The Chicago Bulls completed their second Three-Peat of the decade after compiling a 62-20 regular season record during the 1997-98 campaign. Once again it was Michael Jordan leading the way, winning his unprecedented 10th scoring title (28.7 ppg) and 5th league MVP award. MJ and company cruised through the first two rounds of the playoffs before needing seven games to overcome a tough Reggie Miller-led Indiana Pacers squad in the Eastern Conference Finals. The NBA Finals rematch against the Utah Jazz was another classic, culminating with "The Last Shot" in Game 6 when Jordan nailed a last-second jumper over Byron Russell to secure title number six and Finals MVP number six.
This pair of Michael's Air Jordan XIII game-worn and autographed sneakers hail from that special 1997-98 season, his last in a Bulls uniform. Jordan wore these white/red mid-tops through the regular season and into the
playoffs before introducing the AJ XIV in The Finals. According to a handwritten note left in one of the shoes by a former United Center employee, to whom MJ gifted the shoes, Jordan had these on during Chicago's 87-80 road win over the 76ers on April 17, 1998. He netted 24 points and grabbed six boards that night, playing ferocious defense with five steals and holding Allen Iverson to a miserable 4-17 shooting performance. Jordan was, after all, voted NBA 1st Team All Defense nine times. There's a great style/photo-match (Getty 51640602) with MJ all over one of AI's shot attempts. A detailed letter of provenance from our trusted consignor explains that he got the pair from one of the workers tasked with changing the court and ice surfaces between Bulls and Blackhawks games.
Released late in 1997 the Air Jordan XIII's came in seven different colorways, five for the mid-top and two for the low-top versions. Denzel Washington's conflicted character in Spike Lee's He Got Game sported a pair, further adding to their mystique and commercial appeal. "Inspired by a panther, the AJ 13 bursts of animalistic designs.
Tinker Hatfield crafted an astonishing sneaker inhibiting a paw-like
sole and a hologram featured on the upper favoring an eye of a panther.
Inside the hologram, a basketball, the Jumpman, and number 23 are
visible. The AJ 13 delivers greatly featuring Nike Zoom technology and
is popular among sneakerheads (KicksOnFire.com)."
The size 13.5 sneakers with accurate Nike tagging show adequate wear inside and out. There's obvious sock sweating on the insoles, appropriate heel drag on the outsoles, and some bleeding of the red fabric midsole cushioning into the white leather canvas (a trend we noticed on other AJ 13 gamers sold in the hobby). Michael has signed the right shoe on the outer ankle in 8/10 black marker. The autograph was obtained in-person in 2003 while Jordan was playing golf at Olympia Fields C.C. where our consignor was a longtime member, the details of which are also included in the LOP. This is the first time SCP has ever listed a pair of MJ's Air Jordan XIII gamers, coming from his final season in Chicago that cemented his legacy as basketball's GOAT.
Includes letter of provenance from consignor, CEO of one of the oldest pizza chains in Chicago and all of the U.S. Full LOA from JSA for autograph.