Michael Jordan’s Air Jordan 1s auctioned for record $873,000

Amid the global hysteria surrounding The Last Dance, the Air Jordan 1s have sold for an eye-watering amount.

Michael Jordan's autographed match-worn sneakers have sold for $US$560,000. Picture: Sotheby’s

NBA great Michael Jordan’s autographed match-worn sneakers from his rookie season in 1985 have fetched a record $US560,000 ($A873,000) in an online auction.

The Air Jordan 1s, designed for Jordan in 1985 and the first signature sneakers, were expected to fetch between $100,000 ($A155,000) to $150,000 ($A233,000) in the auction that closed on Sunday.

The auction coincided with the release of The Last Dance documentary.

Known for selling multimillion-dollar art, Sotheby’s held its first auction dedicated entirely to sneakers last year and had then set a world record of $437,500 ($A682,000) for a pair of 1972 Nike running shoes known as the “Moon Shoe”.

Like most of Jordan’s basketball shoes, the auctioned 1s are a mismatched pair in a size 13 (left) and size 13.5 (right).

They were worn by Jordan in 1985 and feature the red and white “Chicago” colourway, with black Swoosh and accents.

The auction coincided with the 35th anniversary of the Air Jordan brand and the screening of the 10-part ESPN documentary The Last Dance about the Chicago Bulls and Jordan.

The shoes were sold by collector Jordan Geller, the founder of the sneaker museum Shoezeum in Las Vegas.

The most expensive shoes bought at auction are Judy Garland’s ruby red slippers from “The Wizard of Oz”, which sold for $666,000 ($A1.04 million) in 2000.

Reuters