FILE–Michael Jordan (#23) of the Chicago Bulls sticks out his tongue as he goes past Bryon Russell of the Utah Jazz 11 June 1997 during game five of the 1997 NBA Finals at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. AFP PHOTO/Jeff HAYNES
Shoes worn by NBA legend Michael Jordan in the famous “Flu Game” of the 1997 NBA Finals were sold at auction for $1.38 million, Goldin memorabilia marketplace announced Thursday.
The sneakers were part of history for Jordan and the Bulls, who won six NBA titles in the 1990s.
The Bulls and Utah were tied in the 1997 best-of-seven NBA Finals at two wins each ahead of game five, when Jordan felt ill, feverish and dehydrated due to a stomach virus but played for Chicago anyway.
Jordan scored 38 points in 44 minutes and made the decisive 3-pointer in the dying seconds for a 90-88 Bulls triumph — delivering the only Jazz home loss of the playoffs — and Chicago went on to capture the crown in six games, with Jordan taking the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award.
The shoes, which had belonged to a former Jazz ballboy, were first sold at auction 10 years ago for almost $105,000.