One of the first sneakers Michael Jordan wore during an actual NBA game will be auctioned off next month, according to ESPN. Khalid Ali, a ball boy for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1984 to 1985 season, consigned this highly unique pair to SCP Auctions.
According to the report, Jordan gave the shoes to Ali after the Chicago Bulls beat the Lakers on Dec. 2, 1984, scoring 113-112. Plus, it was a game where Jordan scored 20 points. “I didn’t really talk about them much,” Ali said, according to Time. “People who met me after my teenage years don’t even know I have them.”
Ali was only 15 years old at that time. Jordan was already making it big in the league, and Ali was one of his biggest fans. He finally went out on a limb and asked Jordan if he could have the sneakers during the warm-up period, the one that had a red, black, and white color scheme. Jordan then told him that he would be switching to a different pair, one that had a red and white color way, for the actual game, as told by Sporting News.
Once the game was over and the Bulls ended up victorious, Ali asked again and Jordan kindly obliged. He even affixed his signature on the shoes for him.
Dan Imler, the vice president of SCP Auctions, believes that this classic pair of sneakers can be priced at a little over $50,000. “People obsess over game-worn Jordan’s,” Imler said. “There’s definite value to the fact that these are the earliest ones that have surfaced.”
Pro Basketball Talk pointed out that the internationally known basketball icon has already played 18 NBA games before he wore this particular pair. Although they are recognized as the oldest available as of the moment, the report mentioned that it will lose its value once the other pairs Jordan wore in the first 18 games surface.
Although these Jordan’s are very valuable to Ali, he is admittedly okay with the idea of parting with them. “They were just in my mom’s closet,” he shared.
Those who want to have these shoes in their collection must start saving soon, especially since the auction will kick off on April 8 this year. Its exact price remains unknown, but considering that it is the oldest available Jordan’s out there, its price tag will certainly make any collector’s jaw drop.