Michael Jordan-Worn 'Last Dance' Shoes Sells For Record $2.2M

CHICAGO — A pair of signed Michael Jordan Nike basketball shoes worn by the former Chicago Bulls star in Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold for $2.2 million on Tuesday, establishing a new record for game-worn shoes sold by Sotheby’s Auction House in New York.

The shoes, a black and red pair of “Bred” Air Jordan 13s, was worn by Jordan during the second half of a 37-point performance that tied the series at one game apiece in a Bulls 93-88 victory over the Utah Jazz. The Bulls went on to claim the series and the franchise’s 6th NBA title in a year that inspired ESPN’s “Last Dance series.”

According to Sotheby’s, the shoes were expected to fetch anywhere between $2 million and $4 million. The auction house said the signed shoes were a gift from Jordan to the ball boy who was responsible for the visitors’ locker room in Utah. The ball boy had previously returned a lost jacket of Jordan’s to the Bulls star and asked Jordan for a pair of shoes after the next game of the series.

After Game 2, Jordan took off his shoes, signed each one and presented them to the boy boy, the auction house said. The auction house said that the shoes are the only complete pair of shoes worn by Jordan in any NBA Finals games from any of his six Finals trips.

This particular pair would be the final pair of Air Jordan XIII Breds that Michael would ever lace up in an NBA game. The "Bred" term was used by Nike to designate the color combination of black and red. The shoes were originally banned by the NBA, which said the colors violated the league's uniform policy.

"Today's record-breaking result further proves that the demand for Michael Jordan sports memorabilia continues to outperform and transcend all expectations," Brahm Wachter, Sotheby's head of streetwear and modern collectables, said in a statement on Tuesday.

The previous record for a game-worn shoes was set in 2021 when another pair of Jordan-worn shoes sold for $1.5 million.

Sotheby’s previous sale of Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals Game 1 jersey was sold for $10.1 million in September 2022 — a world record for any game-worn sports memorabilia, the auction house said.