It probably doesn’t get much better than this if you’re a true sneakerhead.
Former NBA point guard, Eric Snow is set to auction off Michael Jordan’s iconic Air Jordan XI kicks, game-worn and signed. Jordan wore the shoes in the 1996 finals, while leading his Chicago Bulls to their fourth NBA title. He also was the finals MVP, but, that probably went without saying. The bidding is taking place on Grey Flannel Auctions.
Sports Illustrated‘s Ben Golliver offered some insight as to the importance of such a rare pair of sneakers:
“Sneakers really don’t get much more iconic than this. The Jordan XIs are the most popular and recognizable version of Jordan’s signature sneakers thanks to their groundbreaking patent-leather design. Retro versions of the shoe in various colors are still released every year to much fanfare. The black-and-red colorway — often referred to as “Breds” for short — is among the most popular because Jordan wore it during the 1996 playoffs”, he wrote.
In case you were wondering why the sneakers are viewed as iconic, take a look at some of the accomplishments MJ had while sporting them in that finals run:
“He’d [Jordan] go on to win Finals MVP during the 1996 NBA Finals after dispatching the Sonics in six games. And Game 3 stood out as quite the impressive performance, as he recorded 36 points, three rebounds, five assists and two steals, doing so on only 23 shots from the field. Jordan drilled 11 of those 23 attempts, but he also knocked down three of his four shots beyond the arc and all 11 of his looks from the charity stripe. He was pretty darn dominant on the offensive end, and he helped contain Seattle’s backcourt combination of Gary Payton and Hersey Hawkins to a combined 31 points on 21 shots.”
The price of exclusivity? Well, if you have a spare $5,000 dollars sitting around (for a MINIMUM bid), to get you in there game, and presumably another $5,000 to actually put on the price, you may be in luck. As of the time of this article the current bid was set at $6,655 dollars.
Pocket change right?
[H/T Bleacher Report]