11 of the most expensive sneakers in history, from Kanye Ye Wests Grammy-worn Nike Air Yeez
The self-lacing Nike MAG is quite possibly the rarest and most desirable trainer ever made. Based on Marty McFly’s attire from Back To The Future II, these cool kicks were initially released in 2011 and again on October 21, 2015 – the date Marty and Doc travelled to in the 1989 film.
Nike raffled off 89 pairs, with tickets to enter costing US$10 each and all proceeds going toward the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research.
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10. 1997 Air Jordan 12 Flu Game – US$$105,000
Twenty-five years ago, the “flu game” became one of Michael Jordan’s career-defining moments. His iconic Air Jordan 12s worn that night were gifted to Utah Jazz ball boy Preston Truman, who sold them for a then world record fee back in 2013. Over the years, the game-worn red and black trainers featuring Jordan’s autograph have received a hefty price tag – and cult status.
9. 1992 game-worn Air Jordan 7 Olympic – US$$113,000
The 1992 Olympic “Dream Team” was one of the greatest sports teams ever assembled. These are the shoes worn by Jordan during that historic run when the US team won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. The team set a record by defeating its eight opponents by an average of 44 points. “MJ” signed the pair and gifted it to a staffer on the team.
8. 1984 Michael Jordan game-worn Converse Fastbreak mid-top – US$137,000
There was a time, before he signed with Nike and eventually became synonymous with Air Jordans, when Jordan wore Converse. This pair is what the star in making wore at the 1984 Olympics, where the US team won the gold medal. Not only are the trainers important for being part of that victorious game, but also because these were the last Converse pair that Jordan wore.
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7. 1960s Bill Bowerman handmade prototype logo track spikes – US$$315,000
They might look like nothing but a battered pair of shoes, but they’re actually handmade by Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman in the 1960s, and updated in the 1970s. The shoes feature “waffle” soles under each set of track spikes – the first notable innovation introduced by Nike when they premiered the Nike Moon Shoe at the 1972 US Olympic Trials.
6. Louis Vuitton and Nike Air Force 1 by Virgil Abloh – US$350,000
on February 9, a US size five pair went for US$350,000 at Sotheby’s auction of the Louis Vuitton and Nike Air Force 1 along with a Louis Vuitton pilot case. The sale turned out to be the most valuable charity auction at Sotheby’s in nearly 10 years, achieving a total of US$25.3 million in a 200-lot sale – 100 per cent of the proceeds will benefit The Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund.5. 1972 Nike waffle racing flat Moon Shoe – US$437,500
Nike co-founder Bowerman ingeniously poured rubber into his wife’s waffle maker to get the groundbreaking idea of studded soles. The Moon Shoe got its name from the resemblance between the waffle pattern left in the dirt and the famous tracks left on the moon by astronauts in 1969.
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4. 1985 game-worn Nike Air Jordan 1 – US$560,000
This stellar pair of high-tops were from Jordan’s early days playing for the Chicago Bulls. The pair shattered the record of Nike Moon Shoe by selling for more than 3.5 times their US$150,000 high estimate.
3. 1985 game-worn Nike Air Jordan 1 – US$610,000
Only Jordan can break his own record! This pair of game-worn Jordan 1 shoes was infamous for the shattered backboard incident at a game in 1985. A piece of glass from the board is still embedded in one of the shoes.
2. 1987 game-worn Nike Air Ship – US$1.47 million
As legendary as the player wearing them is this pair of Jordan autographed Nike Air Ship sneakers that sold for US$1.47 million, christening them as a legendary piece of basketball and sports history. The high-tops were worn by MJ during his fifth NBA game in his rookie season on November 1, 1984 – before Nike finished the first Air Jordans. Avid trading card collector Nick Fiorella later acquired them.
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1. Kanye West Grammy-worn Nike Air Yeezy sample – US$1.8 million
One of the most expensive pair of trainers in the world is West’s Nike Air Yeezy samples from before he collaborated with Adidas. These black leather high-tops were the first pair to cross the US$1 million mark. Sotheby’s stated the pair was sold for more than a staggering US$1.8 million in a private sale to trainers investment platform Rares in West’s very own size, a US 12, in April 2021.ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51kuqKzwLOgp52jZMC1xcueZqWtqKq%2FunvAq6uim5yafHR9lXFobW9fZn5uuc6sq2adqKWyr7%2FIr5xmq56arqyx0axkoaGjqbyzxYykmKexlWLGpnnWnqqtq12cv6K5zLI%3D