The basketball player first appeared in this pair of shoes in the fifth game of the 1984 NBA Championship.
The first pair of sneakers designed by Nike specifically for the performances of basketball player Michael Jordan in the regular season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), taking into account the wishes of the athlete, went under the hammer at Sotheby’s auction in Las Vegas (Nevada) on Sunday for a record for this type of shoe $ 1.47 million.
As noted on the auction house’s website, Jordan first appeared in this pair of shoes only in the fifth game of the 1984 NBA championship, as the company did not have time to make sneakers before the start of the season. The appearance of a basketball player in white-and-red sneakers, at that time also called Air Ships, caused a protest from the league management because of the too bright design, which is why the athlete was fined several thousand dollars for each appearance in them. Still, the athlete never changed the sneaker model developed for him, and Nike received a large advertising return from this. Subsequently, the sneaker model was named Air Jordan; this phrase also became the nickname of Jordan himself, who had outstanding jumping ability.
The sneakers that went under the hammer were put up for sale by Tommy Tim Lewis. He, as a child, received them personally from a basketball player, working as a ball carrier at one of the NBA matches, all these years, he kept them in excellent condition. Before the auction, the lot was estimated at $1-1.5 million, so the sneakers were sold at the upper limit of the estimate.
Jordan is a two-time Olympic champion (1984, 1992) and a six-time NBA champion with Chicago. He also played for Washington, where he finished his career in 2003. Jordan was named the NBA’s most valuable player five times and participated in the All-Star Game 14 times. He averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game.
