Michael Jordan is a brand in the world of basketball like no other. The former Chicago Bulls star has been reeking in more money ever since his retirement like no player did because of his deals with a shoe company.
The craze for MJ is so great that even two decades after his retirement his memorabilia was sold for a big price and the same was the case for his game-worn shoes from Game 5 of the 1996 NBA Finals.
The shoes were auctioned for a whopping $482,600 according to Darren Rovell.
The history of MJ’s memorabilia going for hefty prices
Jordan's game-used finals shoes have always been highly sought-after and regarded as legendary items of sports memorabilia. The Jordan XII shoes that the five-time MVP wore during Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals sold for $1.38 million at auction in June 2023, while the Nike Air Ship shoes he wore in his fifth career NBA game sold for $624,000.
One of Jordan's shoes from the final game of each of the six NBA Finals victories was packaged together and sold for an astounding $8 million during an auction in February.
$482,600 is considered relatively less expensive, why?
Though the shoes auctioned on Friday are comparatively less costly, the 1996 championship game wasn't as memorable as Game 5. The Chicago Bulls were defeated by the Seattle Supersonics 89-78. Jordan shot 50% from the field in the end, finishing with 26 points and 4 rebounds, despite missing all four of his three-point shots.
Jordan eventually received his fourth championship ring when the Bulls won Game 6 at home to secure the title.
