The Air Jordan 13s worn by Michael Jordan during the 1998 NBA Finals sold for $2,238,000 … the highest price ever paid at auction for a pair of sneakers!!
Sotheby’s announced the historic sale of the iconic kicks on Tuesday … rocked by MJ during the pivotal Game 2 matchup against the Utah Jazz. With the Bulls down 1-0 in the series, Jordan lived up to his clutch reputation, scoring 37 points with five rebounds and three assists in the pivotal game, evening the series at 1 game a piece.
Jordan sported the Bred — shorthand for black and red — AJs routinely throughout his career, but make no mistake, this pair is rare. They’re the only complete set (left and right shoe) worn by Michael during a Finals game.
Sotheby’s says MeiGray, the official authenticator of the NBA, used photo matching to verify the sneakers, originally gifted to a ball boy after the game, were the real deal.
The ball boy previously unloaded the shoes and was not the consignor.
The whopping sale price, despite it being shocking, wasn’t necessarily a surprise. Experts predicted the kicks would bring in between $2 and $4 MILLION.
The record-setting sale comes just days after the movie “Air,” starring Ben Affleck as Nike founder Phil Knight, and Matt Damon, portraying talent scout Sonny Vaccaro, hit theatres. The film tells the story of MJ’s signing with the Swoosh.
Michael’s original deal with Nike was worth around $2.5 million … and 39 years later, a single pair of Jordan’s sold for nearly the entire value of his OG deal.
BTW, the Bulls ended up winning the ’98 Finals … MJ’s sixth and final title.
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