The most expensive pair of Michael Jordan shoes in history aren’t even Jordan Brand or Nike. On Sunday morning, a pair of game-worn Converse sneakers that Jordan wore during the 1984 Olympics were sold at auction for $190,373, destroying the old record for a shoe sold at auction by almost $86,000, according to ESPN’s Darren Rovell.
The previous owner of the record for highest priced shoe sold at an auction was, unsurprisingly, also Jordan. The old record was $104,765 for his game-worn Jordan 12s from the infamous “Flu Game” in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals. On Sunday, that record was shattered by his 1984 Olympic Converse sneakers.
“The record-shattering price proves that Michael Jordan has no equal in the marketplace for game-used basketball memorabilia,” Dan Imler, vice president of SCP Auctions, which sold the shoes, said to ESPN.
The sneakers sold on Sunday were signed by Jordan and are considered his last pair of sneakers worn as an amateur, which subsequently makes them the last pair of Converses he ever wore. Jordan scored 20 points in the USA’s 96-95 win over Spain in the gold medal game at The Forum, and the sneakers were snagged after the game by a ball-boy. Now, they are the most expensive pair of sneakers in the world, as Jordan seemingly dominates every shoe market, from main to secondary to specialty auction.
