The legend that for many is the best basketball player of all time continues to grow.A couple of white leather shoes that Michael Jordan wore at the beginning of his career were sold this Sunday for 1.47 million dollars at an auction organized by Sotheby’s in Las Vegas.

“The most precious sneakers that have come out at auction, the Nike Air Ships of 1984 that Michael Jordan took during the regular season, have just been sold in 1.472.000 dollars during our luxury sale in Las Vegas, ”said the auction house in a statement published on Twitter.

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Jordan covered these shoes, Nike “Air Ship” model, in the 5th NBA Party on November 1, 1984.They were precursors of the Air Jordan 1 model.The "Air Ship", a model designed by Bruce Kilgore, came out in 1984, and were the first shoes that Michael Jordan took as NBA professional.

In the preseason and in the first games of that first year as a rookie, Jordan took the colors white and red, although also black and red (known as "Bred") that Nike specially designed for him and that were wrapped in controversy.

Of the size 13 in white leather with the logo of the brand in red and tied to the ankle, in perfect condition despite the use, they were a gift from the player to Tommie Tim III lewis' tj'-his owner so far- and they were accompaniedfor a letter of authenticity and an accreditation of Lewis of the 1984-1985 season as the Denver Nuggets staff.

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The preceding record for some shoes from the basketball legend was recorded in August 2020 during an auction in Christie's for some Nike Air Jordan 1 that the player took in 1985, when he broke a basket during a match in an episode that remained in memoryof fans.They were sold for 615.000 dollars.

However, the sales record is a pair of Nike Air Yeezy 1 shoes belonging to rapper Kanye West that he carried during the Grammy Awards 2008.They reached 1.8 million dollars last April in a private sale also organized by Sotheby’s.The last pair of this type belonging to Jordan was sold in May 2021 also at a Sotheby’s auction for 152.500 dollars.

Jordan retired in 2003 from the courts when he played at the Washington Wizards, after having done it on two previous occasions, in 1993 and 1999, after having played 13 seasons in the Chicago Bulls Bulls.In 1984, Nike gave Jordan an exclusive line of shoes and clothing, becoming the precursor of these practices that have later signed great renowned athletes.

The term "Air Jordan" was coined by the agende of the player David Falk.In his first games in the NBA, Jordan preferred shoes with which he felt the court on his feet.In the process of creating the Air Jordan 1, Nike gave Jordan a limited number of the Air Ships model, some of which had "Air Jordan" or "Nike Air" in the soles.This pair, in which only the word "Air" is practically unique.

The Black and Red Air Ships became controversial following a NBA letter to Nike after a meeting held on October 18, 1984, in the preseason of the League, in which he reported that the colorful shoes violated the clause ofThe uniformity of the League outfit.

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Nike took advantage of the controversy to launch an advertising campaign in which he said that, although the NBA withdraw them from the game, fortunately, it could not prohibit “you take them away”.These shoes left the exclusive sport so that anyone could take them on a day -to -day basis.

The white and red air ships are a reference in the history of sport and basketball in particular.The popularity of the player did nothing but enlarged after the dissemination in 2020 of a documentary about his life in Netflix.

At the auction, made in Las Vegas, a couple of Drake Ovo Air Jordan 11 gold shoes were also sold, designed by Tinker Hatfield in 1995 for Jordan, by 20.160 dollars.These gold shoes never put themselves on sale, which makes them an object of desire for collectors.

Source: AFP.