A pair of game-worn Michael Jordan sneakers sold for $190,373 at an auction on Sunday, setting a record for game-used shoes. The Converse shoes were said to be used by the NBA legend in the gold medal game against Spain in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, according to ESPN.
“The record-shattering price proves that Michael Jordan has no equal in the marketplace for game-used basketball memorabilia,” Dan Imler, vice president of SCP Auctions, which sold the shoes.
Jordan’s shoes from the 1984 Olympics – the game was played at The Forum in Inglewood, a suburb of Los Angeles – are autographed and include his orthotic inserts. They are considered the last pair Jordan wore in a game as an amateur and also the last time he wore Converse in an official game.
According to ESPN, the previous record for a pair of game-used sneakers sold at auction was for the ones Jordan wore in Game Five of the 1997 NBA Finals. Those sneakers sold for $104,765 in 2013.
This story first appeared in the blog, The Sport Intern. The editor is Karl-Heinz Huba of Lorsch, Germany. He can be reached at ISMG@aol.com. The article is reprinted here with permission of Huba.