Sotheby’s is giving sneaker collectors the rare opportunity to own a pair of Nike basketball shoes made exclusively for President Barack Obama.
The auction house is offering a pair of the Nike Hypderdunk that was made exclusively for the 44th President of the United States in 2009 in a men’s size 12.5, which Sotheby’s stated is one of two pairs known to exist. Sotheby’s will offer the look over Presidents Day Weekend, making the pair available for purchase on Feb. 12 at 4:44 p.m. ET. Starting today, the shoe is available for viewing by appointment in its York Avenue gallery in New York.
It will be available on offer for $25,000, and is what Sotheby’s is calling the first major release on its new online Buy Now platform. It is one of several pairs available in its curated store, dubbed The Sneakers Shop.
The pair made for Obama looks like the “United We Rise” pair worn by Team USA during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, equipped with white uppers and navy Swoosh logos. This exclusive iteration of the court-ready iteration features custom details such as the presidential seal on the tongues, the number 44 embroidered near the front of each shoe in blue and red, and patriotic graphics on the insoles including bald eagle imagery and the year 1776.
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“Leading into Presidents Day weekend to celebrate the extraordinary legacy of the 44th U.S. President Barack Obama, we are excited to drop these unique player exclusive sneakers,” Sotheby’s director of e-commerce development Brahm Wachter said in a statement. “One of just two pairs made by Nike in celebration of Mr. Obama, the sneakers feature incredible details, including the Seal of the President of the United States, the number ’44’ embroidered on each sneaker, and ‘1776’ written on the insoles. It’s a pleasure to bring such a unique item to market. This will mark our first major sneaker drop on the Sotheby’s new Buy Now Sneakers Shop. We hope it will be a slam dunk.”
Aside from being a well-known basketball fanatic, Obama he has worked with Nike on several occasions, such as the $5 million donation made by the Nike Foundation in January 2020 to the Obama Foundation for a community space at the planned Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
