Michael Jordan's signed, game-worn Jordan 1s sell for $560,000, breaking all-time record
The popularity of ESPN’s “The Last Dance” documentary has led to a record-breaking auction price for a pair of iconic Michael Jordan sneakers.
A pair of autographed Air Jordan 1s worn by Jordan during his 1984-85 rookie season broke the all-time record for sneakers sold at auction on Sunday. When the gavel came down at Sotheby’s, the winning bid was $560,000 — beating the old record by more than $100,000. The shoes had originally been estimated to sell for $100,000.
The seller, a sneaker collector named Jordy Geller, originally bought the shoes in 2012. He told the Action Network that all the hype surrounding the Jordan documentary convinced him to part with the shoes.
“I decided to sell because now is the right time,” Geller told the Action Network.
Geller’s not kidding about it being the right time. The final two episodes of “The Last Dance” are scheduled to premiere on Sunday, mere hours after the auction ended. And aside from one of Jordan’s several past retirements, there has probably never been a better time to sell or auction pieces of important Jordan memorabilia. “The Last Dance” has brought Jordan and his basketball greatness back into the cultural zeitgeist, reminding everyone about just how otherworldly and phenomenal he was on the court.
With the renewed interest in all things Jordan, Geller took advantage and cleaned up on the shoes. The old record for sneakers was held by Nike’s “moon shoes,” the original Nike prototype sneaker that was given to the University of Oregon’s runners for the 1972 Olympics. Those sold for an astonishing $437,500 in July 2019.
Geller didn’t reveal how much he paid for the shoes in 2012, so we don’t know how much of that $560,000 is pure profit. The identity of the buyer also wasn’t immediately available.
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