Michael Jordan's Signed 1992 'Dream Team' Air Jordans Estimated to Auction for $300,000

Stacey Ritzen
·2 min read
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Yet another piece of iconic sports memorabilia from NBA legend Michael Jordan went up for auction this week. This time, it was Jordan's signed Air Jordan VII sneakers that he wore at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona on the United States men's basketball team, otherwise known as the "Dream Team."

The pricey kicks, which were from the collection of former NBA public relations executive Brian McIntyre, were estimated by Sothebys to go for between $100,000 to $300,000. However, the price at the time of the auction closing on Wednesday was a modest $114,300. Though substantially less than Jordan's "flu game" sneakers—which recently auctioned for $1.3 million—or the $3 million his Dream Team jersey fetched, it's an impressive sum nonetheless.

After the United States lost to the USSR in the 1988 Summer Olympic Games, earning only a bronze medal, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) voted to change the rules in 1989 to allow NBA players to participate in the games. Leading up to the 1992 Summer Games, the USA Basketball Men's National Team asked the NBA to select a roster of players.

The result was what was described as the greatest sports team ever assembled. The Dream Team featured top players from across the NBA including Jordan and Scottie Pippen of the Chicago Bulls, Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz, Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers, Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics, Patrick Ewing of the New York Knicks, and Charles Barkley of the Philadelphia 76ers.

"It was like Elvis and the Beatles put together," Chuck Daly, coach of the 1992 Dream Team, famously said. "Traveling with the Dream Team was like traveling with 12 rock stars. That's all I can compare it to."

And, of course, the Dream Team, led by Jordan, took America home the gold, scoring a perfect eight wins and zero losses. The team's success was so staggering that it is largely credited with putting an international spotlight on the sport, as global popularity and cultural significance of basketball soared following the series.

In other words, one lucky collector just scored a pretty significant piece of basketball history with Jordan's kicks.