Air Jordan: Most Valuable Sneaker

Earlier this week, a pair of Nike Air Jordan 13s worn by Michael Jordan himself sold for $2.2 million at Sotheby’s, flying by the previous record set in 2021 by a pair of Nike Air Ships also worn by Jordan in 1984, just a few games into his rookie season. “His Airness” wore the iconic red and black sneakers during the Chicago Bulls’ 1998 championship run, and this particular pair helped him lead the Bulls to victory in game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz.

Following the success of the ESPN/Netflix documentary “The Last Dance” chronicling Michael Jordan’s final season with the Chicago Bulls, including that final series against the Utah Jazz, game-worn memorabilia from that period is shattering records, as collectors are scrambling to call one of the few available pieces from Jordan’s farewell season at the Bulls their own. Just last year, a game-worn Jordan jersey from game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold for a record $10.1 million, becoming the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever sold.

As the following chart shows, Michael Jordan still has a special appeal to collectors, with four of the six most expensive pairs of sneakers ever sold being shoes worn by MJ and several more in the top ten. “Michael Jordan game-worn sports memorabilia has proven time and time again to be the most elite and coveted items on the market,” Brahm Wachter, Sotheby's head of streetwear and modern collectables, said in a press release prior to this week’s sale. "However, items from his 'Last Dance' season are of a greater scale and magnitude as seen with our record-breaking sale of his Game 1 jersey in 2022."