Michael Jordan's "flu game" Jordan 12s are the second most valuable trainers on the planet, recently selling for $1.38 million (£1.08m) on Wednesday at an auction.
Jordan laced up the iconic black and red sneakers against the Utah Jazz during Game 5 of the NBA Finals 26 years ago. Jordan scored an incredible 38 points in just 44 minutes of game time while simultaneously battling food poisoning from the night before.
The Goldin marketplace held an auction event called the Goldin 100, which showcased the best 100 collectible items that the auctioneer could find around the world. The event showcased game-worn and signed sneakers from LeBron James during the NBA Playoffs, as well as Kobe Bryant. However, it was the Flu Game 12s that were the hottest commodity.
Previous NBA players like Jalen Rose have stated their belief that Jordan's "flu" game could have resulted from a hangover rather than being sick. The iconic Chicago Bulls shooting guard was spotted in Las Vegas the night before.
The iconic shoes were in the possession of esteemed sneaker collector and auctioneer Ken Goldin - who had the flu game shoes, as well as every shoe that was worn and autographed by each player on the 1992 Olympic Dream Team. During an interview on Complex, he explained how the shoes became his possession.
"This shoe, without question, is the holy grail of the sneaker industry," said Goldin on the Complex Sneakers Podcast. "The Utah [Jazz] ball boy, [Michael] Jordan, always thought he took care of. Apparently, Jordan was a fan of apple sauce, and with the flu game, not feeling well during or after the game, Jordan goes, 'Do you have my apple sauce' to the ball boy."
Once the Jazz ball boy responded 'yes', Jordan reiterated his promise to give the the lad that took care of him over the course of the game, whether it was the alleged "bad pizza" that made Jordan sick, a strain of the flu, or the rumoured hangover. Either way, Jordan didn't feel, and whenever a break or timeout happened, he was spotted bent over, out of breath, or grimacing in pain.
Regardless, Jordan played well, the Bulls won, and any time someone refers to battling against adversity in the NBA, the flu game comes up in conversation.
"The ball boy had the foresight to take a picture of Jordan taking the shoes off, signing them, and handing them off. That's the way they were sold originally," continued Goldin. "We went through the NBA authentication process and said, 'We want you to photo match the shoes from that game,' and they matched to all four quarters of the game. "
Originally, Goldin believed that the sneakers of the iconic game would sell no lower than an estimated value of £3,159,108, describing the shoe as the most valuable sneaker in the world.
The flu game 12s come second in value to the. Air Jordans wore in Game 2 of the 1998 Finals. Although the sneakers were already legendary in the history of Air Jordan, the sneaker's value increased after being depicted in the 'Last Dance' final selling for £2.238m in April.
