Nikes worn by Michael Jordan the star lot of Sotheby’s first sneakers-only sale, held with an eye to younger clients

Sotheby’s first international auction just of sneakers, featuring shoes worn in matches by leading NBA stars, is part of an effort to attract younger customers

A pair of Nike Air Yeezy 1s worn by Kanye West sold for US$1.8 million this week, and Michael Jordan’s rookie season sneakers should also fetch a high price

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Sotheby’s is getting into selling sneakers. A pair of basketball legend Michael Jordan’s famous Air Jordans from his rookie season, at a preview of the Sotheby’s sale. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP

Published: 3:15pm, 1 May 2021Updated: 3:15pm, 1 May 2021

Sotheby’s is staging its first international dedicated sneaker sale, seeing the boom in a formerly niche market as a way to attract younger clients into the world of auctions.

Fine art, jewellery and antiques might be the more traditional stock in auction house trade, complete with a packed room and auctioneer banging a wooden gavel.

But the coronavirus pandemic has triggered a shift towards smartphone-accessible online auctions. Sotheby’s says it has also noticed that younger people are being drawn to auctions by design classics with a backstory.

On Monday, the auction house sold a pair of Nike Air Yeezy 1s worn by rapper Kanye West for US$1.8 million – triple the previous record for sneakers.

Josh Pullan, managing director of Sotheby’s global luxury division. Photo: Reuters/Denis Balibouse

That sale is being followed by “Gamers Only” – Sotheby’s debut global dedicated sneaker auction, conducted entirely online. It features 13 pairs of match-worn basketball shoes from some of the NBA’s greatest athletes, including Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.