The lot promised to break records.
And he kept his promises: this Tuesday, around 8 p.m., the auction house Sotheby's announced that a pair of Jordan XIII worn (and signed) by Michael Jordan during the second game of his last NBA final, in 1998, was sold for $2.2 million.
That's some $400,000 more than the previous record, already held by a 2021 Sotheby's sale, for a prototype of a Yeezy Nike model by Kanye West sold for $1.8 million.
1.8 million dollars is the amount of the only bid.
This was placed on April 3, when this online sale opened.
A price just below the low end of the estimate made by the auction house for this model – between 2 and 4 million.
The scuffle between collectors that many hoped to see didn't happen, but the figure of 2.2 million, reached thanks to the various fees surrounding the transaction, is enough to make history.
If the amounts paid for sneakers at auction can sometimes seem delirious, it is not very surprising that this pair (otherwise in very good condition) breaks records.
His story seems almost too good to be true: after a game in which Jordan scored 37 points, the greatest basketball player in history would have signed them and then offered them to a ball boy (whose identity remains unknown today , and of which we do not know if he is the seller).
The auction market has been raving about these kinds of anecdotes lately, and nostalgic collectors seem willing to shell out millions for a piece of these legends of sports history.
vintage
sports equipment
worn by champions - like a jersey worn by Diego Maradona in the quarter-final of the 1986 World Cup (that of the "hand of God"), which sold out last May for over $9 million.
Across the Atlantic, everything related to Michael Jordan is thus particularly popular.
In 2021 alone, jerseys and pairs of shoes belonging to him have regularly exceeded one million dollars at auction.
Last year, Sotheby's even sold a jersey worn by Jordan in the opening game of the 1998 NBA Finals for $10.1 million.
Since the release of
The Last Dance
, the documentary series devoted to the 1997-1998 season of the Chicago Bulls, broadcast on Netflix in 2020, the basketball player has occupied a prominent place in contemporary pop culture more than ever.
An aura further strengthened since the release of the film
Air, by
Ben Affleck, on April 5, which traces the beginnings of the partnership between the young Jordan and Nike.
"
Today's record result proves once again that demand for Michael Jordan memorabilia continues to exceed all expectations
," said Brahm Wachter, Head of Streetwear for Sotheby's.
NOT
We are today very proud to hold two world records: that of the sports souvenir worn and that of the most expensive sneakers ever sold.
These two records are, unsurprisingly, directly linked to world icon Michael Jordan.
»
However, this record may not last long... and it could be beaten, again by Sotheby's, and above all, again by Jordan: in February, the auction house announced that it would offer the " Dynasty Collection," a set of six Nike Air Jordan shoes worn in six NBA championship games won by the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. Sotheby's would not reveal whether the shoes, which are currently making the rounds around the world , have already been sold, but according to experts, they could well reach tens of millions.
Case to follow.