Christie’s game changer sale includes rare Michael Jordan sneakers. The Air Ship sneakers used in the 1984 game are expected to reach between $ 330,000 and $ 550,000.
Source: Christie’s
Michael Jordan’s game-worn collectibles continue to reach new heights, nearly two decades after the Chicago Bulls icon hung their laces forever.
On Thursday, Christie’s Auction House and Stadium Goods announced that they are partnering in a one-time sale that offers “the most complete shoe record of the Chicago Bulls career that defined the Michael Jordan era.”
Jordan shoe sales have taken off this year. After the broadcast of the ESPN and Netflix documentary “The Last Dance”, interest in everything related to the basketball icon has been renewed. As auction houses seek to attract a younger audience, they expect Jordan to do so. In May, Sotheby’s sold a pair of Nike Air Jordan 1 for $ 560,000 to become the most expensive shoe ever sold.
“This highly curated sale marks Christie’s entry into a new collecting category that blends the history of sport, art, fashion and contemporary lifestyle following the huge success of our Hype sale in December 2019,” Aline Sylla -Walbaum, global managing director of luxury at Christie’s, said in a statement.
The highlights of the sale include a pair of 1984 Nike Air Ship high top sneakers that were worn during Jordan’s rookie year. The shoe is expected to fetch between $ 350,000 to $ 550,000 and includes his famous size 13.5 left and size 13 right shoe. Christie’s said the pair was obtained from a New Jersey Nets team manager. Jordan only used the Air Ship in the NBA preseason and early games during his rookie year, making them extremely rare to find.
A pair of Nike Air Ship will be sold in 1984 at Christie’s next auction.
Source: Christie’s
The 1992 American Olympic basketball team, often called the “Dream Team,” is arguably one of the best basketball teams in history. Christie’s is selling a pair of 1992 Air Jordan 7s that were used in the 1992 gold medal game against Croatia. Jordan scored 22 points and the US team won the game in a blowout. Christie’s said the slippers were obtained from a receptionist at the Ambassador Hotel where the Dream team was staying. They gave her for running errands for the team during her stay in Barcelona. The pair of Medium Size 13 sneakers is expected to sell for $ 50,000 to $ 70,000.
Christie’s game changer sale includes rare Michael Jordan sneakers.
Source: Christie’s
Reaching new heights
For Jordan fans who can’t afford the astronomical prices, the StockX sneaker reseller may be a more affordable option. The company told CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Wednesday that it has now authenticated 3.5 million pairs of Air Jordan sneakers, 1 million of them in the past 6 months alone.
Since the broadcast of “The Last Dance,” Scott Cutler, CEO of StockX, said demand for Jordan’s products “has skyrocketed.”
“People, whether out of nostalgia or excitement at what they saw, even went back to the original OG Jordan and bought those on the platform,” he said.
Even though the negative impact of the coronavirus caused Nike’s fourth-quarter revenue to drop by 38%, the only bright spot was the Jordan brand. Nike CEO John Donahoe told analysts that the brand is “resonating deeply” after the broadcast of “The Last Dance.” The company said Jordan brand revenue increased 15% during the year to $ 3.6 billion.
Christie’s has only revealed three of the 11 lots that will be available when their sale begins. The rest of the items will be available to browse from July 23 and the auction begins on July 30. It will last until August 13.
Proceeds from the auction will be donated to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
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