What truly cemented the legacy of the Air Jordan lineup was Michael Jordan’s performance on the court during his time in the playoffs, especially his two three-peat championships between the years 1991-1993 and 1996-1998. These two three-year spans saw MJ rock what many consider to be his greatest sneakers, the Air Jordan 6, 7, 8 and Air Jordan 11, 12, 13, and a debut of the 14 in his final NBA game with the Bulls. Since these were the silhouettes he wore in his championships, their “Playoff” colorways are some of the most sought-after sneakers to this day.
To pay homage to MJ and give collectors a shot at a “holy grail” collection of MJ-worn and signed sneakers, auction house Sotheby’s hosted an auction for clinching game-worn sneakers from each of the Bulls' championships in the 90s (sans the Air Jordan 13).
Each sneaker in the collection comes in its iconic “Playoff” colorway which features shades of black, red, and white throughout its design with signatures from MJ being placed on various portions of the models depending on the silhouette. Jordan’s stats and the date of the clinching championship game are also written in pen to signify the date on which he wore each respective sneaker. Some of the NBA’s most iconic moments in the playoffs took place with these sneakers on the feet of MJ including his “Last Shot” with the AJ 14, his emotional Father’s Day victory with the AJ 11 as this was his first NBA Final’s appearance since the passing of his father, and his 39 point performance in 1997 rocking the AJ 12.
The Sotheby’s The Dynasty Collection was originally on display at Sotheby’s Dubai from February 27th to March 3rd, 2023 with the collection traveling across the globe throughout 2023. Though the auction house offered the set of six sneakers in a private sale, an auction took place in January 2024 with the final sale price being $8,032,800. Take a look below at detailed shots of the sneaker and keep it locked to the Sole Retriever mobile app to stay updated on the latest releases, raffles, news, and more in the sneaker and streetwear world.
Images via Sotheby's
Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. Concerts, music, trying new restaurants, and catching the latest movies are some of the things I enjoy when not writing for Sole Retriever. Email: nick@soleretriever.com
