Great, here are 6 more Jordans I won’t get through Nike’s SNKRS app
OPINION: Sotheby’s is auctioning off a set of six individual championship-game-worn shoes autographed by Michael Jordan. Pretty sure it will go for many millions — pretty sure I’ll take another L.
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
If you are a sneakerhead or even a sneaker enthusiast of sorts, there’s a better than 95% chance that you own at least one pair of Jordans. Me? I own somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 or 60 (I’m estimating, but it wouldn’t be less than that) with a mixture of 1s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 6s, 8s, 11s, 13s and 1 single, solitary pair of Jordan 14s. My Jordan collection is mostly Jordan 1s because who isn’t, ya know?
For many people, some pair of Jordans — probably an actual pair of Jordan 1 “Chicago” or some combination of black and red pair of any model — are grail sneakers, with grails being highly coveted sneakers, be they rare or exclusives. The sneaker and sneaker resale market is largely built on this idea; people spend ridiculous amounts of money for pairs of shoes they weren’t able to get at the retail price. Entire marketplaces like StockX and GOAT, and even eBay (among a litany of others) have all sprung up around the idea of finding a way of separating people from their money via sneakers that are hard to get.
It’s a vibe, really. One of the more fun ways to engage in the sneaker market is through Nike’s SNKRS app, its daily and weekly release method of lowering self-esteem. I’m joking. It’s really Nike’s online retail for shoe drops. It just so happens that so many of us miss out on shoes through SNKRS that our esteem drops, all on its own. Now Sotheby’s is getting in on this action. It was recently reported that the auction house is about to sell a set of shoes called “The Dynasty Collection,” six individual championship-game-worn shoes signed by Jordan. Each shoe is one of the actual shoes Michael Jordan wore in his final game of each championship series during each of the Chicago Bulls’ two three-peats. The collection includes a left shoe of his 1991 Jordan 6, and right shoes for each subsequent championship: 1992’s Jordan 7, 1993’s Jordan 8, 1996’s Jordan 11, 1997’s Jordan 12 and 1998’s Jordan 14. It is important to note here that Jordan, against the wishes of the shoe’s designer Tinker Hatfield, broke out the Jordan 14 during the 1998 finals wearing them in games three and four and the final game of the series, game 6, which is why the Jordan 13, which he wore during the 1997-1998 season aren’t featured in the sale.
I’m fairly certain that this collection of shoes is about to go for an insane amount of money, which, according to a collector, could be anywhere from $20 to $100 million. If I was an owner of an insane amount of money, I might bid on them. I mean, can you imagine owning game-worn Jordans, but like the ones he wore IN THE SERIES CLINCHING GAMES?? I simply cannot fathom this at all. If I owned them, I’d walk by them every day and give them a head nod as a sign of respect. And they’re signed? Yeah, the folks holding tremendous bags of money are about to get despicable with the bids on these shoes. Me? I’m just going to patiently wait to see what this collection goes for and lament the fact that, “well, great, there’s ANOTHER set of Jordans I can’t get on the SNKRS app.”
I’m sure that’s one of the thoughts of every sneakerhead out there. Thankfully, there are plenty of Jordan releases coming up in March including the A Ma Maniére Jordan 12s and the Carolina Blue Jordan 5s. Granted, Jordan never wore those shoes on the court (and probably ever in life; I wonder if Jordan still wears his own Jordans at this point) but a dope shoe is a dope shoe.
Meanwhile, if you or anybody you know wants to put in on this collection, I have $5 ready to go right now. We can build a conglomerate of folks like they do when folks are bidding on sports teams. Right now, with my money in, we’re probably short $20 to $100 million.
Holla at me.
Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio. He writes very Black things and drinks very brown liquors, and is pretty fly for a light guy. His biggest accomplishment to date coincides with his Blackest accomplishment to date in that he received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey after she read one of his pieces (biggest), but he didn’t answer the phone because the caller ID said: “Unknown” (Blackest).
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