Michael Jordan 'The Dynasty Collection' - six championship-clinching game-worn shoes (AJ VI/VII/VIII/XI/XII/XIV)

One shoe, every June

The collection began with a request. Tim Hallam, who ran public relations for the Chicago Bulls through their championship years, wanted a keepsake from the 1991 title. 'I wanted something that was an actual part of the game, so I asked Michael for one of his shoes,' he told a newspaper later.

Jordan said yes, and then kept saying yes. 'Every year after we've won the title, Michael will take his shoe off in the interview area, sign it and give to me,' Hallam explained. That is why the collection is six single shoes rather than six pairs, and why several championship photographs show Jordan celebrating with one foot in a sneaker and the other without.

The result is a set no one could assemble on purpose: one shoe from the final game of every Bulls title, in each case the model Jordan was wearing that season, signed in the moment by the man who had just won it.

The six games

1991, Game 5 at Los Angeles (June 12). The Bulls beat the Lakers 108-101 at the Great Western Forum for the franchise's first title. Jordan played all 48 minutes for 30 points, 10 assists and 5 steals; Scottie Pippen scored 32 and John Paxson 20. Jordan wore the Air Jordan VI, and the shoe from this night is the only left shoe in the set. He was Finals MVP, averaging 31.2 points and 11.4 assists in the series.

1992, Game 6 in Chicago (June 14). Portland led 79-64 midway through the third quarter. Phil Jackson opened the fourth with four reserves around Pippen, the Bulls rallied, and Jordan scored 12 of his 33 points in the final quarter in a 97-93 win at Chicago Stadium. He wore the Air Jordan VII, the first Air Jordan with no visible Nike Air branding on the outside.

1993, Game 6 at Phoenix (June 20). Down 98-96 in the closing seconds, the Bulls ran a play that ended with Horace Grant passing to Paxson, whose three-pointer with 3.9 seconds left won it 99-98; Grant then blocked Kevin Johnson's last attempt. Jordan had 33 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in the Air Jordan VIII and averaged a Finals-record 41.0 points for the series, becoming the first player to win three straight Finals MVP awards.

1996, Game 6 in Chicago (June 16). The Bulls closed out a 72-10 season by beating Seattle 87-75 on Father's Day. Jordan scored 22 with 9 rebounds and 7 assists in the Air Jordan XI; Dennis Rodman pulled down 19 rebounds. It was Jordan's first title since his father's murder in 1993, and he collapsed sobbing on the locker room floor with the game ball.

1997, Game 6 in Chicago (June 13). Two nights after the 'Flu Game,' with the score tied at 86 and 28 seconds left, Jordan drew a double-team and passed to Steve Kerr, who hit the go-ahead 17-footer with 5 seconds remaining. Pippen deflected the inbound pass and Toni Kukoc dunked to seal a 90-86 win. Jordan had 39 points and 11 rebounds in the Air Jordan XII.

1998, Game 6 at Salt Lake City (June 14). Utah led 86-83 after a John Stockton three with 41.9 seconds left. Jordan scored on a layup, stole the ball from Karl Malone, then crossed over Bryon Russell and hit a jumper with 5.2 seconds left for an 87-86 win. He scored 45 points with Pippen hobbled by a back injury. Jordan had worn the Air Jordan XIII through the Finals and switched to the Air Jordan XIV in the second half of this game, so the 1998 shoe in the set is an XIV.

The world those shoes walked through

The run spans most of a decade. It opened in 1991, the year of Operation Desert Storm and of Nirvana's 'Nevermind.' Between the first three-peat and the second, Jordan won Olympic gold with the Dream Team in Barcelona in 1992, lost his father, James Jordan, who was murdered in North Carolina on July 23, 1993, retired on October 6, 1993, and returned with a two-word press release, 'I'm back,' on March 18, 1995.

The second three-peat ended in 1998, the year of the Seinfeld finale and Mark McGwire's 62nd home run. The 1998 Finals drew the highest TV ratings in NBA history to that point. Jordan retired for the second time on January 13, 1999, and the Bulls roster was broken up.

The sneakers trace the same arc in design. Tinker Hatfield designed the VI, inspired by a German sports car, and the XI with its patent leather mudguard. The VII brought a huarache-style inner fit and dropped visible Nike Air branding, the XII carried a rising-sun motif modeled on the flag of Japan, and the XIV was inspired by the Ferrari 550 M that Jordan owned.

From a locker room to the auction block

The shoes later passed from Hallam to a private American collector. In March 2023 the six were offered as a single private sale and shown in Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and New York.

Less than a year later, on February 2, 2024, the set was offered at auction in New York with an estimate of $7 million to $10 million and sold for $8,032,800 to an anonymous bidder in the room. It was the highest price ever paid at auction for game-worn sneakers. Among Jordan items, only the jersey from Game 1 of the 1998 Finals, which brought $10.1 million in September 2022, has sold for more.

The previous sneaker record belonged to a different object: the signed, game-worn Air Jordan XIII pair from Game 2 of the 1998 Finals, which sold for $2,238,000 in April 2023.

What makes this set unique

Every shoe is tied to a specific championship-clinching game, and the lot came with signed one-of-one photographs of Jordan celebrating in a single shoe after the 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1998 titles, the visual proof that the mate was already gone.

