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On Tuesday, game shoes once worn by Michael Jordan will likely reset the market in one of the most valuable collection of individual sneakers in auction history.
Sotheby’s auction house will unveil on Tuesday in Dubai what many sneaker collectors consider to be the Holy Grail: the “Dynasty Collection,” or six Nike Air Jordan sneakers that Michael Jordan wore during the six NBA championship games the Chicago Bulls won in the 1990s.
Jordan Geller, a onetime Guinness World record holder for the largest sneaker collection, told Wall Street Journal he thinks the set of sneakers could sell for between $20 and $100 million. “It’s as rare as rare gets,” he told the outlet.
The so-called “The Dynasty Collection” consists of six single Air Jordan sneakers, each of which was worn by NBA star Michael Jordan in the championship games that clinched titles for the Chicago Bulls.
Jordan, who went undefeated in six NBA championships without going to a game seven, is arguably the greatest basketball player of all time for his unmatched determination, superior athleticism, and unbridled magnetism.
According to CBS News, the sneaker set is the most “valuable and significant collection” of Air Jordans ever to be brought to market, Sotheby’s said in a press release announcing the sale.
“The Dynasty Collection is the sole-defining ‘holy grail’ of sneaker collecting,” Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of Streetwear & Modern Collectables, said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. “They check all of the boxes that a collector wants: championship history, Hall of Fame association, and style.”
The set of sneakers includes six different models of Air Jordans:
- Air Jordan VI (1991)
- Air Jordan VII (1992)
- Air Jordan VIII (1993)
- Air Jordan XI (1996)
- Air Jordan XII (1997)
- Air Jordan XIV (1998)
The athlete partnered with Nike to produce the “Jordan Brand,” which became a lucrative property for the sportswear giant.
Jordan wore his first pair of Air Jordans in 1984, during his rookie season with the Chicago Bulls. The Air Jordan I became available to the general public the following year.
CBS News reports it was among the first major collaborations between an athlete and sneaker company and proved how valuable a star player’s imprint on a sneaker could be, spawning subsequent partnerships between athletes and sportswear makers.
The deal helped Jordan become the first NBA player to attain a net worth of $1 billion, according to the Sotheby’s release.
The sneakers for sale are autographed by Jordan. One shoe, from 1993, bears his signature along with the inscription: “‘OUR’ LAST F—ing Game!”
Sotheby’s did not disclose the price of the collection, but experts speculate it could be worth many millions.
Memorabilia appraiser and consultant Leila Dunbar told the Wall Street Journal the shoes “are among the most important basketball shoes a collector could own,” given their association with Jordan and the Bulls’ championships.
While the seller’s identity has not been disclosed, the collection’s owner is expected to earn a hefty profit.
According to HypeBeast, the shoes were on public exhibition at the Sotheby’s gallery in New York through February 3 and are now on display in Dubai through to March 3.
Although the Jordan I is difficult to top, the Air Jordan III comes very close. Took over from Peter Moore and was Tinker Hatfield’s first design. The way he opened his career was explosive. Hatfield not only maintained the Swoosh-free design introduced by the AJII (which helped to establish Air Jordans as a unique product category) but he also added striking elephant print panels to the otherwise all-black or all-white uppers. It was structural in nature. It allowed for more creative freedom in sneaker production. The iconic Jumpman logo, based on Michael Jordan’s defying-gravity silhouette, is what truly elevates this shoe to the realm of legend.