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Game-worn Nike Air Ships from 1984 of Michael Jordan
Celebrity Life

Michael Jordan game-worn sneakers score new auction record

By Bong Godinez
The pair of Nike Air Ship sneakers played a role in the birth of what would become the Air Jordan brand.

Basketball legend Michael Jordan continues to set record 18 years after he walked away from the game for good.

On Sunday (October 24, US time), a pair of sneakers worn by Jordan during his NBA rookie season in 1984 sold for $1.5 million (PhP76 million).

The signed red and white Nike Air Ships sneakers were used by Jordan in his fifth game playing for the Chicago Bulls.

It set a record price at auction for game-worn shoes, according to auction house Sotheby's.

“The most valuable sneakers ever offered at auction -- Michael Jordan's regular season game-worn Nike Air Ships from 1984 -- have just sold at $1,472,000 in our luxury sale in Las Vegas,” Sotheby's said in a tweet.

Before the record-breaking sale, a pair of Nike Air Jordan 1 from 1985 held the record for the most expensive game-worn sneakers in an auction organized by Christie's in August 2020.

Jordan was drafted third overall by the Bulls in the 1984 draft, a class that included other future Hall of Famers such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton.

None from that class, however, would achieve the level of fame and impact that Jordan had not just on the NBA, but in basketball worldwide.

Jordan's sensational career even as a rookie only deepened his relationship with Nike from a business standpoint.

In fact, the Air Ships model was the genesis of the Air Jordans, the shoe line created by Nike for Jordan.

The Air Jordan would revolutionize the sneaker culture and today is among the valuable athletic and casual brands worldwide.

Jordan's iconic image would continue to grow even after his retirement in 2003, with the Jordan brand playing a huge role in keeping his legacy alive to a new generation of basketball fans.

As of this year, Michael Jordan's net worth is estimated at $1.6 billion from $2.1 billion in April 2020.

Meanwhile, read here to find out the first Filipino athlete to join the Jordan Brand.

For more lifestyle content, head out to GMA's Lifestyle page.

Did you know that Kapuso star Ervic Vijandre has a vast collection of sneakers, including several Air Jordan models? Find out who among our local celebrities have collections of their own in this gallery.

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