Michael Jordan's first game-worn Air Jordan shoes up for auction at Sotheby's
A pair of Jordan's game-worn and autographed Nike Air Jordan 1S sneakers made for basketball legend Michael Jordan early in his career with the Chicago Bulls from 1985 are hitting the auction at Sotheby's.
The vintage sneakers have some unique features they are mid-height and have red laces and longer Nike swoosh logos that were not available with the sneaker sold in stores. According to Sotheby’s, the right shoe features Jordan’s signature in black permanent marker, unlike many others of Jordan’s game-worn shoes that were signed with a ballpoint pen. The Air Jordan 1s designed for Jordan in 1985 and the first ever signature sneakers is estimated to sell for $100,000 to $150,000. The reason for the hefty price tag? Despite the fact that Jordan has often been considered the best basketball player of all time, the world has been completely obsessed with ESPN's "The Last Dance" docu-series. Bidding will run all the way to May 17- coincidentally, the day the Jordan documentary last two episodes will air.
Sotheby’s said, Jordan wore the shoes on the court until Oct. 29, 1985, when he broke his foot. Last year, Sotheby's sold the Nike "Moon Shoe" for $437,500 shattering the world auction record for a pair of sneakers.
Custom-made by Nike, the “Air Jordan 1s" (the left in size 13, the right in size 13.5) features in the Chicago Bulls white, black and red. The auction house acquired the pair from Jordan Geller, a collector and founder of the Shoezeum, the world’s first sneaker museum in Las Vegas. Jordan Geller said in a statement, “Owning this pair has been a real pleasure and with all the excitement surrounding Michael Jordan and 'The Last Dance', me and my wife decided that it's time to let the shoes find a new home.”