Early this morning, an auction for Michael Jordan's 'Flu Game' Air Jordan 12 closed at $104,765 — a record for a pair of game-worn shoes in any sport.
The shoes were auctioned by Grey Flannel and consigned by former Utah Jazz ballboy Preston Truman. Jordan wore the shoes during Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, in which Jordan scored 38 points for the Chicago Bulls despite suffering from flu-like symptoms.
"I think my photo that Jordan's bodyguard took with me standing there drove up the price because buyers didn't have to worry if they were real," Truman told ESPN.com.
The buyer's identity was not made public, but the record bid easily eclipsed the previous record for game-worn sneakers — a pair also worn by Jordan that sold for $31,070.
"I have looked at the shoes maybe four times since putting them in a safety deposit box 16 years ago," Truman said. "I would go years without even thinking about it...I just didn't see the point to something so cool and a part of NBA history sitting at my bank anymore."
Truman also told ESPN that he first considered selling the shoes five years ago, but after receiving a estimate of $5,000 from Christie's, he decided against it. Before hitting the record, this Grey Flannel auction started at $5,000.
If you missed out on this pair and happen to have a $100,000 laying around, he also says he has a pair of game-worn Jordans from the 1998 Finals. Probably won't be long before we see that pair listed.
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