Here’s what you need to know:
Michael Jordan went to the NBA Finals six times
And he won each time.
The collection, known as the “Dynasty Collection” will be sold, not auctioned. Sotheby’s isn’t disclosing the sale price. But it’s expected to be well into the millions.
“The Dynasty Collection is the sole-defining ‘holy grail’ of sneaker collecting,” said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of streetwear and modern collectibles. “They check all of the boxes that a collector wants: championship history, Hall of Fame association, and style.”
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For perspective, a jersey Jordan wore during the 1998 NBA Finals sold last year for US$10.1 million. The previous record for a sneaker sale is US$1.8 million for a pair of Nike prototypes worn by Kanye West, now known as Ye. The new collection should eclipse those marks.Comparison with the Mona Lisa
The Wall Street Journal recently said the “Dynasty Collection” shoes are “like the Mona Lisa, the David and a few of Monet’s Water Lilies rolled into one.”
While the secondary market for trainers has cooled, there remains a robust market for unique sports memorabilia with the most compelling stories. A piece of the basketball court from Kobe Bryant’s final game, for example, recently sold for US$800,000.
“This set represents the most valuable and significant collection of Air Jordan trainers ever brought to market,” Sotheby’s said, in a listing. “Put simply, no one has even been able to ‘be like Mike.’”
Jordan originally gave the trainers to Tim Hallman, a former communications director for the Chicago Bulls, according to the Wall Street Journal.
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Certified and authenticated
The trainers were displayed last year at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Atlantic City. Certified Sports Guaranty, part of the Certified Collectibles Group, authenticated the collection.
“Even after examining the world’s most important collectibles for four decades, the Dynasty Collection had the power to take my breath away,” Mark Salzberg, founder of Certified Collectibles Group, said at the time, in a press release.
“For the role these shoes play in our collective consciousness, how they relate to sports, fashion and celebrity, they are the contemporary Ruby Slippers, only rarer.”
The collection will be viewable in Dubai through March 3.
This article originally appeared on Insider.ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51kuqKzwLOgp52jZMC1xcueZpydnJqvs7XTsmaaqqSesK2xjmxpampgbYRwtM6lsGafopa2rXnSp5yao5WnwG65yJyfmp2cYrewvsOapaxlnpeubrLIp5ilq12pv6K1zZ6prGWRp7Juv8ClnGZuXaWuqr7SZpiiql2fvLOwwKdkrKCfmsBuscuiq54%3D