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Jeremy WillisESPN.com
Michael Jordan memorabilia has been a hot commodity since the height of his career with the Chicago Bulls. Two pairs of shoes, worn in different sports, and at different parts of his career, just sold in May. They garnered more than $600,000 at auction.
Thursday marks 23 years since one of Jordan’s most iconic moments: The Flu Game. We would learn in “The Last Dance” documentary that it should be called The Bad Pizza, Food Poisoning Game. In that game — Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz — Jordan scored 38 points, while fighting flu-like symptoms, and gave the Bulls a 3-2 series lead. Chicago would win the series 4-2 and their fifth NBA title.
After the game, Jordan’s sneakers — 1997 Air Jordan XIIs — were grabbed by Utah ball boy Preston Truman. In 2013, Truman sold the shoes at auction.
After the Flu Game, Michael Jordan gave his shoes to a Utah Jazz ball boy.
In 2013, the shoes sold for $104,765! pic.twitter.com/RJfOQ37Uxc
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) June 11, 2020
“I have looked at the shoes maybe four times since putting them in a safety deposit box 16 years ago,” former Jazz ball boy Preston Truman told ESPN at the time of the auction. “I would go years without even thinking about it. … I just didn’t see the point to something so cool and a part of NBA history sitting at my bank anymore.”
Here’s a look at some of the wild prices other Jordan memorabilia has sold for:
Game-worn Team USA Converse sneakers from the 1984 Olympics
Price: $190,373
Jordan is now almost synonymous with Nike, but he was a Converse man throughout college and wore the brand’s shoes during the 1984 Summer Games. The pair sold was worn during the gold medal game when Jordan scored 20 points to win the first of his two Olympic gold medals.
MJ OLYMPIC SHOES: Jordan’s ’84 @Converse sneakers ($144,122) should see added liftoff now that auction has entered extended bidding period. pic.twitter.com/xGMdHKHNNg
— SCP Auctions (@SCPAuctions) June 11, 2017
According to ABC News, the last pair of shoes Jordan wore as an amateur were also grabbed after the game by a ball boy who was the son of Los Angeles Lakers great Gail Goodrich.
Game-worn, autographed Air Jordan 1s worn during Jordan’s 1985 season
Price: $560,000
While the sports world was glued to the broadcast of the Jordan documentary, these shoes were sold by Sotheby’s. According to The Action Network, they had just been sold the previous July for $437,000.
Game-worn, Dream Team jersey Price: $216,000
Robert Edward Auctions has a game-worn, signed Michael Jordan Dream Team Jersey up for bid. Starting price: $25,000. Your kids don’t REALLY need college, now do they? pic.twitter.com/VdvxGwUnsZ
— Jay Busbee (@jaybusbee) April 7, 2020
Jordan wore this jersey during the 1992 Summer Olympics wear the Team USA basketball team, featuring Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullen, David Robinson, Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley and Christian Laettner.
Jordan baseball cleats worn during 1994 season
Price: $93,000
Heritage Auctions sold a pair of baseball cleats Jordan wore during his brief time playing minor league baseball with the Birmingham Barons.
