In what couldn’t have been a better unintentional promotion for the Ben Affleck/Matt Damon drama Air, about the creation of the iconic sneakers, a pair of Michael Jordan‘s Air Jordans has just set a record, selling for $2.24 million.
When the hammer finally fell at Sotheby’s in New York City on Tuesday, some well-heeled sneakerhead walked away with the coveted kicks: Jordan’s game-worn shoes from Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals.
The black and red Jordan XIIIs were autographed in silver marker and given to a ball boy after Jordan scored 37 points in a 93-88 win over the Utah Jazz. Jordan’s Chicago Bulls had lost Game 1, but three straight wins starting in Game 2 pushed Chicago to within one game of their third straight title — and Jordan’s sixth overall.
Nine days later, Jordan would play his final game with the Bulls. The pair of Jordan XIII “Breds” up for auction would be the last he would ever wear in a game, according to the famous auction house.
The anonymous winning bidder is now the proud owner of what is officially the most expensive pair of sneakers ever purchased.
That said, Drake owns a one-off pair of Jordans for which he shelled out an estimated $2 million — but unlike these, they’re made of gold and are unwearable.
Other items that hit the block included the shirt the late Kobe Bryant wore before his 81-point game in 2006, and Tom Brady‘s full uniform from a game in the 2004 Patriots championship season.