Fresh off of announcing its six-shoe The Dynasty Collection last month, another Air Jordan sneaker that Michael Jordan wore during the NBA Finals has hit Sotheby’s via its upcoming Victoriam Parts I and II online auction.
Pictured here is the original Air Jordan 13 “Bred” that MJ himself wore during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals when his Chicago Bulls squad faced off against the Utah Jazz. According to Sotheby’s, MJ gave this Air Jordan 13 to the ballboy who was responsible for the upkeep of the visitor’s locker room at the Jazz facility. The sneaker is game-worn, and each pair is signed by MJ at the toebox.
Sotheby’s also predicts this shoe will fetch between $2 and $4 million, and is expected to break the record for any sneaker sold at auction. The current record for a pair of sneakers at auction is the original Nike Air Ship worn by MJ in 1984, which sold for $1.4 million in 2021.
Bidding for this original “Bred” Air Jordan 13 will go live on April 3 and will close on April 11 at Sothebys.com. The sneaker will also be displayed at Sotheby’s New York.
UPDATE (04/12): The bidding for the game-worn “Bred” Air Jordan 13 from the 1998 NBA Finals officially closed yesterday, with Sotheby’s confirming that the sneaker has sold for a record-breaking $2.2 million. The auction house also confirmed that this is the highest publicly recorded price for the sale of a pair of sneakers.
“Today’s record-breaking result further proves that the demand for Michael Jordan sports memorabilia continues to outperform and transcend all expectations. Sotheby’s is extremely proud to hold the world record for most valuable game-worn sports memorabilia at auction and the most valuable sneakers ever sold, both of which – to no surprise – are directly tied to the global icon, Michael Jordan,” Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of streetwear and modern collectibles, said.
