Basketball icon Michael Jordan’s earliest known pair of Nikes worn in his rookie season back in 1984, shattered auction prices at $1.47 million, or R 21.7 million.
Now, sneakers and Michael Jordan have long been intertwined. Initially reluctant to work with Nike, Jordan was a large reason that the brand skyrocketed into streetwear popularity. Thus, the Nike Air Ships worn in Jordan’s fifth NBA game were undoubtedly going to elivate skyscraping prices, being the literal footing for an iconic relationship between basketball culture and fashion.
Sotheby’s Icons of Excellence & Haute Luxury auction in Las Vegas saw buyer Nick Fiorella, a high-end cards collector taking the cake, according to Hypebeast.
According to the head of Sotheby’s Streetwear and Modern Collectibles, The sneakers are “simply an incredible artefact that dates to the nascency of Michael Jordan’s rookie season,” as per Bloomberg.
However, the sneakers aren’t the most expensive pair ever sold despite the big bucks they’re worth. Back in April, a $1.8 million or R26.6 million pair of Nike Air Yeezy 1 sneakers are currently the crème de la crème of expensive sneakerhood.
Many naysayers will shake their heads at the cash-passion culture enthusiasts will go to for such an artefact, however, for those well-versed in the sneakers’ worth, it’s pretty up-to-standard.
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Picture: Sotheby’s