Editor’s note: This story was updated with the final sale price and other details after the auction.
CNN
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In 1998, Michael Jordan laced up a pair of his iconic black and red Air Jordan 13s to take home a Bulls victory in Game 2 of his final NBA championship — and now the sneakers are on sale and expected to break even auction records.
Sotheby’s in New York will be offering the winning sneakers next month, for a high estimate of $4 million, with online bidding open from April 3 to 11. spent early in his career – is $ 1.47 million, which marked the first time that a set of sneakers was sold for more than $ 1 million.
Last year, Jordan’s Game 1 jersey, also from the 1998 Finals, was the most expensive piece of disposable sports memorabilia sold at auction when it fetched $10.1 million at a Sotheby’s sale.
Jordan’s farewell run with the Chicago Bulls is often referred to as “The Last Dance,” after the title of an ESPN and Netflix documentary that chronicled the season. Jordan announced his (second) retirement weeks before the Finals, leading to the six-game series against the Utah Jazz becoming the most watched in NBA history, based on Nielsen TV ratings. (Jordan would return from 2001 to 2003 to play with the Washington Wizards, but did not win another championship).
“Michael Jordan’s sports memorabilia has proven time and time again to be the most elite and prestigious items on the market,” said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of streetwear and modern collectibles, in a press release. sell “However, items from his ‘Last Dance’ season are on a bigger and bigger scale as evidenced by our record sales of his Game 1 jersey in 2022.”
The pair of sneakers that went up for auction were worn during Game 2 in Salt Lake City, which the Bulls won 93-88 after losing Game 1, with Jordan scoring 37 points. These are the last pair of black and red Air Jordan 13 designs that Jordan ever wore on the court for an NBA game, a press release from Sotheby’s noted.
The Air Jordan 13 sneakers are part of a two-part sports memorabilia sale called “Victoriam,” which features items worn by athletes including Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant and Roger Federer. as well as the Chicago Bulls Varsity Jacket, signed by the 2022-2023 team. The jacket comes from a new collaboration between the Bulls and Off-White, founded by Virgil Abloh, who died in 2021.
Other top lots included one of Kobe Bryant’s LA Lakers shooting shirts, which sold for more than $406,000, and a soccer jersey, worn by the late Pelé on his debut for the New York Cosmos in 1975 , which sold for over $177,000.
Image above: The Air Jordan 13 sneakers signed by Michael Jordan.
