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The shoes in the headline did not stay unsold. Sotheby’s sold six game-worn Michael Jordan Air Jordans, known as “The Dynasty Collection,” at a New York auction on February 2, 2024. The pre-sale estimate was $7 million to $10 million, and Sotheby’s reported the final price as $8,032,800. The $10 million in the headline was the top of the estimate, not the amount paid.
What was actually sold
The lot was six individual sneakers, not six pairs. Each one was worn during a season in which Jordan’s Chicago Bulls clinched an NBA championship. Contemporaneous coverage identified the models as follows:
| Title-clinching season | Model |
|---|---|
| 1991 | Air Jordan VI |
| 1992 | Air Jordan VII |
| 1993 | Air Jordan VIII |
| 1996 | Air Jordan XI |
| 1997 | Air Jordan XII |
| 1998 | Air Jordan XIV |
Sotheby’s catalog describes the shoes as associated with those six seasons. According to Sotheby’s, they were given to a Chicago Bulls executive after each championship. PerthNow’s report, which the auction coverage relied on, named the executive as team public relations figure Tim Hallam and said the practice began after the 1991 title. That detail comes from PerthNow’s reporting rather than from the auction catalog’s wording, so treat it as attributed.
Estimate versus result
Auction coverage often blurs two numbers, and this headline did too. The estimate is the auction house’s pre-sale range for what a lot might bring. The result is the price Sotheby’s recorded after the sale. The two are not interchangeable.
#1 Best Overall
- If autographed, includes an individually numbered, tamper-evident hologram
- Category; Autographed NBA Sneakers
| Figure | Amount | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-sale estimate, low | $7,000,000 | Sotheby’s catalog, for the February 2, 2024 sale |
| Pre-sale estimate, high | $10,000,000 | Sotheby’s catalog, for the February 2, 2024 sale |
| Reported sale result | $8,032,800 | Sotheby’s, 2024 |
Sotheby’s described the result as a new global auction record for game-worn sneakers. The sources available for this article do not break the total into a hammer price and buyer’s premium, so the $8,032,800 figure should be read as the total reported result, not as a fee-adjusted breakdown.
Where the “Mona Lisa” comparison came from
The comparison came from Brahm Wachter, who was Sotheby’s Vice President and Head of Modern Collectibles at the time. As quoted by PerthNow, he said: “This is the Mona Lisa of the sneaker collection and sports memorabilia communities.” It is an auction executive’s promotional description, not a valuation category, and it should be quoted with that attribution.
Rank #2
- Visible Air-Sole unit in the heel steps up your cushioning
- Genuine leather and synthetic materials in the upper for durability
- Perforations enhance ventilation
- Foam midsole gives you a cushioned ride
- Rubber outsole with herringbone pattern gives you traction
Sotheby’s own post-sale retrospective offers a plainer summary: “Known as ‘The Dynasty Collection’, these 6 sneakers were given to a Chicago Bulls executive at the conclusion of each of Jordan’s NBA Championship victories, an incredible athletic feat.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this result does and does not tell you
For a personal-finance reader, the sale is a single data point about one set of unusually documented shoes. It does not show that sneakers in general are rising in value, and nothing in the available reporting establishes what comparable memorabilia would fetch today or whether a similar item would hold its price.
Rank #3
- Encapsulated Air-Sole units under the heel and forefoot provide lightweight cushioning
- Lace-up closure
- Cushioning comfort
- Suede, synthetic leather and textile materials offer lightweight durability and support
- The shoes are unique. These were game-worn lots tied to specific championship seasons. Modern retail Air Jordan releases are mass-produced products and are not substitutes for them.
- The estimate is a forecast. A range set before a sale tells you what the seller’s advisors expected, and the top of the range is not a price anyone paid.
- The result is one auction. A record for a single lot does not translate into an average return for buyers of collectibles.
If you are weighing a collectible purchase, the lesson from this sale is about the gap between a headline estimate and the recorded result, along with the provenance that made these six shoes rare. Without those two features, the figure does not carry over.
Sotheby’s sale is the primary source for the date, estimate, result, and record claim. PerthNow’s contemporaneous report supplies the model names and Wachter’s quote. Complex independently reported the post-sale result.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #4
- Real and synthetic leather adds durability and structure to the upper.
- Nike Air technology absorbs impact for cushioning with every step.
- Foam midsole adds lightweight cushioning.
- Rubber outsole gives you durable traction.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
