Michael Jordan's first Air Jordans sold for record $560,000
NBA legend Michael Jordan's first-ever Air Jordan sneakers have fetched a record $560,000 in an online auction.
Auction house Sotheby's said on Sunday (May 17) the game-worn, autographed sneakers from Jordan's rookie season were expected to sell for between $100,000 and $150,000.
The auction coincided with the 35th anniversary of the Air Jordan brand and the screening of the 10-part ESPN documentary "The Last Dance" about Jordan's legendary run with the Chicago Bulls.
Like most of Jordan's basketball shoes, the Air Jordan 1s, designed for him in 1985, are a mismatched pair in size 13 and 13.5.
They were sold by collector Jordan Geller, the founder of the sneaker museum Shoezeum in Las Vegas.
Sotheby's ecommerce director Brahm Wachter said the record sale shows quote "not only the incredible appeal of Michael Jordan, but also that sneaker collecting is truly a global and growing market."
Known for selling multimillion-dollar art, Sotheby's held its first auction dedicated entirely to sneakers last year.
It set a then-world record sale of $437,500 for a pair of 1972 Nike running shoes known as the "Moon Shoe."
