Air Jordans from Michael Jordan's 1985 broken foot game are back up for auction

Who sits atop the totem pole of basketball greats? You'll have some pretty historic names up there like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and of course, Michael Jordan. For many basketball enthusiasts, Michael Jordan is often regarded as the undisputed Greatest of All Time (GOAT). Jordan's dominant reign over the NBA is a nostalgic and historic era that defined basketball in the 90s. Jordan's transcendent star appeal made him a household name, appearing in a wide array of commercials, product endorsements, and even on the big screen in the 1996 cult classic, Space Jam. But without a doubt, it's Michael Jordan's sneaker endeavors that have largely stuck as a cultural icon some 25-30+ years later, with his Air Jordan line.

Retro Air Jordan models are essentially gold mines amongst the sneakerhead community, especially if they're one of the more iconic color variants from Michael Jordan's historic career. But it doesn't get any more historic than a pair of Air Jordans headed for auction, infamous for being worn in a 1985 game where the arguable GOAT broke his foot. Jordan's sophomore season was cut short after he suffered an acute undisplaced fracture of the navicular bone in his left foot during a game against the Golden State Warriors, limiting him to just 18 appearances. The injury could have proved catastrophic for the standout Jordan, who was proving to be the Chicago Bulls' franchise star for the future.

The ill-famed shoes have now found their way in a Lelands auction, where the product description states they are "Likely the Last Pair of Original Air Jordan I's MJ Ever Wore!" These historic set of kicks are up for grabs till June 30, with the starting bid being placed at $100,000. As of the time of this writing, there has yet to be an opening bid placed on the significant basketball relic.

These iconic Air Jordan 1s hold a profound significance in the illustrious career of basketball legend Michael Jordan.

Oddly enough, the sneakers were previously auctioned in February 2022 by The MINT25 Auction conducted by Lelands, where they sold for a closing bid of $422,000. Just over two years later, Lelands will oversee the auction involving the same pair of classic Air Jordans. It's odd for a collector to only sit on this one-of-a-kind piece for such a short period, but they're clearly confident to make an even return or significantly more than what they initially paid.

Lelands anticipates the shoes will net a price between $400,000 and $500,000, which is nothing too crazy above what they originally sold for in 2022. It is highly probable that the original buyer will ultimately end up absorbing a modest loss due to the market's gradual slowdown from its peak during the pandemic era. Nevertheless, they're still a piece of history, and some die-hard Jordan fan with a considerable amount of disposable income can become the sole owners (pun intended) of these retro kicks.