Stylish, comfortable, and trendy. No wonder sneakers are one of the most loved shoes all over the world.
Though primarily manufactured for sports and other physical exercises, they have been a part of casual fashion lately.
Most of the time, sneakers are affordable. But have you ever thought about how costly can a good sneaker get?
For the great style or sometimes just a brand value, sneakers have been sold at a ridiculous price that most of us can only ever dream of.
Especially when they are sports memorabilia, the value of a single pair rises to the ceiling.
Top 20 most expensive sneakers ever sold.
In today’s article, we will scower through the 20 most expensive sneakers ever made. The list is compiled from information on eBay and other websites around the internet.
All of the sneakers mentioned here are limited edition and can not be bought randomly at a store. So if you are looking to own any of them, you should keep your eyes on the site.
With that information, let’s go straight into the list:
20. Nike Dunk High LE (WU-TANG) – $15,000
These pair of shoes have a little bit of musical history to them. Wu-Tang Clan is a group of hardcore rappers who were quite popular back in the days, in the 1990s.
Nike released these special shoes inspired by Wu-tang in 1999. Officially called ‘wu-tang killa bees dunk high,’ Nike released 36 pairs of them, meant to be for the clan, friends, and family.
The shoes are bright goldenrod yellow with black stripes, a color inspired by the clan themselves.
As time has passed, the shoe has increased highly in value.
>>>6 Best Jordans For Wide Feets>>>
19. Air Jordan 4 Undefeated – $15,000
UNDFT and Air Jordan collaborated to manufacture Air Jordan 4 Undefeated, one of the most prized sneakers of all time. But these particular sneakers sold for $15,000 are even special and expensive than the rest.
The shoe seller claimed that it is one of the three versions of the model that features a ballistic material instead of the nubuck found n the ret.
Due to this special feature, it provides a slightly different midsole than the actual production version.
18. Air Jordan X OVO – $20,000
Jordan manufactured these beauties in celebration of their partnership with Drake. The shoes were exclusive and only gifted to drake and his crew. Along with that, two lucky fans received them as a gift in 2014.
As soon as one of the recipients of these sneakers put them on sale, an anonymous buyer dropped a 20 grand to own these pair.
But are these shoes actually worth their value? Not literally. They are not studded with diamonds and gold. What makes them special is just the brand value of Air Jordan and celebrity musician Drake.
17. Air Jordan 1 (1985 ASG) – $21,780
It is not unusual for Air Jordans to sell at high prices. And when it is a rare or unique piece, collectors are willing to pay extraordinary amounts.
This Air Jordan 1 achieved a holy grail status because Michael Jordan wore them during a 1985 NBA All-star game. He was a rookie during that season and not the household name that he is today.
A collector dropped the money for these red and white autographed pairs at an auction.
16. Air Jordan VII “Kobe Bryant” PE – $25,000
These Air Jordan VIIS were crafted especially for the legend Kobe Bryant in the early 2000s.
Kobe was not tied to any shoe brand at the time, and given his status in the NBA, many brands were competing to have him on their side. So Nike stepped ahead of everyone by designing this unique shoe for him.
Following the gesture from Nike, Kobe signed a multi-year brand with Nike in 2003.
This pair has an all-black body with purple and yellow trimmings in honor of the Lakers. Kobe’s uniform number 8 is also engraved on the inside parts.
Complete with an autograph by Late Kobe, an anonymous buyer bought these exclusive pairs in 2015.
15. Macklemore Cactus Air Jordan 6 – $25,000
If you are a sneakerhead, you might understand why Air Jordan is so hyped. The style and comfort that air Jordan provides are unmatched.
These special Air Jordan 6 were manufactured in 2014 in two colors, a green suede named ‘cactus and red suede named ‘clay.’
These shoes feature premium suede uppers, wax laces, shark graphics, and icy blue soles.
Nike made and gifted 23 pairs to American rapper Macklemore who proceeded to give them to his friends and families.
14. DJ Khaled x Air Jordan 3 ‘Grateful’ – $25,000
Nike, the king of sneakers, is well known for collaborating with celebrities to launch special editions (and very expensive) of sneakers.
