Michael Jordan shoes auctioned for $104K

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — An auction company says Michael Jordan’s shoes from the famous flu game of the 1997 NBA finals have sold for more than $100,000.

The shoes were owned by a Utah Jazz ball boy who befriended Jordan when the Chicago Bulls visited Salt Lake City. Jordan was playing with what he thought was the flu, but still led the Bulls to a key victory in the NBA Finals.

Preston Truman has said he asked for Jordan’s shoes after the game.

Truman kept the shoes locked in a safe-deposit box at a Utah bank for 15 years. He recalls turning down an $11,000 offer for the red-and-black shoes from a collector the next season. The recent sale was first reported by ESPN.com.

Grey Flannel Auctions says online bidding started at $5,000 before soaring to more than $104,000 when bidding closed Thursday. The buyer wasn’t identified.