The 1984 U.S. Men’s Basketball team was USA’s last amateur squad to win an Olympic gold medal, and in many circles is considered the best amateur basketball team ever. Led by future Hall of Famers Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin, and coached by the great Bobby Knight, this exceptionally talented group of twelve young men put on quite a show in Los Angeles at the 1984 Summer Games en route to a perfect 8-0 record with an average margin of victory of over 30 points per game. It was a level of domination not seen until eight years later in Barcelona when the 1992 Dream Team—with Jordan, Ewing and Mullin in the prime of their NBA careers—officially “professionalized” basketball at the Olympics.
SCP Auctions is proud to feature one of the most coveted artifacts from Michael Jordan’s legendary playing career: the actual shoes he wore in the 1984 Olympic Finals against Spain on August 10, 1984, at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. These historic sneakers are the last pair Jordan wore in competition as an amateur and represent perhaps his crowning athletic achievement before turning professional and starting his NBA legacy with the Chicago Bulls. (Of course MJ’s other shining amateur moment was sinking the game-winner for UNC in the 1982 NCAA Championship, but the whereabouts of those shoes is unknown and who knows if they ever surface.) A 21-year-old, baby-faced Jordan led USA in scoring at 17.1 points per game during the ’84 Games. In USA’s 96-65 victory over Spain to claim gold, Jordan scored a game-high 20 points while sporting these classic Converse sneakers. It would be the last time Jordan was ever seen wearing Converse. A certain 4-letter brand based in Oregon would soon take hold of His Airness’ services and change the shoe industry forever.
The white and navy blue trimmed shoes are a canvas and leather mid-top design. The navy blue Converse star logo appears on both sides and again on the upper heels. The size 13 and manufacturer codes are stamped on the interior. The original white laces are present and they even include MJ’s very own navy blue orthotic inserts. The shoes are very well-preserved with all structural and aesthetic components perfectly intact. Game use is evident throughout, with proper heel drag, leather creasing and light scuffing. Jordan has signed both sneakers—the right shoe on the inner ankle, the left shoe on the outer ankle—in 6-7/10 black marker in his early, pre-NBA autograph form. Perhaps the only blemish is the slight fading of the white canvas paneling to a now more off-white or cream color.
The shoes come with impeccable provenance from the ball boy, who worked nearly every USA game at the Forum. This ball boy just so happens to be the son of Laker great Gail Goodrich, who oversaw game operations at The Forum for the entirety of the Olympic tournament. A detailed letter of provenance from Goodrich’s son explains the story of how this fortunate 11-year-old ball boy procured the shoes directly from Jordan and got them signed in the locker room right after the gold medal final. The attached image of his official ’84 L.A. Games full access Forum badge provides further verification.
Includes two full LOAs from PSA/DNA, one for each shoe.
Note: This is not the same pair offered at auction in 2015. That was a different pair worn earlier in the tournament and procured by different ball boy. It has been verified that Jordan wore only two pairs during the 1984 Olympic tournament. It has also been verified that this is the one and only pair MJ wore in the gold medal final.