So when Nike’s brand ambassador DJ Khaled released his album ‘grateful’ in 2017, Nike commemorated the event with these special Grateful edition sneakers.
The design of the shoes is a reflection of the colorful and bright personality of DJ Khaled. The upper shoe features striking red leather, white and black accents, and unique elephant print details.
Pairs are also inscribed with the ‘we the best’ phase popularised by Khaled.
A few of these pairs were given away to few lucky fans who purchased the albums and entered the contest. They were not sold to the public.
If you wish to add these beauties to your shoe collection, you can hit the online marketplace and wait for your luck!
13. Nike Mag 2016 (Auto-Lacing) – $26,000 (or More)
Originally released in 2011, the Nike Mag 2016 was the dream sneakers of every Back to the future fan. Almost a replica of sneakers worn by Marty in the sci-fi series, the rare production of 1500 pairs was an instant hit.
In 2016, Nike revamped the model with a powered shoelaces version while cutting the production to 89 pairs.
The unique system senses the wearer’s comfort and sets the tightness of the laces accordingly. How cool is that?
These futuristic models were sold to crazy sneakerheads in a charitable auction.
With much luck, you might find one pair being resold on eBay. But keep your cash ready; the retail price will only go up and up.
>>>Top 10 Best NBA Players of All Time>>>
12. Eminem x Carhartt Air Jordan 4 – $30,000
The king of rap and the king kind of sneakers have collaborated quite a few times to produce a rare line of air Jordan sneakers. The Air Jordan 4 Retro ‘Eminem’ were manufactured in just 50 pair making them one of the rarest collectibles.
Likewise, 10 pairs were auctioned, bringing in a $227,552 sum, with the highest one selling for $30,100. Again, RapGod donated all the proceeds to a good cause through his foundation.
Talking about the aesthetics of the shoes, it uses Air Jordan IC silhouette but Carhartt’s canvas material for the upper. It also features the shady xv logo and backward “E” logo on the heels.
The pre-owned pairs of this model have sold for as high as $37,000, making this model one of the most expensive sneakers ever.
11. Air Jordan 2 Original – $31,000
These stylish pairs were crafted by well-known designer Bruce Kilgore and produced in Italy. Created in two color schemes, the shoes lacked popularity as most air jordans do.
But unexpectedly, an anonymous buyer spent $31,000 on eBay to own them.
The pair in question was 28 years old and not in great condition, but maybe that’s what added to the value of shoes; the history behind them.
10. Air Jordan 11 ‘Jeter’ – $40,000
Another one of the ultra-rare sneakers in the world is Air Jordan 11 ‘Jeter.’ Mass production can cut down the price of sneakers, but when there are only five pieces of the shoes globally, no wonder the price tag will be in thousands.
As evident from the name itself, Nike made these shoes in honor of well-known baseball player Derek Jeter. Released in 2014, this sneaker marked his official retirement from the game.
With the navy suede upper and bright white sole, the pair also flaunts a number 2 upon the heels of sneakers.
9. Mark Wahlberg’s Air Jordan 5 Transformers – $52,000
Nike built these ultra-cool and fetishistic sneakers in collaboration with Transformers star Mark Wahlberg. It is made up entirely of black patent leather with a grid pattern on it.
It also features red0blue spikes on the sides and grey detailing on the side and tongue.
Each one has the number 84 embroidered on the heel part, probably in honor of the year and the first transform TV show aired.
The unique part of the shoe might be its sole. If you flip the shoe, you will see the transformers logo embed on the see-through bottom. These cool see-through bottoms even glow in the dark!
8. Diamond Encrusted Air Force 1 – $50,000
These exclusive Nike air forces were designed by rapper Big Boi, known for his love of sneakers and jewelry.
The shoe flaunts a full 13 karts of special champagne diamonds and gold accents besides the optimal comfort Nike air shoes provide.
These shoes were the featured items at the 2007 fundraising event, the proceeds of which were donated to Big Boi’s philanthropic foundation ‘Big Bois.’
7. Air Jordan Silver Shoe (with autograph) – $60,000
What makes this Air Jordan Silver shoe so expensive is its uniqueness. It is also very rare as there were only ten pairs released initially.
