Air Jordan memorabilia soars in value amid ‘The Last Dance’ nostalgia
- Auctions for Jordan’s various Nike trainers are breaking sales records as the ESPN series winds down
- Jordan’s legacy was built on the basketball court but he became a billionaire through his deal with the shoe company
The immense global success of the ESPN documentary The Last Dance amid the coronavirus lockdown has boosted sales of collectibles related to NBA icon Michael Jordan, some of which are trading in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Timing is everything,” said Jordan Geller, a collector who on Sunday will be richer by at least US$240,000 thanks to the sale at Sotheby’s of a pair of Air Jordan 1 trainers – the first model created especially by Nike for Michael Jordan, who made his NBA debut in 1984.
The game-worn pair could set an auction record for trainers set last year by Nike’s Moon Shoe, a pair of which sold for $437,500.
The various Air Jordans have been popular with collectors for 30 years, along with jerseys and trading cards featuring Jordan – who won six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls and is widely considered the greatest player in league history.
Many specialists consider Jordan a key figure in creating the market for collectible trainers, with only non-sports personalities such as Kanye West or Travis Scott able to compete with him today.