This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/1/2020
Fresh to the market, these shoes are a pair of incredibly rare and sought after post-injury Air Jordan 1s. In the third game of the 1985-86 season, Jordan fractured his left foot, forcing him to be sidelined until the end of the season. Jordan played a total of 18 games in the season. In an effort to support Jordan’s injury rehabilitation, Nike created a limited number of these custom modified original Air Jordan 1s with straps for extra support, and never sold them to the public. Michael Jordan famously pushed for his arguably premature return to basketball, with doctors warning him that a re-aggravation of this injury could threaten his career longevity.
Jordan returned from injury on March 15th, 1986 but the Bulls struggled mightily, going 1-6 in his first seven games back from injury. The Bulls needed Jordan to turn around their season. On March 29th, 1986, Michael Jordan played the Knicks in his eighth game back and scored an impressive 24 points in 23 minutes, leading the team to a much-needed victory.
The same night the consignor of the shoes, watched Jordan play. The consignor's father played professional basketball in Italy and was friends with the official of the game, Roger McCann. After the game, Roger facilitated a meeting between Jordan and the consignor and his father, who was still a child at the time. Jordan took off both sneakers, signed both of them then gave the shoes to the consignor who took them home and placed them in a shoe box. Now, after 34 years, the shoes have come out of the box and are being offered for auction. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to own a piece of history. Original Jordan 1s are already impossible to find, but the injury modification ones are near nonexistent, only two have ever surfaced.
The left and right shoes are size "13" and "13 1/2", each coded at interior ankle "850102 TYPS." The coding on the inside of the shoes refers to the date of production. These shoes were made in 1985 between the months of January (01) and February (02). TYPS stands for “Tong Yang Player Sample” and means that the shoes are “Player Samples” produced from the “Tong Yang'” factory. The shoes are accompanied by letter of provenance from the individual that Michael gave them to and a Gotta Have Rock & Roll™ Certificate of Authenticity.