These shoes are made up of solid silver weighing around 10 pounds and also feature an autograph of the legend himself.
But again, to be valued in the eyes of sports collectors, the object should have a story behind it. In this case, these special shoes were a gift to Jordan from his wife on his 32nmd birthday.
6. Diamond Encrusted Reebok Question – $65,000
It seems like diamonds are not just a women’s favorite but also men! Other diamond-encrusted sneakers on the list were are Reebok Question, made in collaboration with NBA superstar Allen Iverson.
But are these sneakers worth their price?
The most extravagant feature of this 2004 design is the 246 diamonds that shine against an all-black theme. It is lightly embroidered with indications of silver, providing a contrasting accent to the theme.
Anonymous buyers bought these limited edition shoes, so we can only wonder who the lucky man got to keep these. But we can say for the fact that Iverson also received one pair for himself.
>>>Top 25 Richest Golfers in the World>>>
5. Air Jordan 12 OVO – $100,000 (drake edition)
Another Drake piece on the list of the most expensive sneakers is an Air Jordan 12 OVO. Although you can buy a pair of them for less than $250, the prices multiply when the name associated with it is Drake.
A lady fan received a pair of these as a gift on the Toronto Raptors event from Drake himself. And then she proceeded to go and sell it, for a 100 grand, that is!
4. Air Jordan 12 (Flu Game) – $104,000
You can put a price on sneakers, but not the story behind them. So what exactly is the case for this expensive red and black Air Jordan sneakers?
Remember the famous ‘flu game’ of 1997? These are the shoe that Michael Jordan was wearing when he lead his team to victory despite having a pretty bad flu.
Likewise, they were put up for auction in 2013.
While the original starting price was $5,000, the winning bid was willing to pay a cost of $104,765.
3. Buscemi 100 MM Diamond – $132,000
American luxury footwear company Buscemi unveiled these limited-edition sneakers in September 2016. The model flaunts 11.50 carats diamonds from jeweler Shayan and 18-karat gold hardware.
Alongside the bling, the shoe features white leather upper and ultra extravagant material to make walking cool and comfortable.
If you have a lot of cash to spend on a pair of sneakers, you should visit their downtown manhattan store to get one!
2. Michael Jordan’s Game-Worn Converse Fastbreak – $190,373
Finally, a converse appears on the list of the most expensive sneakers.
Michael Jordan is the most celebrated player NBA has ever had. So no wonder sports memorabilia related to him remains one of the most desired for collectors.
Similarly, Jordan wore the shoe in question during the 1982 NCAA Championship season. Besides that, it flaunts an autograph of the legend.
1. Solid Gold OVO x Air Jordans – $2 Million
If you don’t have 2 million bucks to spend on shoes, look elsewhere because these stunning solid gold Air Jordans cost exactly that!
The only person who owns this is Rapper Drake! But with a net worth of $150 million, this is just casual shopping for Drake.
But maybe, you are not missing out on much anyway. These 24k gold plated sneakers created by Matthew Senna weigh 50lbs each and are not exactly wearable.
Summary
Let’s wrap the list of the most expensive sneakers up with a quick summary:
- Solid Gold OVO x Air Jordans
- Michael Jordan’s Game-Worn Converse Fastbreak
- Buscemi 100 MM Diamond
- Air Jordan 12 (Flu Game)
- Air Jordan 12 OVO
- Diamond Encrusted Reebok Question
- Air Jordan Silver Shoe (with autograph)
- Diamond Encrusted Air Force 1
- Mark Wahlberg’s Air Jordan 5 Transformers
- Air Jordan 11 ‘Jeter’
- Air Jordan 2 Original
- Eminem x Carhartt Air Jordan 4
- Nike Mag 2016 (Auto-Lacing)
- DJ Khaled x Air Jordan 3 ‘Grateful’
- Macklemore Cactus Air Jordan 6
- Air Jordan VII “Kobe Bryant” PE
- 1985 ASG -Air Jordan 1
- Air Jordan X OVO
- Air Jordan 4 Undefeated
- Nike Dunk High LE (WU-TANG)
