No, you are not about to read about the most expensive basketball shoes in 2017, as we prepared something much better – we will reveal to you the most expensive basketball shoes of all time! Still up for it?
Once I started researching this topic, I realized basketball could be a very expensive sport. Starting from balls to sportswear, the prices are very high! Even though we weren’t able to find information about the world’s most expensive basketball ball, one thing was cleared for us – most expensive basketballs are the ones covered with genuine leather. And who can afford them? Well, the professional players and teams of course! Did you know that one of the most expensive basketball players is Stephen Curry? He signed the contract worth of $201 million this year!
Pixabay/Public Domain
Every fan of basketball, or basically any other sport, would say that it is “more than a sport”. And in some sense they are right. People who watch, cheer and follow sport develop feelings towards it, towards the team that plays or even particular players. Furthermore, real followers are usually interested in clothes the players are promoting, the music they listen or even what kind of food they eat. That implies that if a sportsman is representing some company, that company can gain a lot on their popularity. So naturally, companies have a big interest in “having” their own sports person.
The most profitable of all companies are probably the shoe ones. For example, Nike is the world’s largest company not only for athletic shoes, but for other sports equipment as well. Moreover, their global annual revenue is more than 32 billion US dollars! Then we have Adidas whose sales reached € 19.3 billion for the year 2016. All in all, sports stores and brands popularity is something that will not change in a near future. People are getting more and more into being fit, sporty and to eat healthy, and moreover they are absolutely ready to spend a lot of money on it.
Not to get too far from our original topic, let’s explain the methodology we used in order to create the list which you can find on the following pages. First, we browsed the Internet a lot in addition to take as many suggestions as we can from the sites such as Sole Collector, Sneaker Freaker, Stockx, eBay and Sneaker News, to name several. Then we checked for each suggestion their highest price, compared them and voila – we got the list of most expensive basketball shoes of all time! For the sake of reference, the average price for decent Nike basketball shoes goes in a range from $80 to $160, according to their site.
A special notion for the basketball lovers – don’t get disappointed, but the most expensive LeBron James shoes are not on the list! Even though it sounds impossible there are more expensive basketball shoes such as Nike Air zoom Kobe 1 and Adidas Golden KB8. Also, just to keep you interested, our number one on the list are in the same time one of the most expensive basketball shoes in the world that were sold in 2017. What’s more, if you are not just interested in basketball shoes, but all the other types as well, we suggest you to read 25 Most Expensive Shoes in The World. Not to prolong it anymore, let’s check out our list!
20. Air Jordan 5 Tokyo 23
Price: $4,000
Another pair of Michael Jordan’s signature basketball shoes is worth $4,000! These sneakers have yellow upper, the Jordan 5’s signature on its metallic tongue and what’s more Jordan Brand’s signature is printed in black and yellow on the back. This explains its price!
19. Kanye West X Adidas Yeezy 750 Boost
Price: $4,500
Model of Adidas Yeezy 750 Boost is the result of the collaboration with the famous rapper Kanye West. The design is amazing and it comes in two colors – black and gray. Even though we found the highest price of $4,500 for this pair of shoes, there are however other cheaper offers as well.
18. Air Jordan 10 Retro “PSNY”
Price: $4,599
This pair has one of the best traction one basketball shoe can have, according to some reviews. They are made in collaboration with Public School. They have a black and red scheme, with the gray outsole and PSNY noted on the heel tab.
17. Nike Air Foamposite YOTS
Price: $4,999
This colorful model was the signature shoe of Anfernee ‘Penny’ Hardaway in 1997. It represented the first Nike shoes which had the Foamposite technology of synthetic leathers surrounding the upper. The design was dedicated to the basketball culture in the Chinese town Tianjin. There are lotus flower patches on the tongue and fish graphics all over them.
16. Air Jordan 6
Price: $7,000
According to most of the reviews, Air Jordan basketball shoes, are not only among the most expensive basketball shoes of all time, they are also considered to be the ‘most comfortable joggers ever made’. Moreover, they are the last Jordans with Nike Air logo. Jordan wore them in 1991 when Chicago Bulls won their first championship.
15. Adidas Golden KB8
Price: $ 7,999
This extremely expensive pair of basketball shoes was unveiled in 1995. They were created for the 1998 Slam Dunk Contest and Kobe Bryant, with the number 8 representing his shirt number then. Some years after, in 2002, they were renamed into Crazy 8, once Kobe left Adidas. They were made as a production test, with just two pairs ever made. One was in black, white and blue, while the other was with black, white and yellow colors. On eBay their price reaches up to $7,999!
