While Michael Jordan retired two decades ago, his Jordan Brand continues to stand tall in the marketplace. When his game-worn shoes are auctioned, buyers are ready to spend thousands of dollars for a piece of MJ’s legacy. In other words, Jordan’s seven signature shoes figure in the list of the top ten most expensive sneakers sold all time. On Instagram, Boardroom rolled out a post celebrating this incredible list of sneakers.
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At the very top is MJ’s “Dynasty” collection, which was auctioned for a whopping $8 million. Following it is his 1998 NBA Finals game-worn shoes – the Air Jordan 13, which fetched an astounding price of $2.2 million. These shoes are the iconic “The Last Dance” shoes, which commemorated Jordan’s last championship win with the Bulls.
Meanwhile, his iconic 1997 Finals Game 5 “Flu Game” shoes tallied an impressive $1.3 million. Apart from that, the Nike Air Ship “Michael Jordan Pe” sold for $1.5 million. In another interesting lore, the “Glass Shard” Air Jordan 1 sold for $560k. Jordan rocked these shoes when he shattered the backboard during a high-flying dunk in an exhibition game played in Trieste, Italy. The left sole still has a glass shard etched into it.
Additionally, his Game-worn Air Jordan 1 hauled in a price of $615k. To round off the list, MJ’s “Broken Foot” Air Jordan 1 scooped up $422k. During the start of the 1985-86 season, the Shooting Guard broke his foot in a game against the Golden State Warriors. He had worn the Air Jordan 1 during the devastating affair. While these auctioned shoes brought in great monetary gains, the Jordan kicks have also resonated among the not-so-elite sneakerheads.
Michael Jordan’s ever-expanding sneaker empire
In 2023, the Jordan brand accounted for $6.6 billion, which was an uptick from the $5.12 billion in sales collected in 2022. Considering that MJ has a 5% stake in the Nike-associated brand, Forbes revealed that in 2023, the Bulls legend collected $330,000,000 through his brand’s royalties. Thanks to these huge monetary gains and selling his majority stakes in the Charlotte Hornets, Jordan entered the exclusive Forbes 400 club, which includes the richest people in the USA. Considering the immense value of his sneakers, the 6x Finals MVP was once asked about his favorite Air Jordan sneakers.
“It’s like saying which one of your kids do you like the most. 11s are my favorite, threes are my next and probably 12 or 13 comes third,” Jordan had replied.
The stature of his shoes goes hand-in-hand with his stature as a player. Air Jordan continues to ring loud in the hooping world and instead of slowing down, their sales have only picked up. This has been a result of the Bulls legend’s unbridled quest for perfection. Thanks to his exploits, the generations after him have been able to build their legacies based on their signature shoes.
