Flu Game XII: $104,000
Back in 2013, former Utah Jazz ball boy brought his rare pair of Air Jordans to auction. The pair for which the former ball boy keep for years and years, was the Air Jordan XI (black/red) that MJ wore during his famous “Flu game”. In 2020, MJ said that he didn’t actually have the flu, but had food poisoning instead. A cool thing to note about this auction: the matching socks Jordan wore were also autographed and included. Pictured above is Jordan signing the actual pair to the ball boy in 1997.
1984 Olympic Converse: $190,373
The only non-Nike pair of Michael Jordan shoes on the list. Back in 2017, a pair of Olympic-game worn shoes, from the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles surfaced for sale. The pair ended up selling for $190,000. The person who was able to get the last Converse sneakers ever worn by Jordan, was the son of former Los Angeles great Gail Goodrich. The best part about these shoes: they were won during the gold medal game.
Game Worn Rookie Season I: $420,000
Worn in 1986 against the Indiana Pacers. Following the game, Jordan gifted these shoes to long term friend and photographer Robert Crawford. Jordan didn’t know that Crawford was in attendance, and when the game was finished and Jordan saw Crawford, he yanked off his Air Jordan I’s and gave them to Crawford. These shoes were auctioned off by Crawford in 2021 and fetched $420,000.
Shattered Backboard I: $615,000
There is only one known occasion of Michael Jordan breaking a backboard. Maybe Jordan took down another backboard during his playing days, but there is the only one where there is official footage. Back in Italy in 1985, participating in an exhibition game against other European players, Jordan drove down the paint, threw down a hard dunk that shattered the backboard in pieces. The exact pair that Jordan wore during that glass shattering jam sold for $615,000 in 2020. A true 1-of-1.
Space Jam Player Sample XI: $176,400
The most expensive pair of Jordans that are not game worn by the GOAT is this pair: Air Jordan XIs. This pair is an official Michael Jordan “Player Sample” made for Michael Jordan during his Space Jam filming days. Jordan never did wear this pair, and its the only official Space Jam pair that Michael didn’t wear. This pair was signed by Jordan, comes complete with a commemorative Space Jam box and was authenticated by Upper Deck. The final price tag: $176,400.
1994 Baseball IX Cleats: $94,000
Not the most expensive pair on the list, but definitely one of the coolest pairs on the list (who are we kidding, they are all cool). A black pair of Air Jordan IX cleats with white shoe laces, worn in 1994 during MJ’s shot at baseball. This pair was worn by Jordan during the spring of 1994 during his Birmingham Baron days. This pair is also autographed and closed for a price of $94,000.
Game Worn Olympic VII: $112,500
One of the few Air Jordan pairs to surface from the famed Dream Team. This pair was auctioned off by Sotheby’s in 2019 as part of an entire lot of rare sneakers. There was only one other pair from the 1992 Olympics to surface online and those sold in 2017. Can you imagine how much the gold medal pair game would fetch today? A million?
Air Jordan IV Encore Deadstock: $56,000
From one of the rarest Air Jordan releases of all time in 2005. Of the apparently 50 pairs that were produced in 2005 (some people say less were actually created) this pair surfaced last year as deadstock in size 11.5. Following the release of Eminem’s “Encore album in 2004, Eminem and the Jordan Brand teamed up for this extremely limited release for a few auction winners and Eminem’s friends and family. One luckily Air Jordan/Eminem fan forked over $50,000 for the pair.
1996 Game Worn Concord XI: $56,000
From the 72-10 and season. Worn in 1996, these game worn Concord XIs were signed by Jordan, authenticated by both Upper Deck and the Chicago Bulls front office. These sold in 2020 for $56,000. Would you choose these or a Mercedes?
Nike Air Ships: $1,000,000
By the time this blogpost get published, this pair will not have officially hit the auction block. It will go live in just a few weeks. The “earliest worn known pair of Nike’s” is being auctioned off in Las Vegas as part of the “Excellence and Haute Legacy” auction lot. Jordan wore these sneakers after starting in the NBA but before his sneaker line was finalized. Jordan received a limited run of these shoes, and was never seen wearing these after the Air Jordan 1s were released. This pair was owned by a former Denver Nuggets ball boy. Bidding for this pair is expected to start at a cool million and is expected to possibly reach $1.5 million. We will update this post once bidding commences.
Picasso Baby 