Michael Jordan's $33K Converse Sneakers May Not Be Authentic

Forever present in the news for expensive sneakers, Michael Jordan makes yet another headline.

by Brandon Richard

Forever present in the news for expensive sneakers, Michael Jordan makes yet another headline.

According to ESPN’s Darren Rovell, a pair of Converse sneakers worn by Jordan during his freshman season at the University of North Carolina sold for $33,387 on Thursday morning. Grey Flannel Auctions, which sold the shoes, said  they were consigned by a high school teammate of Jordan. The bidder chose to remain anonymous.

While Jordan was at North Carolina, Converse paid coach Dean Smith $10,000 annually to have his players wear its shoes. The company made a pitch to Jordan after he turned pro in 1984, but ultimately fell short to Nike’s richer offer.

Grey Flannel also says they have the pair of Converse shoes worn by Jordan in the 1984 Olympic gold medal game, but opted to hold off on selling them for now. Last December, they sold the ‘Flu Game’ Air Jordan 12 for $104,765.

UPDATE 12/21: In a strange, but not completely surprisingly update to this story, the authenticity of the Michael Jordan game-worn Converse sneakers that were auctioned off for more than $33,000 last week has come into question.

Yesterday, Grey Flannel Auctions told ESPN.com that it received a letter from Lindsay Reed, who was a student manager on the team in the year before Jordan’s freshman season and the team statistician for Jordan’s freshman year. According to Reed, the 1981-82 Tar Heel never wore blue sneakers at any point during the season.

"I challenge anyone to produce a photograph of a 1981-82 UNC basketball game (home or away) in which any member of the 1981-1982 UNC basketball team is wearing blue Converse shoes,” said Reed. “No such photo exists."

Grey Flannel was told by the consigner, who produced documentation of his friendship with Jordan, that the shoes were game-worn. The auction house was satisfied with his story, but were never able to produce photos of Jordan wearing anything other than white Converse shoes.

Reed added that Jordan could have received the shoes from a teammate who played in a previous season, and that they could have even been worn — just never in a game.

 Michael Jordan's Game-Worn 'UNC' Converse Sneakers Sell for $33K (1)

 Michael Jordan's Game-Worn 'UNC' Converse Sneakers Sell for $33K (2)

 Michael Jordan's Game-Worn 'UNC' Converse Sneakers Sell for $33K (3)