Utah Jazz ball boy Alex Rodriguez wouldn’t take money from Michael Jordan, so MJ came up with another way to pay him for two tickets to a sold-out Jazz-Chicago Bulls game in 1993: His shoes.
Tag Archives: NBA
SCP Auctions is featuring a pair of Michael Jordan’s game-used Nike shoes from 1993 in its current 2017 Fall Premier online auction. The unique acquisition of these shoes – from a former ball boy with the Utah Jazz – is a story worth telling. Now open for bidding through Sat., Nov. 4, at www.scpauctions.com, the current high bid on this particular pair of shoes is $6,430 with two days to go. They are expected to exceed $15,000 once bidding closes.
The significant pair of Jordan’s game-worn Air Jordan VII ‘Cardinal’ sneakers are from the Chicago Bulls’ thrilling 96-92 road victory over the host Utah Jazz on Feb. 1, 1993. The scene inside the Delta Center was very tense that day, not just because it pitted two of the NBA’s top teams, but mainly because Jordan had recently made disparaging comments about Salt Lake City as the host of the upcoming ’93 All-Star game. Jazz fans booed him vigorously every time he touched the ball. All that did was fire “Air Jordan” up.
Jordan even made an incredible half-court shot to beat the first half buzzer, nodding to the crowd in a sarcastic show of thanks. Chicago trailed by 20 points in the final seconds of the third quarter and were still down by 13 with six minutes left. That’s when “His Airness” took over, scoring 20 points himself in the final 8:45 and willing his team to the four-point victory. He finished with 37 points on 13-28 shooting and seven rebounds, overshadowing a 40-point effort from Jazz star Karl Malone.
The story behind the acquisition of these shoes, however, is one worth telling. Former Utah Jazz ball boy, Alex Rodriguez, who had befriended the superstar on previous trips to Utah, was working in the visitor’s locker room prior to the game and overheard Jordan asking about extra tickets to that night’s game.
“He needed two extra tickets and not even the Utah Jazz ticket manager had any left,” recalls Rodriguez. “I sat next to Jordan and told him he could have my two tickets since the ball boys each received two to every game. He was very thankful and said he wanted to buy them from me. I told him, ‘No, you can just have them.’ He looked at me and said, ‘Okay, then you can have my shoes after the game.’”
When the game ended, Jordan was swarmed in the visiting locker room. “You couldn’t even see him what with all of the reporters. Suddenly he just stood up and called over to me. He asked the reporters to move and it was like Moses parting the Red Sea. I walked up through the gauntlet of reporters and he signed the shoes and said: ‘Here, Alex. Thank you very much. You are very kind.’ I said thanks and took off with the shoes and hid them in my locker.”
The size 13 shoes are the rare Air Jordan VII ‘Cardinal’ style heavily coveted by collectors. White with red and black accents, they sport a silhouetted Michael Jordan flying in for a slam dunk embroidered in gold on each ankle. Both shoes include Jordan’s patented number “23” in raised white numbers on the heels positioned on top of a red and black triangular motif. “AIR JORDAN” is embroidered in black into both white tongues and they are both properly tagged on the interior with “920112FT2”. The shoes have each been signed by Michael on the outer rear area in black marker just below the embroidered gold silhouette. The shoes show evident court use and are properly tagged and structurally sound, with their original white laces.
Bidding is open to registered bidders only at www.scpauctions.com and closes on Sat., Nov. 4. Please call 949-831-3700 for info. -Terry Melia
On the weekend of the annual Naismith Hall of Fame inductions, we’ve learned SCP Auctions will be offering a jersey that would be at home in Springfield, MA.
Game-worn Michael Jordan sneakers selling at auction for exorbitant prices is hardly a new phenomenon, but the pair you’re about to see has the potential to be one of the most shocking sales yet. Offered by sports memorabilia specialists SCP Auctions is a pair of Converse sneakers worn and signed by NBA icon Michael Jordan during the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The pair in question is said to be worn by Jordan during an August 10, 1984 Olympics final round showdown against Spain.
George Mikan was the NBA’s first big man. Standing 6’ 10” tall, the late Basketball Hall of Famer helped redefine the center position during his glory years playing for the Minneapolis Lakers. Mikan broke the mold, so to speak, and along with his emergence as the NBA’s top draw during the league’s early days, regional distributions of the man’s likeness were being distributed for the team’s growing legion of fans. One such offering came in the early ‘50s by way of Scott’s Potato Chips of Minneapolis.
SCP Auctions has brokered the private sale of a uniform worn by Wilt Chamberlain during his 1959-60 rookie season with the Philadelphia Warriors. The #13 jersey and shorts were authenticated and graded A9 by MEARS and recently photomatched by MeiGray. Among the matching photographs is a color image shot by legendary photographer Neil Leifer for Sports Illustrated on January 5, 1960 that shows Chamberlain leaving the court at Madison Square Garden.
Christian Laettner and “The Shot” are forever linked in basketball lore. Depending on one’s loyalty, it was either a miracle or a tragedy. There were 2.1 seconds remaining in overtime in the 1992 NCAA East Regional Final and Duke trailed Kentucky 103-102. Laettner took a 70-foot inbounds pass from Grant Hill at the top of the key, faked right, turned to the left and dribbled once, and then buried the game-winning shot against Kentucky. That would lead to Duke’s second national title.
A Stephen Curry mouthguard found by a fan at a Golden State Warriors road game in December was sold for $3,190 on Sunday morning in an online auction. California-based SCP Auctions handled the sale. In June, SCP vice president Dan Imler said he expected the mouthguard to sell for at least $5,000. The mouthguard, which has Curry’s name on both it and the carrying case in which it was found, was one of several quirky items sold in the auction.
LeBron made good on his promise to give Cleveland the championship the city so desperately sought. It took 7 games, a historic comeback from a 3-1 deficit, and a Kyrie Irving three to seal the deal, but it actually happened. SCP Auctions is taking us back to the earlier years of LeBron’s career with their latest relic, Game-Worn LeBron Shoes from The King’s rookie season. This Nike Air Zoom Generation pair features that iconic white and black colorway from LeBron’s first game against the Sacramento Kings (although it isn’t specified which outing this particular game used offering is from).
Fans will soon have a chance to buy a type of Steph Curry memorabilia that’s never been on the market before: a game-used mouthguard. SCP Auctions, which is based in California, said it obtained the mouthguard from a fan who picked it up off the floor near the Golden State Warriors bench after a game this season.
