This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/23/2015
During the summer of 1992, a group of 12 American basketball players set off to win an Olympic gold medal in Barcelona, Spain. Only this particular group was special. Competing as the 1992 United States Men's Olympic basketball team, they were dubbed the "Dream Team" and represented the first American Olympic squad to feature active professional NBA players. Described by American journalists as the greatest sports team ever assembled and called "the greatest collection of basketball talent on the planet" by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, this unstoppable bunch defeated its opponents by an average of 44 points in capturing the gold medal. Head Coach Chuck Daly had 11 future Hall of Famers and the reigning NCAA Player of the Year (Laettner) to juggle in and out of his rotations. The one decision he never had to think twice about was inserting Michael Jordan into the starting lineup. MJ was the only member of the Dream Team to start in all eight games of the tournament. He averaged 14.9 points, 4.8 assists and a ridiculous 4.6 steals in limited minutes. In Barcelona, Michael wore a special edition of Air Jordan VII shoes that Nike issued specifically for the ’92 Olympics. Presented here is an extremely rare pair of MJ’s game-worn shoes from his magical run with the Dream Team that summer – the 2nd ever to surface. The historic sneakers come with impeccable provenance, sourced by a close friend and former teammate of Jordan’s who wishes to remain anonymous.
Coming off the success of the Air Jordan VI and MJ’s first NBA title with the Chicago Bulls in 1991, legendary Nike designer Tinker Hatfield continued his innovation with the Air Jordan VII in 1992 (see Lot 775). Only this special edition pair came with unique Olympic “Dream Team” variations. While the mostly white leather exterior remained, the upper ankle section became blue with a gold Jumpman logo. The outsoles changed to a patriotic red, white and blue combo with a white Jumpman. The tongues, heel pads and pull tabs took on more Olympic color themes as well. Most significant was MJ’s iconic No. 23 on the outside rubber heal section changing to the No. 9 he wore in Barcelona. The size 13 shoes exhibit solid game use inside and out, and can be easily style-matched to game photos from the tournament. The laces are not the originals.