Source: https://top-list.co/top-most-expensive-air-jordan-sneakers-v3317.html
1. Solid Gold OVO Air Jordans, 2. Kanye West’s Nike Air Yeezy, 3. Michael Jordan’s Nike Air Ships, 4. Nike Air Jordan 1 High “Chicago” Sneakers, 5. Michael Jordan Rookie Air Jordan 1, 6. Air Jordan 11 “Space Jam” Sample, 7. Air Jordan 12 Flu Game, 8. Air Jordan 10 OVO. In 1984, Nike negotiated an agreement with Michael Jordan to create the Air Jordans, a customized footwear line. Nike was a nascent company at the time, and they were asked to put up the money as a guarantee that they would be invested. Jordan, an extraordinarily bankable personality, was questioned about the unusual brand agreement... until the brand made over $100 million in its first year. Air Jordans have redefined "sneaker" in and beyond the sporting world. They're the most coveted sneaker brand globally, and their shoes are now the most costly ever sold. We're looking at the best of the best for this list, from Jordan's own sneakers worn at some of his most historical games to shoes dipped in literal gold. Here are the 8 most expensive Air Jordan sneakers ever sold.
- Solid Gold OVO Air Jordans
- Kanye West’s Nike Air Yeezy
- Michael Jordan’s Nike Air Ships
- Nike Air Jordan 1 High “Chicago” Sneakers
- Michael Jordan Rookie Air Jordan 1
- Air Jordan 11 “Space Jam” Sample
- Air Jordan 12 Flu Game
- Air Jordan 10 OVO
Solid Gold OVO Air Jordans
The Solid Gold OVO Air Jordans are the most costly Jordans. Drake’s clothing company, OVO, sometimes known as “October’s Very Own,” collaborated with Nike to develop these solid gold Jordans. Each shoe, designed by Matthew Senna and made of solid 24-karat gold, weighs around 50 pounds.
Drake paid $2.1 million for these shoes, which he ordered in 2016. For these sculptures, Senna reproduced the Air Jordan 10s, which he thought had the most fascinating embellishments. No, we get what you’re thinking: you can’t wear these.
Senna has been tight-lipped about how he made the shoe sculptures, implying that they were cast or altered using several molds before being dipped in gold. The 31-year-old American artist isn’t used to working on celebrity projects, but he adores Jordans and leaped at the chance to collaborate with them.
Price: $2,100,000
Photo: ELLY
Photo: SELLERVN
Kanye West’s Nike Air Yeezy
In April of 2021, these Jordans were sold at a Sotheby’s private sale. They are the most costly actual, wearable Jordans on this list. These Jordans are one of the most expensive Air Jordan sneakers of any kind, ever sold.
Kanye West wore a prototype of these Nike Air Yeezy 1s during his performance at the 2008 Grammy Awards. These prototype sneakers brought around $1.8 million.
That performance from 2008 has become a music awards legend. West performed “Stronger” in front of a neon pyramid, which opened to reveal Daft Punk dressed in red and white for the ceremony. They made their Grammy debut with a live remix of “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” alongside West.
Price: $1,800,000
Photo: SOTHEBY’S
Photo: ELLE Man
Michael Jordan’s Nike Air Ships
Surprisingly, the third-most-expensive Air Jordans are those worn by Jordan himself. Jordan’s Nike Air Ships from a 1984 Bulls game were auctioned off for $1.472 million in October 2021. They are now the most valuable sneakers ever sold at auction.
Because Jordon originally signed with Nike in 1984 to launch the Air Jordans shoe brand, these Jordans are not only the most expensive but also the most “vintage” on the list.
People today forget how unusual it was for a sports star to negotiate a full-time brand contract with a sneaker line because Jordan sold Nikes. Nike was a small-time firm at the time of the $250,000 investment — Jordan was the face of the contract. They made $126 million the first year the Air Jordans were available as a result of their brilliant invention. The Air Jordan brand was worth $3 billion in 2019.
