Michael Jordan’s Backboard Breaking Shoes Sell For Record Sum At Auction

Michael Jordan is possibly the most desirable pro basketball athlete of all time. The NBA effectively marketed Jordan as a pop culture icon as well as the greatest basketball player of all time. Jordan achieved this status by entering the world of sneakers. Michael Jordan essentially made the words basketball and sneakers go together with his signature ‘Air Jordans’.

Even today, Jordans are some of the most coveted sneakers in the world. MJ succeeded as the face of a sneaker and then got his own company to run under the Nike banner. Today, Jordan Brand is one of the most valuable shoe companies in the world.

Retro Jordans are some of the most expensive shoes in the world, being sold in high-priced auctions. That has come true yet again, with a pair of Jordans that MJ wore in 1985 fetching $615,000. He wore the shoes in an exhibition game in Italy, where he broke the backboard with a dunk. What makes the shoe unique is that there is still a shard of glass from the broken backboard embedded in the shoe. The shoe, however, was listed to sell between $650,000 and $800,00.

The shoes are officially the most expensive pair of Jordans to be sold. This is largely due to them being extremely rare and truly one of a kind.

Michael Jordan and sneakers

Retro sneakers worn by ‘His Airness’ have become increasingly more valuable. The release of ‘The Last Dance‘ earlier this year has made Jordan even more of a relevant figure in 2020, despite not having played basketball since 2003. Auction house Christie’s has been selling these retro Jordans and revealed some interesting numbers in a press release.

The auction house claims that they have sold $931,875 worth of Jordan sneaker memorabilia. They also said that 82% of their inventory on Jordan was sold, with all but two lots finding a buyer. They also say that 72% of the bidders weren’t previously registered Christie users and that the shoes generated interest of over 90,000 people from 126 countries.

Considering the relatively accessible and pedestrian nature of a sport like basketball, it is unbelievable to see this much interest in shoes that were worn for games. But that is the Jordan effect.