Michael Jordan’s sneakers sell for $615,000, new record

In this file photo taken on July 24, 2020 Caitlin Donovan, Christie’s head of Sales, Handbags, and Accessories holds the Air Jordan 1 High “Shattered Backboard” Origin Story, Game-Worn Signed Sneaker Nike, 1985 Size 13.5 High-Top on display during a press preview at Christie’s New York. They are the most expensive sneakers ever auctioned: a pair of Nike Air Jordan 1, worn by basketball superstar Michael Jordan, which sold for $615,000, Christie’s New York auction house reported August 13. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)

NEW YORK — A pair of Michael Jordan’s game-worn sneakers sold for $615,000, Christie’s auction house said Thursday, shattering a record set just months ago by the sale of another pair of the basketball legend’s shoes.

The sneakers were a pair of Air Jordan 1 Highs that the NBA megastar wore during a 1985 exhibition match in Italy when he dunked the ball so hard it shattered the glass backboard.

“This is the original shoe with an actual piece of the backboard, a piece of glass, in the sole of the shoe,” said Caitlin Donovan, head of handbag and sneaker sales at Christie’s — which organized the auction with Stadium Goods.

Jordan racked up 30 points while wearing the size 13.5 shoes, which are in the red and black colors of his Chicago Bulls team.

Though the sale broke the record set in May when a pair of Air Jordan 1’s sold for $560,000, the new auction landed below the estimated range of $650,000 and $850,000.

The record setting sales highlight the soaring market value of objects identified with the retired basketball superstar since the release of “The Last Dance,” an ESPN/Netflix documentary that chronicles the saga of Jordan and his Chicago Bulls.

It also confirms that the lowly sneaker now has a place of pride in the world of wealthy collectors alongside more traditional collectibles.