A pair of shoes worn by Michael Jordan during the NBA Finals in his “Last Dance” season with the Chicago Bulls and signed by the basketball legend is expected to break the record for the most expensive sneakers ever sold at auction.
The shoes, Air Jordan 13s, are “an important relic from the peak of Jordan’s career,” Sotheby’s said, and are the only sneakers from Jordan’s six NBA Finals series to be authenticated by MeiGray Group, the NBA’s official authenticator .
“Michael Jordan sporting memorabilia has consistently proven to be the most elite and coveted items on the market. However, items from his ‘Last Dance’ season are of greater scope and scope,” said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s Head of Streetwear and Modern Collectables , said in a statement.
What you should know about the shoes:
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What are those sneakers?
The shoes are Bred Air Jordan 13s, with Bred being short for “black and red,” the famous colors Jordan wore during his Bulls career.
“Inspired by the predatory nature of a panther, Tinker (Hatfield) used his tenacity to create the Air Jordan XIII. The shoe featured an unconventional holographic eye and an outsole that resembled a panther’s paw,” The Jordanian website says so.
The boots were unveiled to the public in May 1998, just as the Bulls were completing another playoff run, Sotheby’s said. The shoes were also the last pair of Bred Air Jordan 13s he ever wore in an NBA game.
Michael Jordan wore the sneakers, gave them to the ball boy
Jordan wore the sneakers in the NBA Finals during his “Last Dance” season, his final season with the Chicago Bulls in 1997-98.
After losing the first game of the series to the Utah Jazz, Jordan wore different shoes in the second game before donning the Bred Air Jordan 13 in the second half. He scored a game-high 37 points in the game in Salt Lake City as Chicago leveled the series and eventually won his final NBA championship.
After the second game, Sotheby’s said Jordan took off his sneakers in the dressing room, signed them and gave them to the ball boy in charge of the visitors’ dressing room “as a thank you for his service and hospitality”. The ball boy had returned Jordan’s lost jacket at a practice the previous day and asked, “Can I get your kicks tomorrow after the game?”
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How much are the Bred Air Jordan 13 likely to cost?
The sneakers are expected to sell between $2 million and $4 million, according to Sotheby’s listing.
“The historic Air Jordans are the most valuable sneakers ever to hit the auction market and are poised to eclipse the current auction record for a pair of sneakers,” Sotheby’s said.
The current record for the tallest sneaker ever sold was Kanye West’s Air Yeezy 1 in 2008, which sold in April 2021 for $1.8 million. Jordan also had another pair of sneakers, a pair of Nike Air Ships that sold for $1.4 million in 2021.
When will the Bred Air Jordan 13 be auctioned?
The sneakers will go for Auction at Sotheby’s on April 3rd and can be advertised until April 11th.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michael Jordan ‘Last Dance’ XIII shoes from 1998 NBA Finals at auction
Source : sports.yahoo.com