14. Air Jordan 13 Retro
Price: $7,999
Next in line on our list of most expensive basketball shoes of all time is the Air Jordan 13 is Michael Jordan’s thirteenth signature basketball shoe. The design was done by Tinker Hatfield who found inspiration in black panther. The outsole is made to represent the black cat’s paw, while the jewel on the heel represents the eyes. The average price of this pair of basketball shoes goes from $170 – $200, however they could be found on eBay for $7,999 with Jordan’s signature!
13. Nike Air Jordan 3 Retro Oregon Pit Crew
Price: $9,000
This amazing pair of sneakers is mostly remembered when they were gifted to Kevin Durant. The news couldn’t stop writing how happy he must be to receive such an exclusive pair of basketball shoes. They are designed in tribute to Oregon’s raucous game-day student section.
12. Air Jordan 4 Retro “Military Blue”
Price: $15,000
On the 12th place on our list of the most expensive basketball shoes of all time is Jordan’s 4 Retro Military Blue! This pair was very popular once released and they could be found in only a couple of stores. However, now you can still find them on eBay, but for the price of $15,000!
11. Wu Tang Nike Dunks
Price: $18,954
Wu Tang Clan is anhip-hop group from the NYC boroughs of Staten Island, Brooklyn and Bronx. In collaboration with Nike they created a special edition Wu-Tang Clan “Friends & Family” in 1999. According to sneaker historians, the Nike Dunk is one of the “holy landmarks of Nike Basketball and Nike Sportswear history”.
10. Nike Air Jordan 3 “Legends of Summer”
Price: $19,000
Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake had a concert “Legends of Summer” in 2013. Their fans got crazy not just over their music, but their footwear as well! They wore the Air Jordan 3 Legends of Summer, which after remained popular because of this concert. A small number of them was produced, only for the musicians and their families, however some fans succeeded in grabbing a pair as well.
9. Nike Air Jeezy 2 Red October
Price: $19,999
The Nike Air Yeezy represents the collaboration between Nike and Kanye West from 2007 to 2009. “Yeezy” stands for the West’s nickname. The release of the model Red October was strange as Kanye previously cut ties with the brand. The pair is made of a mix of leather, rugged ballistic nylon, and soft nubuck.
8. Nike Air Jordan 1
Price: $19,999
Air Jordan 1, were the first Jordan basketball shoes released in 1985, with limited edition of 12 pairs. The design was black and red, colors of Chicago Bulls uniforms in those years. What was special about them was that each pair was personally signed by Michael Jordan.
7. Nike Air Jordan III White Fire Red Original 1988
Price: $29,999
With this high price, the design must be amazing! And having in mind it was made by Tinker Hatfield , it is quite obvious why they were so popular. However, their comfortability is something that shouldn’t be neglected as well, when we talk about this model. Michael Jordan won a Slam Dunk contest wearing them. What is for sure is that they are expensive enough for our list of most expensive basketball shoes of all time.
6. Air Jordan 4 Retro “CARHARTT X EMINEM”
Price: $30,100
This pair of Michael Jordan’s shoes was reinvented for modern wear. They have full-grain leather and mesh upper with thermoplastic lace locks. Also, for easier entry they offer heel pull-tab. Outsole is solid rubber.
5. Nike Air Yeezy 1 (Grammy Prototype)
Price: $50,000
Another pair of Jeezy on our list is Nike Air Jeezy 1 which was released in 2009. Once they have been accessible to the public, they were very hard to find. The pair that we found on eBay for the price of $50,000 is claimed to be worn by Kanye himself!
4. Nike Air Mag
Price: $52,500
Number four on our list of most expensive basketball shoes of all time are these special edition basketball sneakers with futuristic looks cost nothing less than $52,500! Their popularity increased after Michael J. Fox wore them. Nike first made just 20 pairs of them, but being so amazing, there was a petition that asked for a return of this model. Nike made 1500 replicas, which were later auctioned on eBay in 2011.
3. Reebok Question
Price: $65,000
Reebok Questions were sold for the price of $65,000!! Maybe not the most expensive basketball shoes of all time, but expensive enough to be on our list. You must be asking why are they so abnormally expensive? Featuring a design by Allen Iverson, they had 246 studded diamonds and a leather upper. They are still very popular coming out in different colors. For this price they were sold at an auction.
2. Air Jordan 12
Price: $104,765
This amazing pair of Jordans was sold at an auction for whopping 104,765 dollars! Jordan wore them during Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, in which he scored 38 points for the Chicago Bulls. The buyer has remained unknown to the public.
1.Converse Fastbreak Mids
Price: $190, 372
On the top of our list of the most expensive basketball shoes of all time are, believe it or not, Converse Fastbreak Mids! They are so special because Michael Jordan wore them at the 1984 Olympic gold medal game. They were sold at the SCP Auction for this price and with it they set a new price record for game-worn shoes from any sport.
Pixabay/Public Domain
