Michael Jordan's 'Last Dance' Sneakers Shatter Auction Record

An iconic pair of Michael Jordan sneakers has set a new record for athletic shoes sold at auction. The Air Jordan XIII Breds, worn by Jordan during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals, sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $2,238,000 Tuesday, Sports Illustrated reports. The previous record was $1.472 million, which is what the oldest-known pair of Nike Air Ships worn by Jordan during a regular-season game sold for in 2021. The shoes sold Tuesday are the last pair of Breds Jordan ever wore in a game and the only shoes worn by Jordan in an NBA Finals game to have been verified by the NBA’s official authenticator. The 1998 NBA Finals are known as the "Last Dance" because that was Jordan's last year with the Chicago Bulls, CNBC reports; a documentary with that title was made about the season.

Jordan gave the Air Jordan 13s to a longtime ball boy for the Utah Jazz, the team the Bulls beat in that game, after the ball boy, who was in charge of the visiting team's locker room, found a jacket Jordan had lost. “Today’s record-breaking result further proves that the demand for Michael Jordan sports memorabilia continues to outperform and transcend all expectations,” a Sotheby’s spokesman says in a statement. (More Michael Jordan stories.)