Stadium Goods and Christie’s have partnered to host a new auction inspired by legendary basketball star Michael Jordan.
Titled the “Original Air: Michael Jordan Game-Worn and Player Exclusive Sneaker Rarities,” the British auction house and secondary sneaker market standout together will offer an auction featuring a selection of the former Chicago Bulls MVP’s expansive shoe collection. The listings kick off on July 30 and run through Aug. 13.
The auction will be broken down into 11 lots and will include a series of sneakers such as game-worn Nike Air Ship sneakers from 1984 that predated the athlete’s Air Jordan line. This pair’s estimated price is anywhere from $350,000 to $550,000.
The offering also will present a game-worn pair of Air Jordan 7 “Olympic” sneakers from the baller’s time with the Dream Team at the 1992 Olympics alongside Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and others. These Jordans are worth around $50,000 to $70,000.
Watch on FN
The final sneaker that has been announced thus far is a 1998 Air Jordan 14 “Chicago,” worn during practice between games of the 1998 NBA Finals as seen in the recent ESPN docuseries “The Last Dance.” The rare colorway comes with an estimated price of $6,000 to $8,000.
In total, after the entirety of the auction, the event brought in a sale total of $931,875. The game-worn Air Jordan 1 High “‘Shattered Backboard’ Origin Story” sneakers finished off with a sale price of $615,000, an unprecedented level for sneakers as an auction category.
“This highly-curated sale marks Christie’s entry into a new collecting category that merges sports’ history, art, fashion, and contemporary lifestyle following the great success of our Hype sale in December 2019,” said Aline Sylla-Walbaum, global managing director of luxury at Christie’s, in a release. “In collaboration with Stadium Goods, we hand-selected an offering that represents the most iconic moments of Michael Jordan’s celebrated career and his enduring impact on sport and style.”
Described as the “greatest collection of historic Jordan footwear memorabilia ever offered at one time,” the expected record-breaking auction will also benefit the NAACP Legal Defense Fund with a portion of proceeds from each lot put aside for the fund.
“Michael Jordan’s tremendous impact on basketball and sneakers is universally acknowledged, and it can be easy to think there aren’t any new stories to add to the legend. But as we’ve seen with ‘The Last Dance’ and now with our ‘Original Air’ auction with Christie’s, there are still lesser-known narratives in the legacy that create great interest,” explained John McPheters, co-founder and co-CEO of StadiumGoods, in the release. “The pieces we’ve put together for this auction are truly unique and will have deep resonance for Jordan fans, sneaker connoisseurs and pop culture collectors alike. Additionally, we are pleased to be able to donate proceeds from one of the sale’s most exciting highlights to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.”
In addition to hard-to-find products from Jordan, the auction also will offer rare vintage photographic prints of top athletes and an online private selling exhibition centering on sports in 20th century and contemporary art.
