fifth championship and second consecutive NBA Finals MVP.
Conor is a life long sports card enthusiast who started collecting in the early ’90s, inspired by hometown heroes like Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, Tom Brady, and David Ortiz. Like many ’90s hoops fans, he also started building (and continues to build) a modest Michael Jordan collection.