NBA star Michael Jordan has once again made the leap to the big screen. If he has previously done so as a co-star sharing the scene with Bugs Bunny in Space Jam, this time the cameras rest on what is possibly the most lucrative deal ever signed between a brand and a celebrity. Air was released last Wednesday, a film directed by Ben Affleck which, as described by FilmAffinity, “tells the incredible and revolutionary connection between Michael Jordan, a rookie at the time, and Nike’s fledgling basketball division that revolutionized the world. “ of sport and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand”. The critically acclaimed Air story contains several business lessons.
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Record-breaking sneakers
The 1998 NBA Finals was the most-watched in history. Jordan’s Bulls faced the Utah Jazz of Karl Malone or John Stockton. After losing the opening game of the final, the Bulls prevailed 93-88 in the second game. Jordan led the win with 37 points and wore the sneakers, which Sotheby’s will sell for at least $1.8 million. “Jordan blazed his way to his sixth NBA championship in these remarkable Bred Air Jordan XIII shoes. Immediately after the end of the game, the ball boy in charge of the away dressing room received a gift from Michael Jordan. The ball boy gave Jordan a jacket that he had lost. Michael took off his sneakers, signed them all and gave them to him as a thank you,” explains Sotheby’s.
Bids for these shoes, which Jordan gave to a young Utah ball boy, end on April 11, and the auction site expects the final price to be between $2 million and $4 million. So far it has received a bid of $1.8 million. With the initial offering alone, these shoes would rank as the third most expensive in history. The first are gold and diamond-studded sneakers made by Bisiön for Dwyne Wade, which fetched €2.3 million at auction.