The colorways are the ones fans know from those nights: the Air Jordan VI 'Infrared' (the left shoe), the VII, the VIII 'Playoffs,' the XI 'Bred,' the XII 'Playoffs' and the XIV 'Last Shot.' One report describes all six as black and red.

Accounts of the signatures differ. One report says four of the six (the VI, VIII, XI and XII) are autographed; others describe every shoe as signed and some as inscribed 'To Tim.'

The numbers

1991 Finals, Game 5 (June 12, 1991)

Bulls 108, Lakers 101, at Inglewood. Jordan: 48 min, 12-23 FG, 30 pts, 4 reb, 10 ast, 5 stl, 2 blk. Finals MVP (31.2 ppg, 11.4 apg, 6.6 rpg). Shoe: Air Jordan VI.

1992 Finals, Game 6 (June 14, 1992)

Bulls 97, Trail Blazers 93, at Chicago Stadium. Jordan: 43 min, 13-24 FG, 33 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl. Finals MVP. Shoe: Air Jordan VII.

1993 Finals, Game 6 (June 20, 1993)

Bulls 99, Suns 98, at Phoenix. Jordan: 44 min, 13-26 FG, 33 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast. Finals MVP (41.0 ppg, a Finals record). Shoe: Air Jordan VIII.

1996 Finals, Game 6 (June 16, 1996)

Bulls 87, SuperSonics 75, at the United Center. Jordan: 43 min, 5-19 FG, 22 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast, 2 stl. Finals MVP. Shoe: Air Jordan XI.

1997 Finals, Game 6 (June 13, 1997)

Bulls 90, Jazz 86, at the United Center. Jordan: 43:36, 15-35 FG, 39 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast. Finals MVP. Shoe: Air Jordan XII.

1998 Finals, Game 6 (June 14, 1998)

Bulls 87, Jazz 86, at Salt Lake City. Jordan: 43:41, 15-35 FG, 45 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast, 4 stl. Finals MVP (33.5 ppg). Shoe: Air Jordan XIV.

Finals MVP awards

6 of 6 (1991-1993, 1996-1998)

Timeline

1. Nov 17, 1984

   The first Air Jordan debuts.

2. Jun 12, 1991

   Bulls win their first title in Los Angeles; Jordan gives Tim Hallam a signed Air Jordan VI.

3. Jun 14, 1992

   Second title, in Chicago; the Air Jordan VII shoe joins the collection.

4. Jun 20, 1993

   Third straight title, in Phoenix; the Air Jordan VIII shoe.

5. Oct 6, 1993

   Jordan announces his first retirement.

6. Mar 18, 1995

   Jordan announces his return: 'I'm back.'

7. Jun 16, 1996

   Fourth title on Father's Day; the Air Jordan XI shoe.

8. Jun 11, 1997

   Jordan scores 38 in the 'Flu Game,' Game 5 of the Finals.

9. Jun 13, 1997

   Fifth title on Steve Kerr's late jumper; the Air Jordan XII shoe.

10. Jun 14, 1998

    Sixth title on 'The Last Shot' in Salt Lake City; the Air Jordan XIV shoe.

11. Jan 13, 1999

    Jordan retires for the second time.

12. Mar 2023

    The six shoes are offered privately as one set and exhibited in Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and New York.

13. Feb 2, 2024

    The set sells at auction in New York for $8,032,800, a record for game-worn sneakers.

The world in 1991

• Jan 17, 1991

  Operation Desert Storm begins.

• Sep 24, 1991

  Nirvana releases 'Nevermind.'

• 1992

  The Dream Team, Jordan included, wins Olympic gold in Barcelona.

• Jul 23, 1993

  James Jordan, Michael's father, is murdered in North Carolina.

• May 14, 1998

  Seinfeld's finale airs to 76 million viewers.

• Sep 4, 1998

  Google is founded in Menlo Park, California.

• Sep 8, 1998

  Mark McGwire hits his 62nd home run, breaking the single-season record.

Price record

A realized auction price is what a buyer actually paid on the date shown, including the buyer's premium where the sale reported it. It is the strongest kind of reference price, and it is a record of one sale of one object on one day, not a promise of what the next example will bring.

By reference price, Michael Jordan 'The Dynasty Collection' - six championship-clinching game-worn shoes (AJ VI/VII/VIII/XI/XII/XIV) is number 1 of 100 in the sneakers entries of the FLOAT 100. 22 of those 100 rest on a realized sale; the rest carry an asking price or a guide value, and each page says which. Rank within the FLOAT 100 itself (1 here) is editorial: how much an object defines its field, not price alone.

Did you know

• The set holds six single shoes, not six pairs: Jordan handed over one shoe after each title.
• The 1991 Air Jordan VI is a left shoe; the other five are rights.
• Jordan wore the Air Jordan XIII for most of the 1998 Finals and switched to the XIV in the second half of the final game.
• Photographs from four of the title nights show Jordan celebrating in one sneaker because he had already given the other away.
• The Air Jordan XIV was inspired by the Ferrari 550 M that Jordan owned.
• The Bulls' 1992 on-court celebration led the NBA to start presenting the trophy at center court.
• Before this sale, the sneaker record was $2,238,000 for Jordan's Game 2 shoes from the 1998 Finals.