Yesterday, at an auction in Arizona, a pair of sneakers worn by Charlotte’s own Michael Jordan in the 1984 Summer Olympics gold medal game sold for an incredible $190,373.80 – the highest price ever paid for game-worn sneakers, according to ESPN.
The heavily-worn black-and-white Converse shoes included Jordan’s autograph, and his orthotic inserts.
SCP Auctions said they were, “one of the most coveted artifacts from Michael Jordan’s legendary playing career: the actual shoes he wore in the 1984 Olympic Finals against Spain on August 10, 1984, at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. These historic sneakers are the last pair Jordan wore in competition as an amateur and represent perhaps his crowning athletic achievement before turning professional and starting his NBA legacy with the Chicago Bulls.”
Yesterday’s sale broke the 2013 game-worn sneaker record of $104,765 – which also happened to be set by Jordan sneakers. They were the ones that Jordan wore in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, also known as the “Flu Game”, the game that Jordan played with severe flu-like symptoms, and still managed to score 38 points to lead the Bull’s victory over the Jazz.
Several other Jordan items are also being sold by the same company, including his 1984 Michael Jordan USA Olympic Men’s Basketball Game-Used Jersey (current high bid of $50,556), 1983-84 University Of North Carolina Tar Heels Autographed Basketball Featuring Michael Jordan & Dean Smith (current high bid of $875), and a 1996-97 Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls Game-Used Road Jersey (current high bid of $3,025).