Michael Jordan’s ‘The Last Dance’ Air Jordan 13s Expected to Break Sotheby’s Auction Record

The exact pair of Air Jordan 13s worn by Michael Jordan in game two of the 1998 NBA Finals is opening to bids at Sotheby’s, which is expected to break the world record for sneakers sold at auction. With a forecasted value of $2–4 million, this will far exceed the $1.472 million Nike Air Ships that the auction house sold in 2021.

The provenance of these AJ13s has been confirmed by MeiGrey, the official authenticators for the NBA, who photomatched the shoes to game two of the 1998 NBA Finals where MJ wore them before giving them to a ball boy. It’s the first time a complete pair of shoes worn by Jordan in a Finals series has been verified by MeiGrey. Understandably, not too many pairs have hit the market.

‘Michael Jordan game-worn sports memorabilia has proven time-and-time again to be the most elite and coveted items on the market. However, items from his ‘Last Dance’ season are of a greater scale and magnitude as seen with our record-breaking sale of his Game 1 jersey in 2022. Worn in his final year with the Bulls, the iconic Air Jordans coming to auction this April will be sure to excite the collector community and sports fans in this most important Jordan Year,’ said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s Head of Streetwear and Modern Collectables.

Bidding opens for these AJ13s on April 3 and closes on April 11, as part of Sotheby’s ‘VICTORIAM’ collection.