A pair of basketball legend Michael Jordan’s famous Air Jordans from his rookie season sold at an online auction for Ksh16.3m ($152,500) on Wednesday.
The Air Jordans sneakers which were first designed in 1985 are now one of the fastest-growing markets at auctions, attracting attention from the general public as well as leading collectors.
The “Gamers Only” auction, conducted entirely online, featured 13 pairs of match-worn basketball shoes from some of the NBA’s greatest athletes, including Scottie Pippen and Shaquille O’Neal.
They went on show beforehand in Geneva and took their place alongside standout jewels, watches and handbags from Sotheby’s Luxury Week of sales in the lakeside Swiss city.
Nike Air Jordan 1s “not only changed basketball footwear forever but are also considered fundamental to the development of sneaker culture”, Sotheby’s said.
The pair sold — in the Chicago Bulls’ red, white and black — were worn by Jordan during his stellar 1984-1985 debut season.
Jordan, now 58, went on to become a six-time NBA champion and is widely considered the greatest basketball player of all time.
“The Air Jordan 1s are one of the grails,” Josh Pullan, managing director of Sotheby’s global luxury division said.
“There’s a bit of wear on the toe and around the heels, and that gives us a feeling for what happened in the game when they were worn,” he added.
“This pair is from someone who knew Michael Jordan personally, so they really come with that impeccable provenance.”