Michael Jordan’s 1984 Nike Air Ships Sell For A Whopping $1.5M

 

The sneakers were worn during Michael Jordan’s fifth game with the Chicago Bulls in his rookie season and have been sold for a record-breaking $1.472 million in a Sotheby’s auction over the weekend.

 

 

Collector Nick Fiorella was the one who scooped up the red and white Nike trainers. According to Sotheby’s, they are the earliest known regular season pair of Nikes worn by the NBA great during a game.

 

 

Surprisingly, Sotheby’s only started selling sneakers in 2019. Brahm Wachter, Head of Sotheby’s Streetwear and Modern Collectables, stated that presenting ‘such a groundbreaking and important pair of sneakers at this special auction in Las Vegas further solidifies the strength and broad reach of the sneaker collecting community.’

 

 

The ‘record-breaking result for the Jordan Nike Air Ships affirms the place of Michael Jordan and the Air Jordan franchise at the pinnacle of the sneaker market,’ Wachter added, per Sports Illustrated.

 

 

Jordan had previously gifted the shoes to Tommie Tim III Lewis, a former Denver Nuggets ball boy, who kept them ‘in excellent condition’.

 

 

The Air Ships, designed by Bruce Kilgore and signed by Jordan, are the first pair of sneakers to be auctioned for more than $1 million, according to NBC News.

 

 

The staggering price tag is still short of the most expensive pair of sneakers to be sold privately, though. In April, Kanye West’s 2008 Yeezy 1 Prototypes sold for $1.8 million to Rares.