“One mistake from the factory made a $160 shoe into $143,000 Air Jordans!”: Not all flaws are bad, because this Shattered Backboard 2.0 is now a museum piece

Air Jordans sell everywhere in the world – one particular pair that turned up in Italy had a flaw that exists in no other pair.

In the autumn of 2016, the Jordan brand dropped its second iteration of the Shattered Backboard. This sneaker was a shoe that mimicked the iconic Chicago colorway, only for the red to be orange. If the first one was a nod to the Black toes, these were to the Chicago.

Everybody was lining up at their nearest footlocker, champs, Stockx, and whatnot to get themselves a pair. So did Andrea Canziani from Italy. Born and brought up in Italy, he loved shoes just like any other. But when he got his pair home, he saw something that was unique. He had a pair that had an inverted swoosh – a factory flaw that foreshadowed Travis Scott’s obsession with it.

When he got the pair, he was disappointed because he was the only one who got defective shoes – you cannot wear them out. But as he let them percolate and he mulled over what to do with them, he started gaining traction and bids started pouring in. Thousands of pounds were being offered, which is when he realized – he had a golden ticket in the form of an orange and white sneaker.

Also Read: “The backboard that Michael Jordan shattered in an exhibition game gave the sneaker world an incredible story to tell” – Throwback to the time when His Airness decided to throw down in Italy

Air Jordans are a cultural staple in the world of sneakers – their longevity is incredible for something that is just a commodity

You see, For Andrea had a resell/consignment store in Milan, the first of its kind in the city. As a new business, he was looking for ways to get footfall into his store, and it was staring right back at him, reverse swoosh and everything. He immediately put it in an acrylic case and had it bang in the middle of the shop and watched the footfall rise steadily.

In a world that demands the utmost perfection (with so many fakes around, every stitch matters), this was a breath of fresh air. He had all the receipts to prove he had bought an original pair – the defect was straight from the factory. Nike usually has stringent quality checks, so this is a genuine one in a million pair.

Fast fashion and obsession with Michael Jordan meant that even the slightest possibility of owning a rare piece of history would be grabbed. Andrea has no intentions of selling the pair that gave his store life but valued it at around 143,000 dollars.

Also Read: “You’re 70! grow up, Skip Bayless!”: NBA fans rip into the cotton-topped analyst dressed like Steve Jobs for his incessant ramble about Jordans on ‘Undisputed”