Editor’s Note: This story was updated with the final sale price and other details following the auction.
CNN
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In 1998, Michael Jordan wore a pair of his famous black and red Air Jordan 13 sneakers during Game 2 of his final NBA championship, leading the Bulls to a victory. These sneakers are now up for sale and are expected to break auction records. Sotheby’s in New York will be auctioning off the game-winning sneakers next month, with a high estimate of $4 million. The auction will take place online from April 3 to 11. The current record for the highest-selling sneakers, set in 2021, is $1.47 million, which was also a pair worn by Jordan early in his career.
Last year, Jordan’s Game 1 jersey from the 1998 finals became the most expensive piece of worn sports memorabilia to be sold at auction, fetching $10.1 million at a Sotheby’s sale.
Jordan’s final season 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 retirement weeks before the finals, leading to the historic six-game series against the Utah Jazz, which became the most-watched in NBA history based on Nielsen TV ratings. Although Jordan later returned to play with the Washington Wizards from 2001 to 2003, he did not win another championship.
“Michael Jordan game-worn sports memorabilia has consistently proven to be the most highly sought-after items in the market,” said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of streetwear and modern collectibles, in a press release prior to the sale. “However, items from his ‘Last Dance’ season hold even greater significance, as shown by the record-breaking sale of his Game 1 jersey in 2022.”
The sneakers being auctioned off were worn by Jordan during Game 2 in Salt Lake City, where the Bulls won 93-88 after losing Game 1. Jordan scored 37 points in that game. These sneakers are the last pair of black and red Air Jordan 13 designs that Jordan ever wore on the court for an NBA game, according to a press release from Sotheby’s.
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. The sale also includes a Chicago Bulls Varsity Jacket signed by the 2022-2023 team. This collaboration between the Bulls and Off-White, founded by the late Virgil Abloh, who passed away in 2021.
Other notable items sold at the auction include one of Kobe Bryant’s LA Lakers shooting shirts, which fetched over $406,000, and a soccer jersey worn by Pelé on his debut for the New York Cosmos in 1975, which sold for over $177,000.
Top image: The Air Jordan 13 sneakers signed by Michael Jordan.
