generic Michael Jordan's Game-Used, Autographed Sneakers Sell for Record-Breaking Price at Online Auction
Michael Jordan's sneakers from his first season in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls just sold for $560,000.
On Sunday, the game-used and autographed Air Jordan 1's were sold in an online auction held by Sotheby's. The sneakers were being auctioned off by the famous shoe collector Jordy Geller, who originally bought them in 2012, according to Sports Illustrated.
The auction house had estimated that they would sell for around $150,000, according to Bloomberg.
The shoes broke the record for the most expensive Jordan sneakers ever sold, as well as the most expensive sneaker Sotheby's has ever auctioned.
RELATED: 5 Things to Know About Michael Jordan’s Season Featured in The Last Dance Docuseries
The previous record for Jordan shoes was set by a pair of Converse he wore in the 1984 Olympics which sold for just over $190,000 in June 2017.
Prior to that, the record was held by the Jordan 7’s that the NBA legend wore during Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, known as "The Flu Game." Those sold for just under $105,000 in 2013.
Last year, Sotheby's record was set by Nike’s "Moon Shoe," which sold for $437,500, Bloomberg reported.
Geller decided to auction off the Air Jordan 1's as Jordan merchandise is in high demand due to his The Last Dance docuseries airing on ESPN.
The Last Dance takes a deep dive into the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls season, which saw the team enter the NBA with five championships over the last seven years.
They were defending champions after back-to-back championships in ’96 and ’97 (and three before that in ’91, ’92 and ’93). Despite the team's success, it would be the last time the team’s core players, including Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr, Dennis Rodman and coach Phil Jackson, would all be together.
The first two parts of the docuseries premiered in April, and more than six million viewers tuned in, making it the most-watched docuseries on ESPN in history at the time.
RELATED: Michael Jordan Is Donating All of His Proceeds from The Last DanceDocuseries to Charity
After the first two parts aired, Jordan revealed that he would be donating almost his entire share of proceeds from The Last Dance to charity.
“Michael has already committed to donating to Friends of the Children, a national non-profit that provides vulnerable children, ages 4-6, with professional mentors who stay with them from kindergarten through graduation, and we are vetting additional Coronavirus-related causes,” a rep for Jordan told PEOPLE.
Forbes, who was first to report the news, explained that the roughly $3 million to $4 million Jordan will rake in from the docuseries will be given to “charitable causes.”
The final two episodes of The Last Dance air on May 17 starting at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
