- Jordan's partnership with Nike during his career earned him $1 billion in sales
- “His Airness” sold the most expensive game-worn sports jersey in 2022
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A collection of Air Jordans from each of Michael Jordan's six NBA championships is set to go up for auction at Sotheby's next month and could fetch up to $10 million.
The set called “The Dynasty Collection” consists of Air Jordan VI (1991), Air Jordan VII (1992), Air Jordan VIII (1993), Air Jordan XI (1996), Air Jordan XII (1997) and finally Air Jordan XIV (1998).
According to Sotheby's, it is widely considered “the most valuable and significant collection of Air Jordan sneakers ever released.”
In a statement provided to , Brahm Wachter, head of Modern Collectables, called the collection the “Mona Lisa of the sneaker collecting and sports memorabilia community.”
In a rather intriguing arrangement that was publicly reported, Jordan gave one of his sneakers to Tim Hallam, the Bulls' director of public and media relations, after the deciding game of each of the Bulls' six NBA titles in the 1990s.
All of the sneakers worn by Michael Jordan in the NBA Finals – six pairs – will be auctioned off next week
The collection includes Air Jordan VI (1991), VII (1992), VIII (1993), XI (1996), XII (1997, XIV ('98))
In the 1991 NBA Finals, Jordan faced Magic Johnson and the LA Lakers, with the Bulls never reaching the annual championship series. After a loss in the first game in Chicago, the Bulls rebounded, winning the next three games and winning five.
Just a year later, the defending champion Bulls returned to basketball's biggest stage to face Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers. A month earlier, Sports Illustrated declared that Drexler was Jordan's “No. 1 rival” on the cover of the May 11, 1992 issue.
Although the two teams split the first four games of the series, the Bulls won the Larry O'Brien for the second consecutive year after six meetings.
In 1993, Jordan and his teammates defeated Charles Barkley – the MVP of the 1992-93 season – and the Phoenix Suns in six games, with Jordan posting 33 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in Game 6.
“The Dynasty Collection” is “the most valuable and significant collection of Air Jordans of all time”
Jordan, 60, sold his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets for a whopping $3 billion last year
Jordan and the Bulls defeated Gary Payton's Seattle Supersonics in 1997 and John Stockton's Utah Jazz twice in 1997 and 1998.
Off the court, Jordan's partnership with Nike to create the wildly popular “Jordan Brand” was arguably as impactful as his successes in basketball. The deal helped solidify Nike as the world's largest sneaker company and ushered in an era of lucrative collaborations between athletes and sneaker companies. His relationship with Nike ultimately helped Jordan become the first NBA player to reach a net worth of $1 billion.
Last year, Jordan sold controlling interest in the Charlotte Hornets for about $3 billion, more than 10 times the $275 million he paid for the team in 2006. The iconic “Flu Game” sneakers – the Air Jordan XII – sold for $1.38 million in 2006 June.
Additionally, Jordan's Bulls jersey from Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold at auction for a massive $10.09 million – more than double its estimated price – becoming the most expensive piece of game-worn sports memorabilia of all time in September 2022.