Price: $1,472,000
Photo: VnExpress
Nike Air Jordan 1 High “Chicago” Sneakers
Nike Air Jordan 1 High “Chicago” Sneakers are known as one of the most expensive Air Jordan sneakers. Michael Jordan donned these Air Jordan 1 high sneakers in a Chicago Bulls game in 1985, only one year after signing the legendary Nike contract (exhibition). These size 13.5 Jordans appeared at a Christie’s auction in New York City and sold for $615,000, Jordan’s record at the time.
These shoes were not only confirmed to be game-used but they were also signed by Jordan himself.
Despite the fact that the Nike partnership had been in place for a year, Peter Moore’s Air Jordan 1 High “Chicago” Sneakers were the shoes that forever transformed the sneaker game. The full-grain leather construction, Chicago Bulls colors, and midsole cushioning combine to create an iconic sneaker look that continues to define premium sports shoe design to this day.
Price: $615,000
Photo: Christie’s
Photo: GETTY IMAGES
Michael Jordan Rookie Air Jordan 1
These Michael Jordan Rookie Air Jordan 1 sneakers hold the title of being the most costly Jordans currently available.
Upper Deck has authenticated the current eBay selling as new, never-worn shoes (they still have the hangtag) and signed on the heel by Jordan himself.
These size 12 Chicago Bulls shoes are currently for sale on eBay for $350,000 in the original color scheme.
Because these shoes are new and signed, they are a rare find on this list, as most of these shoes are known for being worn by renowned feet. These size 12s have never been worn and are too big for Jordan (who wore sizes 13 and 13.5, depending on the game).
Price: $350,000
Photo: eBay
Air Jordan 11 “Space Jam” Sample
The “Space Jam Sample” Air Jordan 11 shoes recently sold for $176,400 at a Sotheby’s auction in July of 2021. They looked just like Jordan’s shoes in the 1996 Looney Tunes crossover film Space Jam. This was the pair, though, that he was given but never wore. Except for Jordan’s signature in silver pen on the toe of the left shoe, they are in great, brand new condition.
These shoes came in a custom-made velvet and wood box with the film’s Tune Squad insignia engraved on it.
Even on set, Michael Jordan was itching to play. Warner Bros. complied by constructing a regulation-sized basketball court on the set of Space Jam so he could play anytime he took a break from filming.
Price: $176,400
Photo: Sneaker Freaker
Photo: Sole Collector
Air Jordan 12 Flu Game
Jordan’s red and black Air Jordan 12s from Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals are legendary in their own right for commemorating his “Flu Game.” Preston Truman’s sneakers started at $5,000 and went up from there. They sold for a then-record price of $104,765 after 15 bids.
The sale contained not just the two sneakers, both autographed by Michael Jordan, but also the black socks he wore to the same game if you wanted them.
The fifth game of the 1997 NBA Finals, between the Utah Jazz and the Chicago Bulls, has been dubbed “The Flu Game” by sports historians. Jordan later termed the game he played with a terrible case of flu “the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” despite his mother and coach’s cautions.
Despite his illness, he managed to score 38 points and grab seven rebounds. According to mythology, Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan was unaware of Jordan’s health, despite the fact that most viewers at home were.
Price: $104,765
Photo: Money Inc
Photo: www.ietp.com
Air Jordan 10 OVO
We’re starting this ultra-valuable spectrum of sneakers with shoes that were not owned or worn by Michael Jordan, unlike many of the Air Jordans on this list. Instead, in 2014, Canadian singer Drake gave out these Air Jordan 10 OVO sample shoes from his own collection to lucky fans. During a 2014 Raptors game in Toronto, it all happened on “Drake Night.”
Because these sneakers had never been released before, the two pairs presented to fans were unique. The white pair went for $20,000 the next week on eBay (because of course they put them on eBay). The black pair, shown below, sold for $100,000 after 154 bids.
These Air Jordans were never meant to be worn in competition. They were given to Drake as a thank you for his Air Jordan cross-promotion during a performance tour.
Price: $100,000
Photo: Godly Soles
Photo: HNBMG
