The Michael Jordan ESPN documentary series The Last Dance captivated audiences last month as it recounted Jordan's meteoric rise to the top of the NBA. This fascination with Jordan was further realised when a pair of his game-worn Nike Air Jordans came up for auction at Sotheby's on 17 May with a high estimate of US$150,000 (£120,000).
The shoes were worn in 1985 by Jordan, the then 25-year-old Rookie of the Year for the Chicago Bulls, and were signed by Jordan. The shoes were owned by Jordan Geller, the Nike mega-collector, who has over 2,500 pairs of Nikes and opened Shoezeum, a shoe museum, in Las Vegas.
See also: The Emerging Category of Rare Sneakers
Geller decided with the release of the series it was the time to part with this rare pair, and an online bidding frenzy ensued. Finally, the sneakers sold for $560,000 (£447,000) on 17 May, dethroning the Nike 'Moon Shoes' that had previously held the record for the most expensive sneakers. That pair sold for $437,500 (£249,000) at Sotheby's last summer and were specially designed for the Olympic Trials in 1972 by Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman.
1985 was the year that Jordan first partnered with Nike to create the Air Jordan I, which made Nike $126 million in the first year alone. Rare sneakers are emerging as an collecting category of their own and are increasingly achieving sky-high prices at auction. Perhaps it's time to check your closet if you have any pairs that may be worth something on the auction market.
