Legendary items of Chicago sports history will go on the auction block this week, and they are expected to fetch up to $10 million.
Six individual sneakers worn by Michael Jordan during the Bulls’ six NBA Finals clinching games throughout the 1990s will be put on auction at 9 a.m. Friday by the fine arts and collectibles company Sotheby’s. It’s the first time any of Jordan’s NBA Finals-worn sneakers will be offered at auction.
The shoes, collectively known as the “Dynasty Collection,” are six variations of Jordan’s Air Jordan brand, created in partnership with Nike: the Air Jordan VI, Air Jordan VII, Air Jordan VIII, Air Jordan XI, Air Jordan XII and Air Jordan XIV.
“Individually, each of these six game-worn championship-clinching sneakers worn by Michael Jordan is directly linked to some of the most memorable and significant points in his illustrious career,” Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of modern collectibles, told the Sun-Times. “To unite them into one collection is nothing short of magical.”
Several iconic photographs of Jordan celebrating the championships show him wearing just one shoe. That’s because Tim Hallam, a public relations executive with the Bulls, asked Jordan for one of his game-worn shoes before the 1991 NBA Finals if the Bulls won the title.
Jordan agreed to sign a shoe and part ways with it, then proceeded to do the same after subsequent championships, Sotheby’s said.
A private collector later obtained the shoes from Hallam before placing them on sale this week.
Bidders must contact Sotheby’s at (212) 606-7414 or bids.newyork@sothebys.com to pre-register their interest. A photo ID is required and financial information may also be requested.
The Dynasty Collection shoes, which are sizes 13 and 13.5, and made up of various materials, including rubber, leather, cotton and plastic, are estimated to sell for between $7 million and $10 million.
Wachter said Sotheby’s arrived at a value estimate it feels is “both attractive and conservative within the current market.”
“The market for sports memorabilia has grown enormously in recent years, and there have been strong prices for comparable items, though of course nothing quite compares to this,” he said.
Sotheby’s took into account recent Jordan memorabilia, including his 1998 NBA Finals Game 1 jersey, which sold for $10.1 million in 2022 (a record for any game-worn sports memorabilia).
A pair of Air Jordan shoes won by the superstar during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold last year for a record $2.238 million.
Another pair of Air Jordans — gold Air Jordan III made custom for filmmaker Spike Lee — also sold last year for nearly $51,000. The shoes were anonymously dropped in the donation chute of the Portland Rescue Mission, which has served people struggling with homelessness, hunger and addiction. Proceeds of the sale went to the Oregon shelter.
Wachter called the Dynasty Collection a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity representing the most significant group of game-worn sneakers ever assembled and brought to market.”
Jordan’s first NBA Finals was won June 12, 1991, on the road over the Los Angeles Lakers, when he scored 30 points and recorded 10 assists, four rebounds, five steals and two blocks while wearing the Air Jordan VI.
He clinched his second title June 14, 1992, at Chicago Stadium over the Portland Trail Blazers, while scoring a game-high 33 points and recording four rebounds, four assists and four steals in the Air Jordan VII.
The Bulls completed their first championship three-peat on June 20, 1993, with a one-point victory over the Phoenix Suns in Arizona. Jordan scored another game-high 33 points and added eight rebounds, seven assists and one steal while donning the Air Jordan VIII.
After a brief stint playing professional baseball and failing to secure another championship when he returned in 1995, Jordan won his fourth title June 16, 1996, at the United Center over the Seattle SuperSonics. He recorded 22 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals in the Air Jordan XI.
The Bulls topped the Utah Jazz a year later, clinching their fifth championship on June 13, 1997, at the United Center. Jordan led the game with 39 points and added 11 rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block while wearing the Air Jordan XII.
This was the series of the famous “flu game,” when in Game 5 at Salt Lake City, Jordan appeared dehydrated and past the point of exhaustion. He scored 38 points and had to be helped off the floor by teammate Scottie Pippen.
Jordan said it was “probably the most difficult thing I’ve ever done.”
Jordan’s final year with the Bulls ended with another championship over the Jazz, which was clinched June 14, 1998, in Salt Lake City. In the closing seconds of Game 6, Jordan stole the ball and drained the game-winning shot to seal a 87-86 win and his sixth NBA Finals MVP. He scored 45 points and recorded four steals, one rebound and one assist in the Air Jordan XIV.
