Flu Game shoes

The Flu Game shoes are black and red size 13

Michael Jordan gave the shoes to a ball boy from the Utah Jazz after the game. The shoes were stored in a bank vault for 15 years and sold at auction for over US$104,000 in 2013. They were sold at auction a second time in June 2023 for US$1.38 million.

Background

Before Game 5 of the

After the game, Michael Jordan gave the signed shoes to Utah Jazz' ball boy Preston Truman.[1] The ball boy asked Jordan, "Are you doing anything with your shoes after the game?" Jordan asked, "Why, you want them?" Truman told Jordan he would be honored.^[4]

Truman held onto the shoes for fifteen years, keeping them in a Utah bank safe deposit box. He claims to have turned down an offer for US$11,000.^[4] In 2013, Truman offered the shoes for sale through Grey Flannel Auctions, and the bidding began at US$5,000 before realizing a sale price of US$104,765.^[1] The sale price of the shoes was a record price for game worn shoes at the time.^[5] On June 14, 2023, the shoes were auctioned for a second time, this time on the auction site Goldin.^[1] The bidding was started at US$500,000; after two weeks on the auction site, the price exceeded US$1,000,000.^[2] The shoes eventually realized a sale price of US$1.38 million.^[1] Another pair of Michael Jordan's game worn shoes, called the "Last Dance shoes", sold for US$2.238M.^[6] The shoes were also previously owned by Preston Truman.^[7]

References